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Departments
Take Note
• Burhan Seber, president of the Diamond Manufacturers Association of Namibia (DIAMAN), was appointed to the Diamond Board of Namibia for a term of four years. DIAMAN is one of the 16 members of the International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA). • Deepak Kumar, president and CEO of Deepak International Ltd., was voted to
the post of bourse director of the Diamond Bourse of Canada. Kumar will assume the position vacated by Filip Zimmerman of Zimmy Diamonds.• Gilat Elizov Gefen was appointed the managing director of the Israel
Diamond Institute Group of Companies (IDI) representative office in Hong Kong,
IDI Asia Pacific Ltd. Gefen was most recently with the Jewish Women’s Association
in Hong Kong.• Danielle Pelletiere was named marketing manager at the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA). Pelletiere, previously the group’s marketing and sales coordinator, will focus on all aspects of promotion, advertising and public relations.• Hearts On Fire announced several promotions: Gilly Strauss was promoted
to executive vice president of global sales; Jacqueline Raffi was promoted to
vice president for key accounts and Chris Croteau was named director of sales
for North America. Additional promotions were given to Jason Bisset, now vice president and controller; Michael McArdle, vice president of business planning and analysis and Keith Spodek, vice president of operations.• Rossana Aguilar was appointed chief operations officer (COO) of Rahaminov Diamonds in Los Angeles, California. Aguilar was most recently the executive director and CEO of the California Jewelers Association (CJA). • Ann Kim was appointed vice president of sales at JudeFrances Jewelry. Kim, who has spent over 20 years in the luxury industry, will oversee all aspects of brand strategy and brand development, as well as leading the sales team in the expansion of department store and independent store business.• Matt Broerman was named northeast regional sales director at Jeff Cooper
Designs. Broerman has extensive industry experience and represented Christian Bauer
and Raymond Weil, among other brands. • The New York Diamond Dealers Club (DDC) is planning three trade missions to major overseas bourses in Dubai, Israel and Shanghai. These missions will enable club members to sell goods on the trading floors of WFDB-affiliated bourses and to establish working relationships with members of these clubs. The missions are scheduled as follows: Dubai Diamond Exchange the week of February 10; Israel Diamond Exchange the week
of March 17 and Shanghai Diamond Exchange the week of April 15. The DDC also announced a second Israel Diamond Week scheduled for April 29 to
May 2 in New York.• The Pakistan Gems and Jewellery Development Company (PGJDC) established five complete gem identification labs to provide gemstone testing and diamond grading. The labs are located in Karachi, Lahore and Gilgit and at gem exchanges in Peshawar
and Quetta.*• The American Gemological Laboratories (AGL) launched its new website, www.aglgemlab.com. The streamlined site includes the 2013 price list for services
and printable stone submission forms. • Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company announced that it implemented Guidewire InsuranceSuite as its new underwriting, policy administration, billing and claims platform for its personal lines business. Jewelers Mutual also created a new ecommerce system that is integrated into InsuranceSuite to enable the sale of insurance when jewelry
is purchased. The A.M. Best Company recently assigned a 26th consecutive financial strength rating (FSR) of “A+ Superior” to Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company. The company has maintained its A+ Superior designation for the past 25 years.• The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) approved the trademark “It Starts With The Diamond In Your Mind” for online retailer Blue Nile Inc. The trademark, registration number of 4275653, was approved on January 15. According to the USPTO’s description, “It Starts With The Diamond In Your Mind” will apply to online retail store services in the field of diamonds and jewelry.• Sarin Technologies Ltd. launched its DiaMark™ Atom rough planning and marking system for rough diamonds 0.01 carats through 0.25 carats. The company said this new system will replace the original DiaExpert Nano system and offers higher processing speeds and more competitive pricing.• Jewelers of America (JA) updated its Jewelry 101 sales training and orientation program, which provides an overview of jewelry product knowledge and sales skills. The updates include an additional section on jewelry sales training from the experts at the Diamond Council of America. Other topics covered include gemstones, gold, pearls, platinum and diamonds. The training kit also includes a DVD with presentations by industry experts for self-pace study. • Jewelers for Children (JFC) donated $10,000 to the United Way of Southeastern Connecticut. According to JFC, the gesture was to help begin the healing process and support first responders following the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut. • The Providence Jewelers Club (PJC) announced that it contributed almost $3,000 to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Rhode Island. Founded in 1952, the club has members from across the country.• The 7th International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA) announced that its International Poster Competition (IIPC) extended its deadline to March 1. Up to
three posters can be submitted to Yehuda Kassif at kassifus@yahoo.com.• Diamond Development Initiative (DDI) announced a grant from the Diamond Manufacturers and Importers Association of America (DMIA). The DDI is dedicated to ensuring that diamonds are an engine for development in the countries where they
are mined.• Rio Tinto India presented the inaugural Argyle Pink Diamond Cup at a polo match in Jaipur between the Royal Jaipur Polo Team and the Western Australian Polo Team. Rio Tinto noted that the cup reflects the relationship between its Argyle Diamond Mine in western Australia and the Indian diamond industry. The Argyle Pink Diamond Cup is part of the OzFest program, the biggest Australian cultural festival ever held
in India.• The Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), the licensing authority for the Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT) free zone and the Dubai Diamond Exchange (DDE), will host the inaugural Dubai Diamond Conference (DDC) on March 18 and 19.
The two-day conference is designed to stimulate innovation and growth in the African, Middle Eastern and Asian diamond industry. For more information, go to www.diamondconference.ae.• The Accredited Gemologists Association (AGA) honored Dr. Emmanuel Fristsch with the Antonio C. Bonanno Award for Excellence in Gemology and Alice Keller with the AGA’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr. Fritsch, professor of physics
at Nantes University in France, and Keller, editor in chief emeritus, Gems & Gemology received their awards at the AGA conference on February 6 in Tucson, Arizona.• The Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) announced that the International Gemological Institute (IGI) – North and South America achieved recertification
by meeting the highest ethical, social and environmental standards established
by the RJCs Member Certification system. RJC also announced the three companies achieved certification: Windiam BVBA, the Antwerp-based diamond trader,
M/S Tej Diam, the Mumbai-based diamond trader and M/S Interjewel Designs,
the Mumbai-based jewelry manufacturer.• Gerald (Jerry) D. Sisk, Jr., the cofounder and executive vice president of
Jewelry Television,® passed away on January 13. Sisk, a graduate gemologist from
the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), was also a member of the International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA) and author of Guide to Gems & Jewelry. — *Additional reporting provided by Acquire Media. Article from the Rapaport Magazine - February 2013. To subscribe click here.
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