The World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) and the International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA) have announced that the next World Diamond Congress will be held in a virtual format on September 14 – 15, 2020, according to a press release from WFDB.
WFDB Acting President Yoram Dvash said, “Although we have all become used to conducting meetings and webinars online, this will be the first time that we will be holding an entire Congress in this format. This will be an especially important meeting at a time when the global diamond industry is in crisis due to the pandemic. This Congress will enable us to discuss all of the critical issues affecting our industry and to hear from the members of the diamond trade worldwide.”
IDMA President Ronnie VanderLinden said, “The coronavirus crisis has only heightened the fundamental challenges our industry faces. Now it is even more important to gather as an industry and to work together to seek new paths forward.”
Both leaders stressed that they were hopeful that attendance at the virtual congress would be high, especially since the online format would enable convenient participation from delegates’ offices and homes.
The 39th World Diamond Congress, a biennial gathering of the WFDB and IDMA, was originally planned to be held in Hong Kong in November 2020, but has been moved to a digital format due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Aruna Gaitonde, Editor in Chief of the Asian Bureau, Rough&Polished
Exclusive
Mmetla Masire: Okavango to resume diamond sales in January
Botswana’s state-owned Okavango Diamond Company (ODC) is set to resume diamond sales in January 2025, whether the market remains depressed or not. ODC managing director Mmetla Masire told Rough & Polished’s Mathew Nyaungwa on the side-lines of...
Today
Helga Pombal: Angola's Stardiam finds solution to the threat posed by lab-grown diamonds
Stardiam manager of production Helga Pombal told Rough&Polished's Mathew Nyaungwa on the sidelines of the Angola International Diamond Conference that lab-grown diamonds are creating a parallel market for more accessible stones, combined with lower...
11 november 2024
Ellah Muchemwa: ADPA to launch Africa's first diamond mining standard next year
The African Diamond Producers Association (ADPA), which is based in Luanda, Angola, and represents the interests of mainly African diamond producers and those with the potential to produce diamonds, will next year launch the Sustainable Development...
04 november 2024
Dmitry Fedorov: I want our jewelry to be displayed at a museum in the future
Dmitry Fedorov is the founder of the eponymous jewelry house. His main focus is the creation of Orthodox-inspired premium luxury jewelry of high artistic merit. He told Rough&Polished about his journey in the jewelry industry, about choosing the ‘Orthodox...
28 october 2024
Responsible business practices ‘no longer optional’, says WDC President Feriel Zerouki
The president of the World Diamond Council takes time out of her busy schedule to tell Rough&Polished readers about the critical work of the WDC. Zerouki, the first female present of the body, which includes all the important industry organizations among...
14 october 2024
