Alrosa Advances Progress on Diamond-Cutting Cluster in Russia

Alrosa CEO Pavel Marinychev held talks with regional leaders in Smolensk to discuss headway made on a joint diamond-cutting cluster plan.

The initiative, which aims to advance Russia’s diamond-cutting industry, is being carried out under a Russian presidential decree and will officially begin in March 2027, the miner said last week. The aim is to strengthen companies’ access to high-quality rough diamonds, ensuring enough profitability to attract investment in Russia’s manufacturing sector. The discussion at the meeting focused on a domestic diamond-cutting cluster in the Smolensk and Yakutia regions.

Alrosa has prepared three zones at its Kristall factory in Smolensk for future cluster participants, with cutting equipment already installed. The company has also selected partners to provide legal, digital and operational support and housing for the employees.

“We have begun implementing a large-scale initiative to establish a diamond-cutting cluster based at our facilities. This is an ambitious project that will create new jobs, strengthen the position of the domestic diamond and jewelry industry, and become an additional driver of regional development,” said Marinychev, who is also a member of the Bureau of the Russian Union of Machine Builders. “As the world’s only fully integrated diamond company, we are open to partnerships and ready to share our experience, production capacity and expertise.”

Image: Rough diamond sorting. (Alrosa)