Throughout the year, we are fortunate enough to continue to be able to hand select our diamonds from the renowned diamond capital of the world, Antwerp, Belgium. Antwerp has been the centre of the diamond trade for centuries, and is popular for traders and consumers alike. The Antwerp diamond quarter is an area next to Antwerp central station and covers approximately one square mile. Bursting with diamond retailers, the quarter is also home to diamond grading centres, cutting and polishing centres and diamond brokers. 60-80% of the worlds diamonds are traded here, and we proudly adhere and comply to trading standards of conflict free diamonds. 


By selecting our own diamonds, we can confidently say that each item of jewellery within our Clark and Antwerp collections are truly unique. We are proud to showcase Clark quality across all of our stores and our rising knowledge from using a diamond broker in Antwerp is reflected in our intricate designs and quality craftsmanship. Every year, members of the Clark team get the opportunity to help search for the best quality stones that we envisage within our collections. Last week, Daniel, Rachel and Charlotte flew across to Antwerp for two days.

Day one was a late arrival, we landed in Antwerp at around dinner time so after checking in at the hotel, we browsed around the closing diamond quarter and headed into the old town and soaked in the beautiful sights. We then had dinner at a restaurant filled with locals and discussed the plans for the day to follow. What we aim to achieve from our trips is a comprehensive knowledge of the stones that we craft into beautiful pieces. This includes the process of sourcing, cutting, polishing and grading. By allowing all of our staff members the opportunity to take part in such a unique process, we believe that our customers will benefit too, enabling them to be confident in their purchases with us time after time.

Day two started early, we headed into the quarter and checked ourselves in for a day of looking through various cuts and quality stones to find the perfect matches for us. We met our diamond broker, who showed us around the offices introducing us to the various stages of diamond sorting, polishing and grading.

After a morning of diamond sorting, we decided to rest our eyes and head for a spot of lunch. A huge steak, Belgian chocolate waffle and spot of window shopping later, we headed back into the quarter and picked up our order.
Charlotte’s view “An outstanding experience, I cannot wait to relay the information learnt onto my customers”
Rachel’s view “This trip has really made me think about the process behind diamond sourcing before they enter our display windows-I feel that I have picked up a lot of valuable experience and my customers can only gain from this too”