RAPAPORT...
• The Natural Colored Diamond Association (NCDIA) appointed Robert May as executive director, effective January 1, 2008. May previously served as brand manager for Pluczenik, and has more than 20 years of experience in the industry.
NCDIA president Jordan Fine commented that May is uniquely positioned in the marketplace to grow the association. May acknowledged an “untapped consumer demand” for natural color diamonds. He explained that natural color diamond products exist for every level of the market, from the elite luxury sector to mainstream jewelry consumers.
• Moti Ganz will serve a second term as president of the Israel Diamond Manufacturers Association ( IsDMA). He was reelected by the IsDMA executive committee in a session following the association’s December general meeting. The executives also elected David de Toledo deputy president of IsDMA, and Shlomo Juwal and Avner Haimoff vice presidents. Yair Sahar, Rafi Yerushalmi and Shmuel Schnitzer make up the presidium.
Besides heading the IsDMA, Ganz is chairman of the Israel Diamond Institute (IDI) and vice president of the International Diamond Manufacturers Association.
• GCAL’s internet-based diamond marketplace, the Certified Diamond Exchange (CDE), allows businesses listed with the Jewelers Board of Trade to buy or sell GCAL-certified diamonds. The certification lab has added a new incentive whereby EMBY International offers a 3 percent discount on diamonds listed on the CDE.
GCAL, a subsidiary of Collectors Universe, Inc., is also offering two additional promotions. For a limited time, all newly registered CDE members will receive a CDE currency reward card for a $100 credit on a diamond purchase made through the site within 30 days of registration. In addition, a monthly $1,000 gift certificate drawing will run through February 2008 for registered site members.
Don Palmieri, founder and president of GCAL, stated that the efforts demonstrated the “GCAL Promise” to increase the diamond market’s transparency, confidence and liquidity.
The Accredited Gemologists Association’s (AGA) 2008 Tucson Conference – to be held on February 6 – will offer educational panels and sessions. The morning session will be devoted to treated gemstones, new types of treatments and the detection of treated stones. The educators, researchers and professional gemologists lecturing on these topics will include gemologist, author and educator Alan Hodgkinson; James Shigley, distinguished research fellow at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA); Lore Kiefert, director of the AGTA Gemological Testing Center (GTC); Kevin E. Bennett, chairman of the board of Azotic Coating Technology, Inc.; Christopher Smith, vice president of American Gemological Laboratories; Ted Themelis, president of Gemlab, Inc., Treatment Innovation & Research; and Jay Neogi, chief executive officer (CEO) of Serenity Technology.
• The conference’s afternoon session will focus on color grading fluorescent diamonds, including new technologies that can change the grading and valuing of such diamonds. The panelists include Sheldon Kwiat, president of Kwiat Inc.; Stanley Hogrebe, chairman of Dazor Lighting; Tom Tashey, CEO and president of Professional Gem Sciences; Peter Yantzer, executive director of AGS Laboratories; Jack Ogden, CEO of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain (Gem-A); and Tom Moses, senior vice president, GIA Laboratory and Research.
The cost for this all-day conference at the Marriott University Park Hotel in Tucson, Arizona, is $195 for AGA members and guests and $250 for nonmembers. For information or to register, call
US +1 6195015444 Call or go to www.accreditedgemologists.org.
Blina Diamonds NL has appointed two Kimberley Diamond Corporation (KDC) executives to its board of directors. Stephen Lee Wetherall, managing director of the KDC, and Matthew Fitzgerald, chief financial officer, replace Miles Kennedy and Karl Simich, who had served on the board since its inception in 2002.
Gem Diamonds owns a 93 percent share of KDC, and is expected to acquire full ownership before the end of 2007. KDC shares will delist from the Australia Stock Exchange at an unconfirmed time, and ceased trading on London’s Stock Exchange AIM on December 21.
• The Dubai Multi Commodities Center (DMCC) pledged a contribution of $25,000 to the World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO). The purpose of the donation is to help foster a growing range of corporate social responsibility initiatives. These initiatives are in keeping with the educational goals of the United Nations Millennium Development Program.
The Gem Certification & Assurance Lab Inc. (GCAL) of New York, a subsidiary of Collectors Universe, pledged $50,000 to CIBJO during a special meeting of CIBJO members, who met under the auspices of the United Nations Development Program. CIBJO members and jewelry industry representatives gathered to discuss the advancement and coordination of educational projects that can help sustainable jewelry ventures.
• Peter Borgmans has been appointed the chief quality officer for the global lab operations of International Diamond Laboratories (IDL). In his role as a liaison between customers and the lab, Borgmans will be responsible for maintaining consistent grading results through a stringent quality system. Spokespersons for IDL note that contrary to the prevailing practice at other labs, all inquiries about IDL grading results are channeled through a single quality officer to avoid contact with or influence on the graders.
• Melissa Kulhanjian has been promoted to director of U.S. sales for Bellataire LLC, a company that uses a high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) process to restore type IIa natural diamonds to their colorless state. Kulhanjian is a 30-year veteran of the diamond industry who joined Bellataire in 2001 as a regional sales manager. She spoke of a strong current demand within the industry for the 3 carat+ colorless diamonds in Bellataire’s inventory.
• Brooke Clements has been appointed president of the Canada-based exploration company Peregrine Diamond Ltd. Clements replaces Eric Friedland, who will continue to serve as Peregrine’s chairman and chief executive officer (CEO). In his new role, Clements will oversee Peregrine’s diamond exploration programs in Canada, as well as the evaluation of diamond opportunities in different countries.
• The DMCC signed an agreement with the International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA) to launch ICA GemBureau Middle East. This facility, based in Dubai, will serve ICA members and trade representatives by providing fully equipped business facilities and a staff who will host ICA member and board meetings. Staffers will also represent ICA at trade shows and other industry events.
• The Israel Diamond Institute (IDI) has modified and repositioned its diamond-grading laboratory, which will now operate under the name World Gemological Institute (WGI). The grading laboratory, which has been in operation in Israel since 1977, operates a growing list of services on the global level. WGI will make its U.S. debut in January 2008.
• Peter C. Schneirla is the new chief gemologist for Tiffany & Co. He replaces Melvyn Kirtley, who moved to a new position as group vice president and managing director of Tiffany’s in the United Kingdom. Schneirla’s new role will involve working closely with customers in both the U.S. and international markets, while serving as a spokesperson on the subject of Tiffany gemstones.
Article from the Rapaport Magazine - January 2008. To subscribe click here.