De Beers Cuts About One-Third of Sightholders

By Rob Bates | March 20, 2026

De Beers today told more than 20 of its 69 sightholders they will no longer be clients when new contracts start on July 1, sources with knowledge tell JCK.

The revised roster comprises around 45 sightholders, depending on how one counts businesses with multiple divisions, the sources add.

While De Beers has repeatedly signaled that it planned to trim its sightholder list, the cuts are greater than some had expected. JCK has heard there are now only a handful of sightholders in New York City and Israel, two once-thriving diamond hubs.

In his LinkedIn post about the changes, industry analyst Edahn Golan said De Beers also added a new sightholder, from India.

De Beers is not currently confirming how many companies are on the new list or which clients did, or didn’t, make the cut, spokesperson David Johnson tells JCK. However, the company does plan to update its online sightholder directory when the contracts begin in July.

The current sightholders are working under agreements originally signed in 2021. Last year, De Beers extended those contracts through June 2026.

Having fewer than 50 clients would be a huge decrease from De Beers’ 1970s heyday, when its sightholder list numbered over 350 companies.

(Photo courtesy of De Beers)