(PRESS RELEASE) ANTWERP, BELGIUM – The current role of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) and how it can move forward was among the discussions at its Asian Summit/Executive Committee meeting held in Vladivostok. The well-attended meeting saw around 40 representatives from across the world taking part, said WFDB President Ernie Blom.
“The strong attendance enabled us to receive extremely worthy input at our discussions,” said Blom. “We are very keen to see how we can forward the role of the WFDB on the global stage. The Federation is by far the largest diamond industry body and the diamond trade’s go-to group.
“We also were delighted to have members of the Kimberley Process review mission to Russia at the meeting. They filled us in on the organization’s work, and we discussed a broad range of industry topics.
The WFDB Executive reiterated their support for the World Diamond Council’s System of Warranties and the Strategic Plan which are currently under review.
“We also passed an important resolution relating to the US Federal Trade Commission’s recently published Jewelry Guidelines and the change to the nomenclature,” said Blom. “We repeated our stance that the only definition of a diamond that we support is the one agreed upon last year by the WFDB, IDMA, CIBJO, the International Diamond Council and the International Standards Organisation.
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“On behalf of attendees of the Asian Summit and the Executive Committee meeting, I would like to place on record our thanks to the Moscow Diamond Bourse (MDB) and ALROSA for hosting the event. May I also thank the Government of the Far Eastern region, the Head of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and the City of Vladivostok, as well as representatives from the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation for their support and for graciously taking part. It has become increasingly clear that this Far Eastern Russian city is becoming ever more important as a base for the diamond industry.
“We are now looking forward to the World Diamond Congress which will take place in Mumbai from October 23-25 gathering delegations from diamond bourses and organisations from across the globe,” Blom added.
Honoring a Legacy: How Smith & Son Jewelers Exceeded Every Goal With Wilkerson
When Andrew Smith decided to close the Springfield, Massachusetts location of Smith & Son Jewelers, the decision came down to family. His father was retiring after 72 years in the business, and Andrew wanted to spend more time with his children and soon-to-arrive grandchildren.
For this fourth-generation jeweler whose great-grandfather founded the company in 1918, closing the 107-year-old Springfield location required the right partner. Smith chose Wilkerson, and the experience exceeded expectations from start to finish.
"Everything they told me was 100% true," Smith says. "The ease and use of all their tools was wonderful."
The consultants' knowledge and expertise proved invaluable. Smith and his father set their own financial goal, but Wilkerson proposed three more ambitious targets. "We thought we would never make it," Smith explains. "We were dead wrong. We hit our first goal, second goal and third goal. It was amazing."
Smith's recommendation is emphatic: "I would never be able to do what they did by myself."
