Shenzhen's Shuibei jewelry district has grown into one of the largest jewelry manufacturing and trading clusters in the world, supplying finished pieces to both domestic Chinese retail and export markets at enormous scale. That manufacturing strength is in assembly and design production — the diamonds going into that jewelry are, almost without exception, imported, and a large share originates from Surat's cutting floors.
Manufacturing scale without cutting capacity
China's diamond cutting industry, while present, doesn't approach the scale of Surat's — which cuts an estimated 90% of the world's diamonds by volume. For Shenzhen-based jewelry manufacturers, that means the loose-stone component of production almost always traces back through import channels to Indian cutting, regardless of how much value-add happens domestically in final assembly.
Why direct sourcing matters more for manufacturers than traders
Jewelry manufacturers who need consistent, specifiable loose-stone supply for ongoing production runs benefit even more from direct manufacturer relationships than pure traders do — being able to specify exact shape, size, and quality tier for a production cycle, rather than working with whatever a distributor currently holds in stock.
Building that relationship
A hosted VisitSDB visit matches Shenzhen-based manufacturers with Surat suppliers suited to their specific production needs, with on-site customs support through Surat Diamond Bourse for anything purchased.
Get in touch with your buying category and production volume to scope a visit.
Published by the VisitSDB team. Updated .
Planning a purchase? Read our wholesale diamond sourcing guide before comparing manufacturers.