Diamond Standard
Corporate brand
UnclaimedDiamond Standard develops regulated, standardized physical diamond commodities that can be traded through blockchain-based infrastructure.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Diamond Standard is a financial-technology and commodities brand focused on turning investment-grade diamonds into a standardized, tradeable commodity. The company was founded in New York City in 2018 by software designer and serial entrepreneur Cormac Kinney. Its central proposition is to provide an investment instrument for diamonds that resembles the role of a standardized gold bar: instead of requiring investors to select, authenticate, value, insure, and sell individual stones, Diamond Standard packages a statistically representative group of diamonds into standardized physical units. The company's principal physical products are the Diamond Standard Coin and Diamond Standard Bar. Each unit contains a defined set of diamonds that are graded and certified by the Gemological Institute of America. The stones are acquired through a market-making and statistical-sampling process intended to create a consistent commodity rather than a one-off jewelry item. The geological and identifying characteristics of the diamonds are recorded on a public blockchain, creating a digital record associated with the physical commodity. Diamond Standard combines the physical commodity with digital transaction infrastructure. Its coin and bar incorporate a wireless encryption chip that supports authentication and auditing and stores a blockchain token representing the associated commodity. The token enables electronic transfer while the underlying diamonds remain held by custodians. This structure is designed to make the asset easier to mark to market, transfer, audit, and integrate into investment products than individually held diamonds. The company has also established the Diamond Standard Exchange, where diamonds used in its commodities are acquired through transparent bidding. Its regulated offering has involved Bermuda, where the Diamond Standard Coin offerings are regulated by the Bermuda Monetary Authority and audited by Deloitte. Diamond Standard and its Bitcarbon token were described as among the early services operating under Bermuda's Digital Asset Business Act. The company has maintained offices in Hamilton, Bermuda, alongside its New York origins. Diamond Standard positions its products as an access point to the broader diamond asset class for professional investors, fund managers, and other financial-market participants. The company has stated that the global diamond asset class is worth approximately $1.2 trillion, although that estimate is not independently assessed here. Its model seeks to address long-standing barriers in diamond investment, including inconsistent grading, fragmented pricing, limited liquidity, and the difficulty of obtaining reliable daily valuations. The business has also pursued institutional-market expansion. Futures contracts were reported to be in development by firms licensed by the United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and an investment trust associated with the commodity launched in 2022. These initiatives indicate an effort to extend Diamond Standard beyond physical products into regulated investment vehicles and derivatives. The available reference material does not establish the company's current ownership, revenue, public listing, or present executive roster beyond its founder.
History
Diamond Standard was established in New York City in 2018 by Cormac Kinney, a software designer and serial entrepreneur. The company emerged from an attempt to address the structural difficulties of investing in diamonds. Unlike gold, which is commonly traded in standardized bars and supported by transparent market conventions, diamonds have historically been traded as individual stones whose value depends on multiple characteristics, including cut, color, clarity, carat weight, provenance, and certification. This fragmentation can make pricing, custody, valuation, and resale difficult for financial investors. Diamond Standard's solution was to create a commodity composed of a standardized collection of diamonds rather than a single stone. The company developed a market-making and statistical-sampling process for acquiring the underlying diamonds. Each physical coin or bar contains a defined set of stones graded and certified by the Gemological Institute of America. The use of standardized composition is intended to make units fungible and permit valuation as a commodity rather than as an assortment of unrelated gems. The company added a digital identification layer to the physical asset. Geological and identifying information for the diamonds is recorded on a public blockchain. The coin and bar also contain an embedded wireless encryption chip that supports authentication and audit functions and stores the blockchain token associated with the commodity. In the company's model, the diamonds remain in custody while the digital representation can be transferred electronically. This arrangement is intended to combine physical asset backing with the speed and traceability of digital settlement. To support price discovery and sourcing, Diamond Standard formed the Diamond Standard Exchange. Diamonds used in the commodity are acquired through transparent bidding on that exchange. The exchange and associated market-making process are intended to reduce opacity in a market where individual-stone pricing has traditionally been complex and dealer-dependent. The resulting commodity is designed to be marked to market daily, which is important for fund managers and other institutional users that require recurring valuations. Bermuda became an important part of the company's regulatory and operating structure. Diamond Standard maintained an office in Hamilton, Bermuda, and its coin offerings were described as regulated by the Bermuda Monetary Authority. Deloitte was identified as the auditor for the offerings. Diamond Standard and the Bitcarbon token were also described as among the early services launched under Bermuda's Digital Asset Business Act, connecting the company's diamond commodity with the island's emerging digital-asset regulatory regime. The company subsequently pursued expansion into financial-market formats beyond directly purchased physical units. Futures contracts were reported to be in development by CFTC-licensed firms, while an investment trust launched in 2022. These steps were intended to make exposure available through familiar institutional structures and potentially improve liquidity. The company's broader thesis is that diamonds can become an investable alternative commodity if their physical composition, pricing, custody, authentication, and settlement are standardized. Available reference material does not provide a complete account of later corporate developments, current management, ownership, financial performance, or the present status of all proposed derivatives. It also does not establish whether the company is publicly listed. Diamond Standard should therefore be characterized as an active private-sector brand with a regulated commodity and digital-asset infrastructure focus, while those unspecified corporate details remain open for verification.
- 2022
Investment trust launched
[1]An investment trust associated with the Diamond Standard commodity was reported to have launched, extending the product architecture into a fund structure.
- 2018
Company founded in New York City
[1]Diamond Standard was founded by Cormac Kinney as a company focused on creating a standardized, investable diamond commodity.
Diamond Standard Coin and Bar developed
[1]The company developed physical coin and bar units containing standardized collections of GIA-graded diamonds, with blockchain records and embedded wireless authentication chips.
Diamond Standard Exchange established
[1]The company formed an exchange for transparent bidding and acquisition of diamonds used in its commodity products.
Products and positioning
A regulated alternative-asset platform that standardizes physical diamonds and links them to auditable blockchain-based trading infrastructure.
Physical diamond commodity
Diamond Standard Coin
A physical commodity unit containing a standardized set of diamonds graded and certified by the Gemological Institute of America. The coin is designed for investment rather than jewelry use. Its associated geological data is recorded on a public blockchain, while an embedded wireless encryption chip supports authentication, auditing, and storage of the associated blockchain token. The offering is described as regulated by the Bermuda Monetary Authority and audited by Deloitte.
Physical diamond commodity
Diamond Standard Bar
A bar-format physical commodity containing a standardized collection of diamonds. Like the coin, the bar is intended to make diamond exposure more uniform and easier to value than individual stones. The product incorporates certified diamonds, blockchain-linked records, and an embedded wireless encryption chip for authentication and electronic handling of the related token.
Blockchain commodity token
Bitcarbon token
A blockchain-based digital representation associated with Diamond Standard's physical commodity. The token is designed to support electronic transactions while the underlying diamonds remain held by custodians. Reference material identifies Bitcarbon as one of the services launched under Bermuda's Digital Asset Business Act.
Commodity exchange
Diamond Standard Exchange
An exchange created to support transparent bidding and acquisition of the diamonds used in Diamond Standard commodity units. It forms part of the company's market-making and sourcing infrastructure and is intended to improve price discovery in the otherwise fragmented diamond market.
Investment vehicle · 2022
Diamond Standard investment trust
An investment-trust structure associated with the Diamond Standard commodity that launched in 2022. It was intended to provide an institutional investment format distinct from direct ownership of the physical coin or bar.
Brand decisions
2022
Launch an investment trustProduct launchBackground
Institutional investors may prefer fund structures to direct ownership of physical commodity units.
Action taken
An investment trust associated with the Diamond Standard commodity was launched in 2022.
Aftermath
The trust expanded the ways in which investors could obtain exposure to the standardized diamond commodity.
2018
Create a standardized diamond commodityStrategyBackground
The diamond market is fragmented, and individual stones can be difficult for financial investors to value, trade, and custody consistently.
Action taken
Diamond Standard developed physical coin and bar units containing standardized collections of certified diamonds and paired them with digital records and token infrastructure.
Aftermath
The company established a platform intended to make diamond exposure more similar to investment in a standardized commodity.
- Use blockchain for commodity identification and transferStrategy
Background
A physical diamond commodity requires reliable authentication, auditability, and a mechanism for electronic settlement.
Action taken
The company recorded geological information on a public blockchain and embedded a wireless encryption chip in its physical units to support authentication and storage of the associated token.
Aftermath
The physical commodity could remain in custody while its digital representation was designed for electronic transactions.
- Establish a transparent sourcing exchangeStrategy
Background
Transparent acquisition and price discovery are important to the credibility of a standardized diamond commodity.
Action taken
Diamond Standard formed the Diamond Standard Exchange and used transparent bidding to acquire diamonds for its commodity products.
Aftermath
The exchange became part of the company's sourcing and market-making infrastructure.
Recent events
Sources3 sources
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