(PRESS RELEASE) Shree Ramkrishna Exports (SRK), the largest crafter of natural diamonds in the world, is delighted to announce that our in-house grading system- SRK Grading System (SGS) is now accredited by Manchester based Certification Agency “Alcumus ISOQAR” with the world’s most distinguished certificate- ISO 24016, which specifies the terminology, classification and pedagogy that are used into SGS for the grading and description of single, unmounted natural polished diamonds over 0.25 carats. This makes SRK world’s only company to have attained this ISO certification, and SGS the 1st of all the grading systems known in the gems and jewellery industry across the world to meet the highest globally-recognized grading standard for natural polished diamonds.
SRK was officially recognised for this achievement through a Virtual Felicitation Event organized on 11th March, 2021. The celebration was conducted in the august presence of Mr. Steve Stubley, Technical Strategy director; Mr. Roger Wood, International and Business support manager at Alcumus ISOQAR Ltd; Mr. Suhas Risbood, managing director at ISOQAR India Pvt. Ltd. and fellow team members of SRK.
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certification is a mark of assurance. The ISO 24016 compliance, which ensures worldwide acknowledgement and credibility of SGS is based on a pure quality paradigm that centres around:
- Customer Excellence
- Leadership
- Process Approach
- Continuous and Steady Improvement
- Evidence-based Decision Making
- Relationship Management
To become ISO 24016 certified, the SRK 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.
Pursuing the ISO 24016 certification is a strategic investment and continued commitment of demonstrating pure transparency and pure quality standards to continuously improve the business processes.
SRK, regarded as being the most compliant company, holds the following ISO certifications:
- PAS 7000 for Supply Chain Risk Management System, attained since 2018
- ISO 9001 for Quality Management System, attained since 2016
- ISO 14001 for Environmental Management System, attained since 2015
- ISO 45001 for Occupational Health and Safety Management System, attained since 2015
- ISO 50001 for Energy Management System, attained since 2013
- ISO 22000 for Food Safety Management System, attained since 2015
“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”, quoted a fellow team member of SRK
The SRK Grading System 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 6 graders for complete validation of all the parameters, before being assigned a grade. Authenticated with special comments over parameters like Lustre, Fluorescence, Symmetry, Black inclusions, etc apart from the regular 4Cs, SGS is a very comprehensive grading system credited for its high accuracy. It is the productive and lucrative outcome of strict quality control, robust inventory management and best practices upheld at SRK. SRK decided to take that dedication a step further and initiated the certification process of SGS recognised for global customers.
“The year 2021 for Team SRK has started with our record of being the 1st in the industry and in the world. SGS’s successful certification is testament to the positive engagement SRK Team at all the levels and an essential element. in our constant pursuit to deliver innovative and value-added products and services for the benefit of our customers. These compliance standards not only reflect our commitment to pure quality and service, but it also gives us a sense of inclusiveness with our stakeholders, motivating us to attain newer heights in the coming months,” added a fellow compliance team member from SRK.