The International Diamond Council (IDC) announced this week that it has completed the German translation of the "IDC Rules for Grading Diamonds" and has uploaded a PDF file of the German-language version on the organization's website. The file can be downloaded at:

http://www.internationaldiamondcouncil.org/pages/idc-rules-online-german .

IDC Chairman Stephane Fischler said that the translation of the rules was a major effort and its importance should not be understated.

Fischler pointed out that German is the native language of some 90 million people in Europe and noted that the translation would serve "countless" professionals in the diamond industry, gemologists, jewelry manufacturers and retailers, who thus far had used the English version.

Fischler praised Dieter Hahn, a founding member of the IDC, and treasurer of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB), who has been the driving force behind the translation to German.

"Without Dieter's drive, commitment and troubleshooting abilities, this project would have taken much longer. I am very pleased that this difficult task has been completed, to the satisfaction of all parties," Fischler concluded.

Currently, the IDC Rules can be downloaded in English, German, Russian, and Chinese.