Demand for Lab-Grown Diamonds Lifts Business in Surat Ahead of Diwali; Workers Offered 10% Bonus

The growing international demand for lab-grown diamond jewellery ahead of Christmas is bringing relief to Surat's diamond workers this festive season, with factories receiving encouraging orders and some owners announcing a 10% bonus for employees who resume work shortly after Diwali.

The incentive is aimed at ensuring that workers return to factories within four or five days of the festival as diamond cutting and polishing units prepare to meet rising demand from overseas buyers.

Mukesh Patel, president of the Lab-Grown Diamond Association, said demand for lab-grown diamond jewellery was improving across international markets, with traders receiving good orders ahead of the Christmas season in November and December.

Considering the demand we are currently witnessing, cutting and polishing units across the diamond industry are operating until Dhanteras. Many workers are also expected to resume work within four days after Diwali," Patel said.

Patel said he had predicted around one-and-a-half years ago that better days were ahead for diamond workers, adding that the current improvement was only the beginning.