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In 2013, the City of Antwerp – in collaboration with AWDC, certification body KIWA, Ars Nobilis and FPS Economy – launched the Antwerp’s Most Brilliant (AMB) quality label. This label honors jewelers that continually go the extra yard to provide their customers a reliable and high quality product.
In its newsletter to the Antwerp Diamond Bourse members, the Board of Directors of the Antwerp Diamond Bourse has announced that during the Board Meeting of August 27 2015, article 23 of the Statutes was invoked, resulting in the termination of the mandate of Presidency of Marcel Pruwer. In the message, the Board thanks Mr. Pruwer for his dedicated work as President.
On Tuesday 25 August in Antwerp City Hall, the Antwerp-based International Center for Corporate Learning on Business Ethics & Sustainability (Antwerp ITCCO) announced to its partners that UNITAR – the United Nations training and research institute located in Geneva – has recognized it as fully-fledged International Training Centre for Authorities and Leaders (CIFAL), associated with the UN. As of late October, CIFAL Flanders will be the new name of Antwerp ITCCO. CIFAL Flanders, headquartered in the Bell complex in Antwerp, is now formally part of UNITAR’s international network of 14 CIFAL training centers.
South African artist Kurt Pio has established a name for himself in Cape Town, his hometown. Earlier this year, his solo exhibition ‘Cape Town’ paid tribute to the city that shaped him and continues to inspire him – Cape Town as a source of botanical and mineral riches, where diamond in its purest form originates, but also as a growing metropolis. This inspiration prompted him to paint ‘Diamonds’ – a series of stylized and at the same time realistic depictions of diamonds on shaped canvases. These works of art will soon be on exhibit in Antwerp.
Registered diamond dealers must apply enhanced customer due diligence measures if their customers are domiciled or established in one of the following 4 jurisdictions, or if they have any other links to these jurisdictions, or if they are involved in a transaction or a business relationship with them in any capacity: Iran, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Algeria and Myanmar.
Those who have not yet submitted their annual AML declaration for 2014 risk an administrative fine.
Every registered Belgian diamond dealer is legally obliged to complete the AML form each year. The official deadline for submission of the AML declaration for 2014 was 31 March 2015. If you have not yet filed your AML form, you are at risk of being charged an administrative penalty. We therefore urge you to submit your AML form immediately.
If you need help, please contact us to make an appointment with the AWDC AML & Compliance Helpdesk.
Marijke Achten (legal & compliance officer AWDC): tel: 03 222 05 06, email: marijke.achten@awdc.be.
First Element will be conducting in September a tender of goods from the Jagersfontein and Rooipoort mines in Antwerp, Belgium. The tender will include approximately 60,000 ct. of Jagersfontein and approximately 5,000 ct. of Rooipoort diamonds.
Antwerp is still the most important rough diamond trade hub in the world. This is according to the 2014 annual figures from the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, which monitors and maps out diamond production and distribution worldwide. It may also be inferred from these figures that the margins of the Antwerp rough diamond traders are under pressure, with an average of 1%. Furthermore, the fact that the import and export figures are of the same order of magnitude makes it clear that not much rough is being sold, which explains why Antwerp diamond traders are going through such difficult times.
