Alrosa Launches Digital Tenders with Sarine Tech

RAPAPORT… Alrosa has implemented a digital-tender pilot enabling buyers to scan rough diamonds to evaluate their polished output using systems from Sarine
Technologies.



The program, which the Russian miner debuted at its October sale, uses Sarine’s Galaxy inclusion mapping and DiaExpert
planning to study a rough stone’s external shape, internal inclusions and anticipated
color and fluorescence.


“Digital tenders for rough diamonds allow us to improve our
customers’ experience by reducing the risk associated with their purchasing
decisions,” Alrosa deputy CEO Evgeny Agureev explained last week. “This
ensures their long-term sustainable profitability, [and] streamlines
manufacturing processes after procurement of the stones. Alrosa concurrently
benefits from the ability to show products to a large variety of clients within
a short timeframe.”


Prior to the October sale, clients would travel to an Alrosa office, where a limited number of experts would examine the rough stones on
offer. Using the digital platform, buyers can collaborate with their entire
team, as well as the polishing factory, in order to make the best decisions as
to which stones they should purchase, Alrosa said.


“The diamond industry is evolving, and rough-diamond buyers
are seeking ever more information in order to ensure decisions that are the
most effective,” noted Sarine CEO David Block. “Market conditions and margins
are such that few can afford to err in the purchase of rough diamonds for their
respective businesses.”

Image: A rough diamond being analyzed in the DiaExpert machine. (Sarine Technologies)