The Bharat Diamond Bourse (BDB), situated in the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) of Mumbai, is among the largest diamond bourses in the world by membership and floor area. Inaugurated in 2010, the facility was purpose-built to consolidate Mumbai's historically fragmented diamond trade into a single, regulated environment, and it now houses more than 2,500 member firms engaged in the trading and manufacture of rough and polished diamonds.

Facility and Structure

The BDB occupies a purpose-designed complex of interconnected towers spanning approximately 20 trading floors. The development was conceived to provide a secure, professionally managed environment comparable to the established bourses of Antwerp, Tel Aviv, and New York. Beyond trading floors, the complex incorporates customs facilities, banking services, laboratories, and ancillary commercial infrastructure — a configuration intended to allow the entire transaction cycle, from import of rough to export of polished goods, to be completed within a single campus.

Role in the Diamond Trade

India occupies a singular position in the global diamond pipeline: by volume, the country accounts for the cutting and polishing of the vast majority of the world's diamonds, with the industry centred historically in Mumbai and, for smaller goods, in Surat. The BDB was designed in part to formalise and elevate Mumbai's role as a trading hub, complementing the manufacturing base that had long operated through informal networks across the city's Zaveri Bazaar district.

The bourse facilitates trade in both rough and polished diamonds, with a particular concentration in smaller polished goods — the melee and near-gem categories that form the backbone of India's cutting industry. The domestic Indian jewellery market, one of the world's largest consumers of diamond jewellery, is also served through BDB member firms.

Membership and Governance

Membership is open to diamond traders, manufacturers, and brokers who satisfy the BDB's eligibility criteria, which include financial standing, trade references, and adherence to the bourse's code of conduct. As a member of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB), the BDB operates under the federation's international standards for dispute resolution, ethical trading, and reciprocal membership recognition — meaning a member in good standing at one WFDB bourse enjoys certain trading privileges at affiliated bourses globally.

Relationship to the Surat Diamond Bourse

The BDB operates alongside the Surat Diamond Bourse (SDB), which opened in 2023 and, by floor area, is reported to be the largest diamond bourse in the world. The two institutions serve complementary functions: Surat's bourse is more closely integrated with the cutting and polishing manufacturing sector concentrated in Gujarat, while the BDB retains Mumbai's traditional role as a financial and trading centre with stronger links to international rough supply and the domestic luxury market. Together, the two bourses reinforce India's position as the dominant node in the global diamond value chain.