Hatton Garden has been the center of London's jewelry trade for centuries, and it remains one of the most concentrated diamond and jewelry districts in Europe. But for all its history and density, the diamonds moving through Hatton Garden's shopfronts and workshops arrive the same way they do everywhere else outside the cutting centers — through a chain of import distribution that starts, for the vast majority of stones, in Surat.
A historic trading center, not a cutting center
London's strength has always been distribution, retail, and craftsmanship — not diamond manufacturing. That's not a criticism, it's simply the structure of the global trade: cutting is concentrated in a handful of centers, and Surat accounts for roughly 90% of world volume. For UK-based wholesalers and jewelry manufacturers, that means the actual source of most inventory is further from London than it feels, routed through import and distribution channels that add cost at every step.
What London buyers gain from sourcing direct
Buyers who deal in volume — particularly manufacturers supplying UK and European retail — stand to gain the most from shortening that chain. Direct access to manufacturers means more control over specification, faster turnaround on custom parcel requests, and pricing that doesn't carry the markup of multiple intermediary hubs. It's a similar dynamic to what buyers in Antwerp face — proximity to Europe's trading infrastructure doesn't mean proximity to the cutting floor.
Making a first trip practical
The reason more UK buyers haven't already made this switch usually comes down to logistics, not economics: unfamiliar manufacturers, no existing relationships, and the time cost of navigating documentation solo. A hosted VisitSDB visit removes that barrier — manufacturers matched to your category in advance, a dedicated host, and on-site customs support at Surat Diamond Bourse.
If you're weighing whether a first sourcing trip makes sense, our 90-day pilot program is built for exactly that evaluation. Reach out with your buying category and preferred dates.