Express Arrival Service Limited 保運服務有限公司

Shipping Diamonds from HK: Loose Stones, Certificated Parcels and Memo Goods

Shipping diamonds from Hong Kong is a routing problem before it is an insurance problem. DHL Hong Kong does not accept loose stones at all, UPS’s own rules state its China operation cannot clear unset diamonds and that Belgium is closed to unset stones, and FedEx caps jewellery declared value at US$1,000. Express Arrival Service Limited routes each parcel by lane, arranges Lloyd’s of London-backed transit cover through Anglo East Surety Limited, and handles the Kimberley Process paperwork for rough and the Hong Kong customs declaration for everything.

For the diamond trade the carrier is never the insurer. On every carrier the cover has to come from the insurance arrangement — this page explains which carrier, on which lane, and what has to travel with the stone.

Loose stones at a glance

DHL Hong Kong

Loose precious and semi-precious stones prohibited, cut or uncut, polished or unpolished

UPS to or from Belgium

Unset precious stones prohibited; jewellery limited to USD 500 equivalent

UPS into China

Unset or loose diamonds can only be cleared by government-approved brokers; UPS China cannot

Rough diamonds

Require a Kimberley Process Certificate from the Trade and Industry Department, in and out

Express Arrival

Lane-by-lane routing, Lloyd’s-backed cover, KP and customs paperwork handled

Carrier rules, diamonds specifically

Which couriers will actually carry loose diamonds from Hong Kong?

Carrier acceptance of diamonds and loose stones from Hong Kong, from each carrier’s own published terms. Verified September 2026.
Carrier	Loose or unset stones	Set diamond jewellery	Lane-specific rules to know
DHL (Hong Kong)	Prohibited “Loose precious and semi-precious stones (cut or uncut, polished or unpolished)” — never accepted regardless of value	Restricted over EUR 10,000 Case-by-case approval; DHL describes its high-value approval as taking two to five business days with the shipment held meanwhile	Bullion of any precious metal also prohibited. For the diamond trade DHL is a finished-goods option only, within the threshold.
UPS	Accepted on most lanes, with limits Standard terms cap jewellery declared value at US$500; UPS’s jewellery programme accepts international jewellery and unset stones to US$2,500, and up to US$50,000 from specified Asia-Pacific origins including Hong Kong (since 8 July 2019)	As for stones Same programme limits apply	Belgium: unset precious stones prohibited both directions; jewellery capped at the USD 500 equivalent. China: “unset / loose diamonds can only be cleared by government-approved brokers; UPS China is unable to clear such shipments.” Declared value remains a liability ceiling, not insurance.
FedEx	US$1,000 declared value cap Per package; FedEx states it “does not provide insurance for potential loss or damage”	US$1,000 Same cap; jewellery over US$500 may not ship in a padded envelope	The Declared Value Advantage programme (to US$25,000 international) requires a US business account and US-origin shipments — unavailable from Hong Kong.

Sources: DHL Hong Kong prohibited and restricted items; DHL high value shipment approval policy; UPS jewellery shipping and its origin/destination rules document; FedEx How to Ship Jewelry. Carrier terms change; the operator’s current published terms prevail.

Rough and polished are different shipments

Do you need a Kimberley Process Certificate to ship diamonds from Hong Kong?

Rough diamonds: yes, in both directions

Under the Import and Export Ordinance (Cap. 60) and its subsidiary legislation, imports and exports of rough diamonds must be covered by a valid Kimberley Process Certificate — a KP Certificate (Import) or (Export) — issued by the Director-General of Trade and Industry. Certificates are issued only to traders registered with the Trade and Industry Department as rough diamond traders, and only for trade with participant countries listed in Schedule 7 to the Import and Export (General) Regulations.

Polished diamonds fall outside the Kimberley Process. The scheme exists to certify rough; once a stone is cut and polished it moves on the ordinary import/export declaration and the commercial invoice. The most common error we see is a trader treating a mixed parcel as “polished” because most of it is — a single rough stone in the parcel brings the whole consignment inside the KP regime.

Source: Trade and Industry Department — Rough Diamonds; Hong Kong Customs — Kimberley Process Certification Scheme.

Certificated stones

What has to travel with a GIA-certificated diamond?

A grading report is what makes a stone identifiable after a loss, and what makes the receiver able to verify it on arrival. It has to be handled as carefully as the stone.

The report and the inscription

The GIA, IGI or HRD report travels with the stone, and the report number and any girdle laser inscription go on the commercial invoice. That single line is what ties the physical stone to the paperwork to the declared value — and it is what a claims handler will ask for first.

Photographs before sealing

Photograph the stone in its parcel paper beside the report, then the sealed tamper-evident bag, then the inner box. Three photographs, thirty seconds, and the “what was in the parcel” argument never happens.

Declare at invoice value

The invoice value is the declared value, in Hong Kong and at destination. Under-declaring to reduce a charge is a prosecutable offence in Hong Kong under the Import and Export (Registration) Regulations — and if the declared value contradicts the insured value, that contradiction goes straight to the claim.

Memo and consignment

How do you ship diamonds on memo and get them back insured?

A memo parcel is two shipments, two declarations and — often — two different insurance positions. Most losses on memo goods happen on the leg nobody planned.

The outbound leg

Your stone, your invoice, your export declaration within 14 days, your transit cover to the moment of delivery. Straightforward — this is the leg everyone insures.

The period at the counterparty

Transit cover ends at delivery. While the stone sits with the memo recipient, cover comes from their jewellers block policy, or from a specific memo extension on yours. Which one applies should be agreed in writing before the parcel leaves — not discovered afterwards.

The return leg

Unsold goods come back. That return is an import into Hong Kong with its own 14-day declaration, and it needs its own transit cover — arranged by whichever party is shipping. The return is the leg most often sent on the carrier’s default terms because “it’s the same stone going home”.

What Express Arrival does

We quote the round trip, not the outbound. Both legs’ cover, both declarations, and a written note of where the memo period’s cover is expected to sit. If it turns out to be nowhere, you find out before dispatch.

The lanes that matter

Routing diamonds from Hong Kong by destination

The diamond trade runs on a handful of lanes. Each has a rule that changes the carrier choice.

New York, Los Angeles

The largest destination. FedEx’s high-value programme is closed to Hong Kong shippers, so the cover comes from the insurance arrangement whichever carrier is used. UPS’s Asia-Pacific origin allowance applies from Hong Kong.

Antwerp

UPS prohibits unset precious stones to and from Belgium and caps jewellery at the USD 500 equivalent; DHL will not carry loose stones from Hong Kong. Antwerp parcels of loose goods are a routing conversation, not a label.

Mumbai, Surat

Cutting and polishing centres. Rough outbound needs a KP Certificate (Export); polished inbound needs an import declaration. Both directions run through Express Arrival’s paperwork desk.

Shenzhen, Shanghai

UPS states its China operation cannot clear unset diamonds. For loose goods into the mainland, ask us about the Hong Kong–Greater Bay Area armoured cross-border service instead of a courier.

FAQs | Diamond Shipping | Express Arrival

Can I ship loose diamonds with DHL from Hong Kong?

No. DHL Hong Kong’s prohibited items list names loose precious and semi-precious stones — cut or uncut, polished or unpolished — as never accepted, regardless of value. Bullion of any precious metal is prohibited on the same list. DHL is an option for finished diamond jewellery within its restricted-item threshold of EUR 10,000, subject to case-by-case approval.

Do I need a Kimberley Process Certificate for polished diamonds?

No. The Kimberley Process certifies rough diamonds. In Hong Kong, imports and exports of rough require a KP Certificate issued by the Director-General of Trade and Industry to a registered rough diamond trader. Polished stones move on the ordinary import/export declaration and commercial invoice. A mixed parcel containing any rough is treated as rough.

How do I ship a diamond to Antwerp from Hong Kong?

Carefully, and not on the carrier’s default terms. UPS’s own rules prohibit unset precious stones to and from Belgium and cap jewellery at the local equivalent of USD 500; DHL Hong Kong will not carry loose stones anywhere. For loose goods to Antwerp, contact us before booking — the routing and the cover have to be arranged together.

What is the maximum value UPS will accept for jewellery from Hong Kong?

Under its published jewellery programme, UPS accepts international jewellery and unset stone shipments up to US$2,500, and up to US$50,000 from specified Asia-Pacific origins including Hong Kong, since 8 July 2019, subject to its acceptance conditions. Two cautions: its standard terms still cap declared value for packages containing jewellery at US$500 outside that programme, and declared value at any level is a ceiling on carrier liability — it is not insurance and pays only on carrier fault.

What documents should travel with a certificated stone?

The grading report itself; a commercial invoice carrying the report number and any laser inscription; and, for rough, the Kimberley Process Certificate. Photograph the stone with the report, the sealed bag, and the inner box before dispatch. For memo goods, add a memo agreement stating whose cover applies while the stone is with the recipient.

Who insures a diamond while it is out on memo?

Transit cover ends at delivery. During the memo period the stone is covered either by the recipient’s jewellers block policy or by a specific memo extension on the sender’s policy — and which one applies must be agreed in writing beforehand. The return leg is a separate shipment needing its own transit cover and its own Hong Kong import declaration within 14 days.

Tell us the stone, the lane and the date

We will come back with the carrier that can actually carry it, the cover, and the paperwork it needs — in one reply.

Hotline: +(852) 2330 7127

Email: Eascs1@aeg.com.hk

Carrier acceptance rules and limits are drawn from each carrier’s own published documents and were verified in September 2026; they change without notice and the carrier’s current terms prevail. Kimberley Process requirements are as published by the Trade and Industry Department. Express Arrival’s scope of cover, limits and terms depend on the individual shipment and underwriting approval. This page is general information and not insurance or legal advice.