The Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) has secured the return of a 0% US import tariff on cut natural diamonds, after months of lobbying with American trade authorities, the organisation announced on Friday.
The exemption comes after a six-month period during which European cut natural diamonds faced a 10% US import surcharge.
The AWDC had already negotiated a zero-tariff arrangement in September 2025 as part of the trade agreement between the European Commission and the United States.
At the time, US authorities accepted that natural diamonds should be exempt because they are neither mined nor cut in the United States, meaning imports do not compete with a domestic industry.
That exemption was overturned in February, when US President Donald Trump introduced a new 10% blanket import surcharge following a US Supreme Court ruling that found his previous tariff measures unlawful.
The surcharge was due to expire on Friday, but the US administration sought a new legal basis to impose tariffs under Section 301 of US trade law, which targets countries deemed to have failed to prevent products made with forced labour from entering supply chains.
According to the AWDC, that justification does not apply to the diamond trade.
"The diamond sector has extensive mechanisms for traceability and origin verification," said AWDC chief executive Karen Rentmeesters.
US authorities have now accepted that argument, meaning natural diamonds cut in Europe will once again enter the United States free of import duties.
"The exemption strengthens Antwerp's position as Europe's leading centre for diamond cutting," Rentmeesters said.
