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Yan Li

From Violin to Diamonds

Yan Li’s fascinating professional path from Xian to Antwerp started almost 20 years ago. “At that time the Chinese market had just began to develop and it was atypical to have diamond jewelry from Antwerp in China,” says Yan, “however, you must know that initially I had chosen another career path.” Yan always wanted to become a musician and spent her early days playing the violin. Yan has studied music her entire life and has always been passionate about art. For her, diamonds and art have an intrinsic connection.

She then pursued her studies in Antwerp and taught musical classes in Maastricht. “One day, I went to Shanghai on holidays and someone working for a Chinese diamond company asked me if I was from Antwerp, mentioning that diamonds are very famous there,” says Yan. “I replied that I am a musician and that I unfortunately have no link with the diamond sector.“

As business is typically done in the diamond industry, following that informal meeting, Yan Li was introduced to the Antwerp United Diamond company. “I contacted them and we saw potential for future cooperation, after which we started working together to develop the Chinese market,” Yan explains. Without hesitation she seized this unique opportunity with both hands and has lived by her life’s motto ever since: “From every challenging opportunity in life, you learn more.” Yan strongly believes that having different career paths in life makes us richer. That is her mindset. She didn’t know anything about diamonds when she started working, but followed a course at the Hoge Raad voor Diamant (HRD) and started her own diamond trading company in 2003, called Silk Road Diamonds.

On a daily basis, Yan concentrates on diamond trading with a focus on the Chinese market. With Silk Road’s headquarters based in Antwerp and having diamond trading companies in Shanghai and Hong Kong, she often travels between the two continents. “Today, the Chinese market is still growing and we still believe in the business and market evolution even after the crisis,” says Yan.  “China is our primary market focus, where we have over 10 years of experience supplying top-quality polished diamonds to the fine jewelry market. Our customers include the largest jewelry retail chains in China.”

Antwerp is like the supermarket of diamonds

Yan Li shows much passion and respect for the city of Antwerp and needs no convincing that, Antwerp is the leading diamond market. She has seen Mumbai and other cities, but for her, Antwerp remains a unique place and its leading position in the industry is entirely justified. “Just look at the infrastructure, the size, the expertise, government support and the way everything is organized. Shanghai even copied Antwerp’s legal framework and facilities, as well as its banking infrastructure.” For Yan, Antwerp is like the supermarket of diamonds: the opportunities are endless!