The Diamond Trading Company (DTC) has opened its Forevermark marking facility in Antwerp to keep up with growing demand from Hong Kong, Japan, China and India, according to reports.%%This new facility began marking diamonds two months ahead of schedule in November 2006 and is the DTC’s first marking facility outside the UK.%% The Antwerp facility currently employs 14 people and has 30 per cent more capacity than the existing UK unit.%%In 2006, Forevermark sales grew by 56 per cent in volume and 71 per cent in value compared with 2005.%%In 2006/7, the DTC launched the Forevermark programme in three new markets: Japan, China and India. To date, a total of 75,000-plus stones have been marked.%%The Forevermark is a special symbol and identification number unique to each diamond, providing an assurance to consumers that their diamond is genuine, natural and untreated. Each stone is also accompanied by a certificate of authenticity which guarantees that the diamond was mined, cut and polished in an ethically, socially and environmentally responsible way.%%Only diamonds weighing 0.30 carats and above are eligible for the Forevermark. The actual size of the mark is only 1/20th of a micron deep (a mere 1/500th the thickness of a human hair) and can be seen with the Forevermark viewer.