Shree Ramkrishna Exports (SRK), a leading Surat-based diamond manufacturer, said its in-house grading system SRK Grading System (SGS) has been accredited by the Manchester-based ISO certification provider, Alcumus ISOQAR, as being compliant with the requirements of ISO: 24016:2020, a distinguished certificate which specifies the terminology, classification and the methods used by SGS for the grading and description of single unmounted polished diamonds over 0.25 carat.
SRK said this makes it the world’s only company to have attained this ISO certification, and SGS the first to meet the highest globally recognised grading standard for natural polished diamonds.
SRK was officially recognised for this achievement through a virtual felicitation event organised on 11th March, 2021. The celebration was conducted in the presence of Steve Stubley, Technical Strategy Director; Roger Wood, International and Business Support Manager at Alcumus ISOQAR Ltd; Suhas Risbood, Managing Director at ISOQAR India Pvt. Ltd. and fellow team members of SRK.
To become ISO 24016-certified, SRK’s grading system underwent a two-stage evaluation process of ISOQAR technical assessors that included pre-audit, a management system documentation review, overall grading process assessments including Carat (Mass), Dimensions, Colour, Fluorescence, Clarity, Cut, Shape, Proportions, Finish, Grading Reports and Comments.
“With the ISO certification, we want to ensure that we ultimately improve upon what we do; to benefit our customers. After months of work, SGS was developed successfully as per the standards, and appreciatively we succeeded in the first attempt. With our team’s continued dedication and customers’ valued feedback, we intend to keep upgrading and improving for the best,” an SRK team member was quoted as saying.
The SGS is the reason SRK was able to achieve 90% sales through online channels in the year 2020. Around 1.8 million+ diamonds have been graded through the SGS in the last 15 years. Each diamond in SRK passes through the hands of six graders for complete validation of all the parameters, before being assigned a grade.