 Hong Kong, SAR, China – February 5, 2014: The World Diamond Mark® Foundation (WDMF) congratulated the Antwerp diamond business community, in particular the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC), HRD Antwerp NV, and Antwerp City Hall, on occasion of the launch of Antwerp’s very own quality label “Antwerp Most Brilliant” which was awarded on January 29 to the first six Antwerp jewelers during a ceremony at Antwerp City Hall.
“We congratulate the AWDC, HRD Antwerp and the City of Antwerp, in particular the alderman for the diamond industry, Ludo van Campenhout, on making the Antwerp Most Brilliant label a reality,” said WDMF chairman Alex Popov.
“The goals of the Antwerp Most Brilliant (AMB) campaign and program very much mesh with the World Diamond Mark (DM) program, not only in its pursuit to promote diamonds and diamond jewelry among consumers, but also by the strict code of practices holders of the AMB need to adhere to. I am confident that we will find a way to integrate AMB holders into the global WDM program,” Popov said.
Antwerp’s Most Brilliant holders must meet 32 strict quality requirements, thus indicating, “they live up to Antwerp’s reputation as a diamond centre of excellence.”
A day earlier, Ernest Blom, president of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB), and Popov had conducted a very successful breakfast seminar in front of a full room at the Antwerp Diamond Trade Fair (ADTF) to present the core messages of the WDM’s generic diamond marketing campaign.
“The impressive attendance and therefore the interest in the WDM breakfast seminar at the ADTF demonstrated the broad interest that has been generated in our industry’s downstream market with regard to the goals and the programs of the World Diamond Mark. Therefore, I also think that our call for wider and tangible support for the WDM was well heard, by all the parties present at the event i.e. the diamond producers, manufacturers, traders, wholesalers, and last but not least the jewelry manufacturers and retailers,” Popov noted.
The WDMF chairman and the WDM consultancy team also held separate meetings with AWDC officials and other Antwerp industry stakeholders.
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| About the WDM
The WDM’s global objective is to ensure the health and future growth of the diamond and jewelry industry in the luxury market sector. It is based on three fundamental principles: the education of jewelry retailers about diamonds; confidence building among consumers with the WDM accreditation program; and the creation of a generic marketing program to promote diamonds and diamond jewelry, based on the Authorized Diamond Dealer® concept
The World Diamond Mark® is a not-for-profit foundation, incorporated in Hong Kong.
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