SACIM sells 288k carats in Antwerp for $3.2M; prices 42% above Dubai

SACIM SARL, a Congolese diamond producer, sold more than 288,000 carats of rough diamonds for approximately US$3.2 million at a public tender held at the Antwerp World Diamond Centre tender facility from February 16 to 20, 2026. Antwerp organisers reported that the average price per sold carat was 41.6% higher than at a recent Dubai tender where the goods had previously been brought to market.

The week of viewings and offers drew broad participation. Organisers recorded 63 companies booking a total of 87 viewing slots, while 47 companies submitted 311 bids overall, an average of about nine bids placed per lot. Rapaport photographed the Consul General of the Democratic Republic of Congo alongside the managing director of Samir Gems NV at the AWDC, underscoring diplomatic interest in the sale and the Antwerp staging.

Samir Gems organised the tender on behalf of SACIM; the Antwerp company appears in reports variously as Samir Gems, Samir Gems S A and Samir Gems NV. Anjal Bhansali of Samir Gems characterised the outcome as a clear market win: “The prices for the rough diamonds achieved here were significantly higher than in other trading centres, and the number of high‑quality participants in the tender was also greater. That makes Antwerp the ideal location to bring these goods to market.”

AWDC framed the result as proof of the city’s buyer depth and compliance infrastructure. AWDC CEO Karen Rentmeesters said, “The strong presence of international buyers physically attending the diamond tenders creates robust competition, leading to optimal prices for the goods.” Rentmeesters also highlighted Antwerp’s facilities and reputation for control and transparency as factors that make the city a reliable partner for diamond‑producing countries.

The Antwerp sale is the first public tender of Congolese rough diamonds in the city since state‑imposed restrictions on DRC rough sales were lifted in June 2025, restoring producers like SACIM access to the open market. Organisers noted that many of the lots had previously been presented in Dubai, making the 41.6% premium in Antwerp notable for producers weighing sales venues.

Beyond headline numbers, the tender offers a practical signal for producers and traders: a run‑of‑mine offering totalling near 288,000 carats can attract dozens of international buyers and deliver materially higher per‑carat returns when staged under Antwerp’s controls. AWDC’s LinkedIn outreach following the sale invited further tenders and pointed producers to export guidance, positioning the city to capture additional post‑restriction volumes from the DRC and other producer nations.