RAPAPORT...  Press Release: Coinciding with the 2009 Antwerp Diamond Symposium, the Diamond City witnessed the launch of a new commercial organization named the European Quality Circle (EQC). The EQC is a European, consumer-oriented organization that aims to provide jewelers and and jewelry retailers with a portfolio of educational and professional services designed to enhance consumer confidence in jewelry suppliers.

The organization was started by a group of Antwerp-based diamantaires and jewelry traders that realized that while their jewelry retail clients do understand that consumer confidence is the key to effective growth in the jewelry business, these same retailers have few or no practical tools at their disposal that will help them to advance consumer confidence in practice — not only in the jewelry products themselves, but also in the retailer jeweler the consumers choose to buy from.

One of the EQC founders is Eyal Atzmon, an Antwerp-based diamond dealer, who currently serves as the organization's chief executive officer (CEO). "While we are hearing a lot of talk in the industry about the needs for professionalism, transparency, integrity and consumer confidence, no services — professional or educational — are available to retailers that will help them achieve these goals," he said.

EQC aims to change that. "We sell a beautiful and desirable product — diamond jewelry. By offering professional training modules, as well as educational programs and courses, we hope to equip those who join EQC with a good understanding of the essentials of these products," Atzmon noted.  
 
"My colleagues and I want to assist those who work in the back and front-offices of jewelry retail operations to improve their performance," he added. For that purpose, we have engaged an impressive list of top-level industry analysts and coaches who will communicate their professional views, experience and expertise of how the market works. In addition, they will share with the ECQ retail members how to further enhance their reputations and maximize their purchasing power, i.e., by joining EQC-initiated buying groups and by exchanging market intelligence gathered by ECQ." 

EQC membership will be open to jewelry manufacturers and retailers. Potential members must subscribe to EQC's principles and an annual membership fee will be mandatory. The EQC's objectives will be distributed and marketed to the end consumer through information materials that will be made available online, as well as in all participating stores.

"The EQC website is a fully functional social networking site that will enable the members to communicate easily and exchange information," Atzmon noted. It will be launched on November 17, 2009.

In addition, a first ECQ pilot program will begin running in France in 2010. A detailed list of EQC training programs will be made available at the website soon. For information about this project, please also see the website: www.europeanqualitycircle.com.

Literature is available upon request and Michael H. Vaughan, advisor to the CEO, can be contacted at michael at europeanqualitycircle.com.