The Diamond Trail: How India Rose to Global Domination

If you visit Antwerp, the diamond market of the world, you will see for yourself how Indians have taken over the sleepy Belgian town, where bells in the biggest Hindu temple attract thousands of visitors every evening. Global diamond trade is now on a new chapter, and India is playing an important role in that. Diamonds are the second-largest export commodity from India after mineral fuels. With more than 80 per cent of the world’s diamonds being cut and polished in Surat, India has become the processing house for the world’s diamonds. But how did we get here? In The Diamond Trail, veteran journalist Shantanu Guha Ray charts the course of India’s rise to domination in the diamond industry.