The Diamond Trail: How India Rose to Global Domination

The book traces the development of India’s diamond industry and examines how Indian businesses became deeply connected with global diamond markets. It highlights the important role of Surat in cutting and polishing diamonds and explores India’s presence in Antwerp, a major international diamond hub.

Shantanu Guha Ray is a Wharton-trained journalist with nearly three decades of experience. He has worked as India editor of Central European News and has also contributed to Firstpost. His work focuses on business, economics, corruption and contemporary India.

The Diamond Trail tells the story of how India developed from a relatively small participant into a major centre of the global diamond-processing industry. The book follows the movement of diamonds through international markets and explains the role played by Indian traders, entrepreneurs and processing centres. A key focus is Surat, where a very large share of the world's diamonds are cut and polished. The book also looks at India's influence in Antwerp and asks how Indian businesses achieved such a significant position in the worldwide diamond trade.