Sarine Technologies Ltd has opened a new Galaxy® service centre for the scanning and mapping of internal inclusions in rough diamonds in the Sha Wan Jewellery Park, in the Panyu District of Guangzhou.

The centre will service the rough diamond trade and diamond manufacturers there and in China, in general, the company said in a statement release this week. It will be the Company’s ninth such centre across the globe, following the ones that opened between 2010-12 in India (Surat and Mumbai), Israel, Belgium, Russia, South Africa, Namibia and Botswana.

Stating that the service centre was opened at the invitation of the Guangzhou Diamond Exchange (GDZE), Sarine said it has been allocated space in the Administrative Services Building, adjacent to the Diamond Exchange, the National Gemmological Testing Centre (NGTC) and other central services providers.

The service centre in China will be operated by D-Authority, a local business venture that has been providing Sarine with professional pre- and post-sales services for 15 years.

The initiative by the GDZE was part of broad government actions, including simplification of procedures and reduction of taxes, taken to boost the productivity of the local diamond trade and to halt the erosion of the local production base, which has seen activity shift elsewhere and overseas, the Company stated.

In addition to internal inclusion mapping services, the new service centre will also provide rough diamond planning services with Sarine's latest equipment (DiaExpert® / DiaMark® Z Eye), proportion and symmetry analyses, utilising both the DiaMension® HD and the newest Axiom version, and inscription services, with more to follow later, as per demand.

 David Block, CEO of the Group commented, "It has been a long time coming, but with new demand in China from smaller industry players, for whom the acquisition of a Galaxy®  system is non-economical, it was only appropriate that we offer our customers there too access to the unmatched Galaxy® technology. We believe the opening of the service centre in Guangzhou will benefit the diamond industry in China."