What Bonas Group does

Bonas Group is the world's longest-established diamond brokerage and consultancy firm, founded in the 1880s when Henry Bonas co-founded the London Syndicate that marketed De Beers' original output. Now in its fifth generation of family ownership, the company has evolved into the largest global independent diamond and gemstone tender and auction house, organising 45 sale events in 2025 that brought 12 primary mine productions from Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Zambia to market, selling over 5 million carats of rough diamonds and gemstones.

The firm's core offering is a full-service tender and auction model: it manages invitations, room allocations, insurance, import/export, sorting, valuation, labelling, invoicing, and money collection on behalf of mining clients. Sales are conducted through dedicated viewing facilities in Antwerp (1,650m², 30 client viewing rooms) and Dubai, supplemented by remote deployments in Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Bogota. The proprietary BonasBids platform provides password-protected online bidding under bailiff supervision, and is complemented by integrations with Sarine Diamond Journey traceability, Tracr blockchain provenance, and GIA Diamond Origin Reports. A dedicated Sugilite Bids platform has been added to create a new market for that gemstone.

Bonas makes money through three interconnected revenue streams: (1) transaction fees on tender and auction sales of rough diamonds and gemstones, (2) value chain consulting including 10 annual diamond market reports, pricing analysis, and marketing/branding services, and (3) De Beers Relationship Management services (Sightholder introductions, compliance auditing, brokerage). The company serves 32 team members across seven wholly-owned offices in Antwerp, London, Gaborone, Johannesburg, Dubai, Mumbai, and Hong Kong, and is governed through its Belgian parent entity Bonas-Couzyn (Antwerp) NV.

Name

Bonas Group

Legal name

Bonas-Couzyn (Antwerp) NV

Website

https://bonasgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1880

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bonas Group is a fifth-generation, family-owned diamond and gemstone brokerage founded in the 1880s, operating the world's largest independent tender and auction house for rough diamonds and gemstones from offices in Antwerp, London, Gaborone, Johannesburg, Dubai, Mumbai, and Hong Kong.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Diamond Brokerage and Gemstone Auction Services

NAICS

Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers (425120), Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers (4251)

akta.pro primary industry

Rough Diamond Trading & Brokerage (CRAKAJAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Diamond/Gemstone Auction Houses & Tender Platforms (CRAKAJAI)

Keywords

• Diamond brokerage services
• Gemstone tender auctions
• Rough diamond sales
• Diamond value chain consulting
• Online diamond bidding

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Tender and Auction Fees: Bonas generates revenue by organizing and hosting tender and auction sales on behalf of mining and trading companies. The company manages the entire sales process including invitations, room allocations, insurance, import/export, sorting, valuation, invoicing and money collection.
2. Value Chain Consulting: Industry reporting and consulting services including 10 diamond market reports annually, customised industry reports, pricing analysis, and marketing/branding services for clients.
3. De Beers Relationship Management Services: Brokerage services, compliance auditing, and intermediary services for clients seeking to become or remain De Beers Sightholders.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Bonas Group organizes and conducts rough diamond and gemstone tender and auction sales on behalf of publicly-listed and private mining companies, diamond dealers, and private sellers. The firm provides end-to-end sales services including invitations, room allocations, insurance, import/export logistics, sorting, valuation, invoicing, and money collection, delivered through both in-person viewing facilities in Antwerp and Dubai and the proprietary BonasBids online platform. Supplementary offerings include value chain consulting (market reports, pricing analysis, marketing/branding) and De Beers Sightholder relationship management services.

Product overview

Bonas Group is the world's longest established diamond brokerage and consultancy firm, and the largest global independent diamond and gemstone tender and auction house. It operates as a multi-service firm offering three interconnected core offerings: (1) Diamond Tender & Auction Sales via the BonasBids online platform, supported by dedicated sorting/valuation teams in Antwerp and Dubai; (2) Gemstone Tender & Auction Sales including a dedicated Sugilite Bids platform for the Wessels mine Sugilite; and (3) Value Chain Consulting services including market reporting, pricing analysis, and marketing/branding support. A fourth service, De Beers Relationship Management, helps clients manage their commercial relationships with De Beers Group of Companies. Bonas brings 12 primary productions to market from Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Zambia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bonas-Couzyn: Primary trading name for the company's diamond brokerage and consultancy operations.
• BonasBids
• Sugilitebids.com

Products and services

• BonasBids Online Bidding Platform A secure, transparent, password-protected online bidding platform that streamlines the tender and auction process for rough diamonds and gemstones, conducted under the supervision of a bailiff. Generates immediate post-sale analysis and supports custom reporting tailored to client interests. Targeted at registered diamond buyers and dealers worldwide.
• Diamond Tender & Auction Sales Regularly organised rough diamond sales hosted on behalf of publicly-listed and privately-owned mining and trading companies worldwide, offering a full-circle, cost-effective, client-friendly sales service with the highest levels of security and transparency backed by sophisticated sorting and valuation processes.
• Gemstone Tender & Auction Sales Full suite of gemstone sales services including sorting, valuation, tenders and auctions, offering a fast and cost-effective route to market. Remote deployment capability allows Bonas to conduct sales events anywhere in the world, with viewings in Bangkok, Hong Kong, Dubai, and Bogota.
• Sugilite Bids Platform A bespoke bidding platform dedicated to Sugilite sales, established by Bonas to create an entirely new market for the Wessels mine Sugilite gemstone. The platform at www.Sugilitebids.com is intuitive, secure, and easy to use, supported by viewing events in Hong Kong.
• Value Chain Consulting Industry reporting and consulting across the diamond and gemstone pipelines, including 10 annual diamond market reports, bespoke industry reports, pricing analysis and trends, and marketing and branding services. Bonas also consults on lab-grown diamonds and luxury goods topics.
• De Beers Relationship Management Services assisting clients in optimising direct rough diamond supplies and commercial opportunities with De Beers Group of Companies, including introduction and profile raising, facilitation and intermediation, business compliance (BPP auditing), and brokerage services.

Quantifiable outcome

• 45 sale events hosted in 2025
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• JINC BelgiumminorOthers · 1 January 2023Bonas became a founding partner of the Belgian JINC initiative, supporting educational programs for young people aged 8-16 to gain practical industry exposure. JINC aims for a society where a child's background doesn't determine their future.
• Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Bonas Group joined the Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030 to help drive positive change across the diamond and gemstone industry, focusing on sustainability and responsible practices.
• HolitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership with augmented reality and marketing company Holition in London. Holition is a synthesis of retail experts, scientists, film-makers, artists, mathematicians, UX designers, and technologists providing cross-discipline innovation for Bonas marketing services.
• Sarine Technologies (Diamond Journey)coreTechnology or IntegrationBonas is an early adopter of Sarine Diamond Journey traceability solution - a cutting-edge technology providing data-based diamond traceability scalable to volume requirements, integrating seamlessly with customer operations using Sarine systems.
• TracrcoreTechnology or IntegrationBonas offers full assurance on diamond origin via partnership with Tracr, a digital provenance platform backed by De Beers using blockchain technology that provides full transparency on origin and authenticity from mine to finger.
• Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBonas has been an RJC member since 2005, actively serving on the Standards Committee since inception and with board representation, contributing to ethical standards for the jewellery and gemstone industry.
• World Diamond Council (WDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBonas is a key member of the World Diamond Council, actively representing and defending diamond industry interests.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Rapaport: Rapaport is the dominant diamond pricing/information and trading platform that brokers rough and polished diamonds globally. Like Bonas, it serves as an intermediary connecting miners/manufacturers with buyers and is comparable in providing market intelligence and facilitating transactions across the diamond pipeline.
• IDEX (International Diamond Exchange): IDEX operates diamond listing and pricing platforms for both rough and polished diamonds, serving a similar buyer/seller base to Bonas and providing market data across the diamond value chain.
• I. Hennig & Co. I. Hennig is a long-established London-based rough diamond broker historically linked to De Beers sightholder allocations. It is a direct competitor in rough diamond brokerage and tender services and shares Bonas's role of intermediating between producers and diamantaires.

Broad incumbents

• Sotheby's (Jewelry & Gemstones): Sotheby's conducts high-profile auctions of important colored diamonds, gemstones and jewelry, overlapping with Bonas's auction and tender business at the high end. It is a much larger incumbent with broad luxury categories but is comparable in providing transparent bid-driven diamond/gemstone sales.
• Christie's (Jewels): Christie's auctions fine jewelry and important colored diamonds globally. While broader than Bonas, it competes for the same pool of large stones and gemstone consignors and provides a comparable buyer-facing auction mechanism for high-value diamonds and gemstones.
• Bonhams (Jewellery): Bonhams is a global auction house with a dedicated jewelry and gemstone department that competes for consignments and bidders in colored stones and important diamonds. Comparable to Bonas on the auction/tender side but with a broader luxury remit.
• Alrosa (Procurement/Sales arm): Alrosa is the world's largest rough diamond miner with substantial in-house sales capabilities, including tenders. While primarily a producer rather than broker, its direct sales model competes with Bonas's intermediation for third-party miners and shapes industry tender conventions.

Emerging players

• Sarine Technologies: Sarine provides diamond manufacturing planning, grading and traceability technology (Diamond Journey), integrated with Bonas. While primarily a technology vendor rather than a broker, it directly shapes the ecosystem Bonas operates in and is a key competitive dependency for provenance services.
• Tracr (De Beers): Tracr is De Beers-backed blockchain provenance platform that Bonas integrates with for diamond traceability. It is an ecosystem participant that, like Bonas, targets provenance assurance across the diamond pipeline and could shift bargaining power across the value chain.

Others

• Gemological Institute of America (GIA): GIA is the leading gem grading laboratory whose Diamond Origin Report is integrated with Bonas for traceability. It is an ecosystem participant/adjacent provider rather than a competitor, but shapes buyer trust in a way that directly affects tender outcomes for Bonas.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights8 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bonas-group
• Instagraminstagram.com/bonasgroup

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bonas Group