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DMIA Widens Membership To Whole Industry
Sep 20, 2002 3:07 PM
By Peter C. Mastrosimone
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(Rapaport…September 20, 2002) Members of the Diamond Manufacturers and Importers Association of America (DMIA) voted unanimously this week to allow retailers, shipping companies and other firms associated with the business into their ranks, DMIA President Leon Cohen said.
The first nonwholesaler to join the organization was the European Gemological Laboratory (EGL), whose application partly sparked the change in the DMIA’s bylaws. Two shipping companies and a bank have applications pending, according to Cohen.
The change will give diamond-related companies quicker access to crucial information and better educate consumers — whose notions about the industry are frequently antiquated — through wholesale-retail initiatives, Cohen said.
“Members of the DMIA are the gatekeepers of the industry,” he said. “We’re the first to receive the information from the mines and we’re also the first to receive information from the retailers on the specific needs of the marketplace. We’re the conduit for both sides of the industry and we’re also the ones who are mandated to negotiate with the governments on diamond-related matters. That allows us to pull all sectors of the industry together and offer services, benefits and vital information to all of these various groups because we have an attuned knowledge of their specific needs.”
Retailers who join will be allowed to use the DMIA logo in their stores. The organization will also provide detailed information for consumers telling what Cohen called the “sexy story” of how diamonds go from the mine to the store.
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Tags:
Consumers, Shipping Companies
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