RAPAPORT… • Rio Tinto has named Bill Champion as managing director of its diamonds business unit. Champion replaces Steve Hodgson, who will move to a new role at Rio Tinto Alcan as soon as Rio’s acquisition of Alcan Inc. is complete. Currently the managing director of Rio Tinto subsidiary Kennecott Utah Copper, Champion is relocating to London. In his new role, his purview will include the Argyle mine in Western Australia, Canada’s Diavik mine, the Murowa mine in Zimbabwe, and all of Rio Tinto’s other diamonds mining. He will also oversee Rio Tinto Diamonds NV, the sales and marketing division based in Antwerp.
Other recent personnel changes in Rio Tinto’s diamond unit include the appointment of Jean-Marc Lieberherr as sales and marketing general manager, and the departure of marketing executives Peter Topen and Sneza Lazarus.
• Barbara Lawrence has assumed the position of president of the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA), following the resignation of Rick Krementz. Lawrence, who had previously been first vice chairman of the AGTA while also serving as president of Boston Gems and Findings, Inc., will serve as the AGTA’s president through the remainder of Krementz’s term, ending in February 2009. Krementz will continue to serve on the organization’s board. In accepting the new position, Lawrence said that she expects the AGTA to continue its role as an advocate for issues that protect the industry while helping to foster an active gemstone market.
• SouthernEra Diamonds, a diamond exploration company, announced the resignation of its chief financial officer, Chris Reynolds, as well as two of its board members, Patrick Evans and Tom Dawson. The announcement did not state the reasons for their departure from the company.
SouthernEra, which has exploration projects underway in Canada, South Africa, Botswana and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has recently faced a takeover bid by Mwana Africa PLC. That company owns 71 percent of SouthernEra.
Jewelers for Children, a charitable organization, announced the outcomes of its annual board of director elections, which yielded a number of key personnel changes. Howard A. Sherwood, co-president of Daniel’s Jewelers, replaces Laurence R. Grunstein as chairman of the organization. Also elected were Joel Schechter of Honora, who assumes the position of vice chairman and vice president of charity programs; Ofer Azrielant of Andin, who will serve as vice president of marketing and public relations; Ruth Batson of the American Gem Society, who becomes the organization’s treasurer; Rachel Wertheimer of JewelAmerica, elected to the position of secretary; Marvin Beasley of Helzberg Diamonds, who will serve as vice president of fundraising; and Edward Bridge of Ben Bridge Jeweler, who becomes vice president of special programs. The officers of the organization comprise its executive committee.
• Stephen Ripp has been named the president of STS Jewels Inc. of Long Island City, New York. The position had been vacant since the former president, Steve Heath, passed away. Sunil Agrawal, chairman of STS Jewels’ parent company Vaibhav Gems Ltd., which Ripp joined in September, said that the companies are engaged in a major expansion in the areas of wholesale, retail and holiday destination sales, and that Ripp’s experience makes him a match for initiatives of this nature. After holding positions at industrial and consumer products firms such as General Electric, Black & Decker, Sunbeam and Standard Brands, Ripp founded and served as president of Zurich Group, an international consulting firm. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering and economics and an MBA in finance from the University of Wisconsin.
• The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) is offering courses in gemology at the diamond complex in Ramat Gan, Israel. The first course at the gem manufacturing and trading center will take place from November 25 to November 29, with the teachers and equipment provided directly from GIA headquarters in Carlsbad, California. According to GIA chairman Ralph Destino, GIA has teamed up with the Israel Diamond Manufacturers Association (IsDMA) to provide logistical support and expedite the enrollment process for the courses. Those wishing to find out more about the courses can go to www.gia.edu.
• Nirupa Pandya Bhatt has been named GIA’s managing director for India and the Middle East, effective January 1, 2008. Donna Baker, GIA’s president, said that Bhatt will be responsible for the organization’s expansion in Israel, India and Dubai. She will provide on-site guidance for the running of the India Laboratory, the Dubai School and future projects in a similar vein, including GIA projects in Israel. GIA school directors in Dubai and India will benefit from Bhatt’s gemological expertise.
Bhatt has broad professional experience in the industry and served, most recently, as marketing manager for Rio Tinto Diamonds of India.
International Diamond Laboratories (IDL) has announced the fee structure for its diamond certification services. The certificates offered by IDL break down as follows: The IDL Diamond Certificate analyzes the four Cs and confirms the natural character of a diamond while explicating all of its internal and external characteristics in detail. The IDL Compact Diamond Certificate also analyzes the four Cs and confirms the natural character of a diamond. The IDL Color Certificate verifies that a diamond is an untreated, nonsynthetic stone, and also lists the diamond’s carat weight and color grade. The first two come with a complimentary IDL Digicert, an electronic version of the hard certificate. Here is the price breakdown:
– For the IDL Diamond Certificate, prices range from $50 for diamonds up to 46 points to $100 for a 1.99 carat stone.
– For the IDL Compact Diamond Certificate, prices range from $35 for diamonds up to 46 points to $75 for a 1.99 carat stone.
The IDL Color Certificate is offered for $12 for diamonds up to 46 points and $20 for stones just under one carat.
• The International Gemological Institute (IGI) and the National Gem Testing Center (NGTC) of China have teamed up to offer IGI educational programs in Shenzhen. Kicking off this project is a ten-day IGI Rough Diamond Course, beginning on December 5, and representing the first practical rough diamond-grading course ever offered in the province of Guangdong.
Marc Brauner, IGI’s chief executive officer (CEO) for the Asia Pacific region, stated that his organization expects the joint agreement to help develop all aspects of the diamond industry in mainland China, not least by expanding the skills and knowledge of China’s diamond manufacturers and appraisers.
• The Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) hosted the 34th annual awards for excellence in the jewelry industry in Mumbai. Shri Kamal Nath, India’s commerce and industry minister, gave a speech in which he emphasized the importance of the gem and jewelry industry in India’s efforts to double its percentage share of worldwide merchandise trade by 2009. Last year, Nath pointed out, the industry accounted for almost 12 percent of all of India’s commodity exports.
Nirupa Bhatt, marketing manager for Rio Tinto Diamonds of India, received a special award recognizing an “Outstanding Contribution to the Gem and Jewelry Industry.” In the category of “Cut & Polished Diamonds/Diamond Trading Company Sightholders,” GJEPC recognized the following companies: K. Girdharlal International Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai; Kiran Exports, Mumbai; Sheetal Manufacturing Co., Mumbai; and C. Mahendra Exports Ltd., Mumbai. In the category of “Cut & Polished Diamonds,” GJEPC honored: J.B. & Brothers, Mumbai; Hari Krishna Exports, Mumbai; Dharmanandan Diamonds, Mumbai; and Shairu Gems, Mumbai.
GJEPC has also recognized Sanghavi Diamonds as the top importer of cut and polished diamonds from India into the United States – for the second consecutive year. Covering fiscal year 2006 to 2007, the award is sponsored by the ministry of commerce within India’s government. The annual award goes to companies that have made outstanding contributions in their trade.
• The Israel Diamond Institute (IDI) launched its first academic program aimed at enhancing the skills of managers in a fast-evolving industry at a special event in Ramat Gan’s Diamond Complex. Produced jointly by IDI and the Shenkar College of Engineering and Design in Ramat Gan, the educational program will be taught by diamond industry experts and by lecturers from the college’s Department of Industrial Engineering and Management. Stretching over 52 weekly sessions, each lasting eight hours, the courses will be taught at Shenkar, a location close to the Diamond Complex. Upon graduating from the program, the students will receive a special certificate along with 14 academic credits applicable to a degree program.
The subjects covered in the program include general management skills, international marketing and sales, marketing management and strategy, advanced information technology, jewelry manufacturing, the legal aspects of international trade and copyrights and intellectual property.
• Pending litigation brought by inventor Trent West against Frederick Goldman, Inc., for a patent infringement has been settled by an agreement between the inventor and representatives for the company. The settlement grants Frederick Goldman, Inc., the exclusive license to produce Tungsten Carbide Rings that fall under Trent West’s patents. West reported that he was pleased to have the market leader recognize and honor his patents and that he considered such recognition an important step in protecting the marketplace for the carbide rings. But he is charging ahead with litigation against five other alleged patent infringers in northern California’s federal court.
• Jamie Diamond is a new creative marketing firm owned and founded by Jamie Kayam, who identifies his company’s mission as providing marketing strategies and solutions for diamond jewelry and other luxury goods businesses. Kayam brings five years in advertising and publishing and five years as a creative director at M. Fabrikant & Sons to his new venture. Past clients include both manufacturers and independent retailers. More information about the new company and its services is available at www.jamiediamond.com.
• The American Gem Trade Association Gemological Testing Center (AGTA-GTC) has launched the JewelFolio™, an information-filled supplement to gemstone reports. The product’s designer, Richard W. Hughes, stated that JewelFolio is intended to provide a bridge between the highly technical, analytical information furnished by gemologists and a more general knowledge of the landscapes, indigenous populations and cultures in the area where a given gemstone was mined. Besides full-color representations of the internal structure of the gemstone and an origin report for the stone, the JewelFolio is full of such nongemological data as maps, historical text and antique photos of mines and diamond cutters. Editions devoted to the Kashmir sapphire, Burma sapphire, Burma ruby, and Columbian emerald are currently available.
• Dr. Sonal Rege-Delpech has joined the staff of the IGI’s research and development division. Besides doing research, she will lend her support to IGI’s educational projects and help develop and apply new technologies within the IGI School of Gemology, which has branches throughout the world. Roland Lorié, the CEO of IGI, welcomed the hiring as a step that would help IGI’s students develop practical working knowledge needed for advancement in the industry. The holder of a Ph.D. from Macquarie University in Sydney, Dr. Rege-Delpech worked most recently as the lead gemologist at IGI Mumbai.
• The G.L.D.A.’s 30th Annual Tucson Gem & Jewelry Show will take place from February 5 through February 10, 2008. The venue for this event is the Starr Pass Marriott Resort & Spa, where roughly 425 exhibit booths will be spread through two large ballrooms, several meeting rooms and the hotel lobby. The G.L.D.A. is organizing a free shuttle service between downtown Tucson and the show’s venue. For more information, or to register for the show, go to www.glda.com.
• The Pearl Revival Committee will hold its first International Pearl Convention in Dubai in November. In announcing the convention, spokespersons for the committee commented that its aim is to revive the United Arab Emirates’ (U.A.E.) distinguished tradition of pearling – which took second place to oil upon that commodity’s discovery in the early 1930s – and affirming that tradition as part of the country’s identity. While drawing the attention of investors, the conference is intended to educate and entertain guests through such programs as “Pearl Theater,” “Pearl Seminars,” “Arabia Pearl Exhibition,” “Cultured Pearl Display” and other attractions. For more information about the show, contact Sajeesh Gopalan, director of media relations for the U.A.E.’s Chambers of Commerce and Industry, at 011.9714.364.23.87.
