News
Filters
The seventh “Embassy Open House Day” will take place on Saturday May 11th in Washington DC. The “Embassy Open House Day”, organized by the European Union, allows the American public to get acquainted with the EU and its member states. Attendants will be able to learn more about Belgium, but also about the Antwerp World Diamond Centre and the unique role of the Belgian diamond sector.
AWDC was honoured to have King Letsie III of Lesotho as a guest from April 25 – 28. You can take a look at the pictures here.
Last weekend, King Letsie III of Lesotho visited Antwerp. During his four-day visit, he got an exclusive tour behind the scenes of the Antwerp diamond industry. This visit underscores the excellent trade relationships Antwerp and the southern African diamond producer have enjoyed over the past decades.
Although Lesotho is a relatively small diamond producer, it’s importance for the global diamond industry cannot be underestimated. In 2011, in terms of value, Antwerp imported the vast majority of Lesotho’s total rough diamond production, for a total of 114,525.60 carats or 352 million USD.
King Letsie visited the HRD diamond lab, Diamond Office, Gemdiamonds and the Antwerp Diamond Tender Facility, where First Element was tendering goods from the Lesotho Liqhobong mijn. In addition, he went to the Antwerp Fashion Museum and the diamond museum in Bruges.
Ari Epstein, CEO of the AWDC: “We are very honored to have His Majesty King Letsie III as our guest as it underscores the strong ties between Lesotho and Antwerp. In terms of value, 96.2% diamonds mined in Lesotho pass through Antwerp, which is quit impressive. In addition, since the opening of the Antwerp Diamond Tender Facility in October 2012, half of the goods offered, were diamonds from Lesotho. Needless to say, we are very pleased Antwerp is the preferred trading partner of Lesotho.”
On Friday May 31st 2013, the Federal Public Service Finance, Customs and Tax Administration, Antwerp, will offer various parcels of diamonds and gemstones for advanced public sale.
For more information, we kindly refer to the letter of FPS Finance, Customs and Excise, concerning the sale, which is available at Diamond Office and can be consulted at the four diamond bourses.
AWDC is currently developing a jobsite, targeted specifically at the diamond industry. To make sure this new jobsite will be a huge success, we need as many vacancies as possible and therefore, we need your help!
The purpose of Antwerp Diamond Jobs is to create a site where all vacancies in the diamond industry are collected and accessible for potential candidates, making your quest for specific and competent employees a lot easier.
All diamond companies will be able to post their vacancies online, free of charge. Applicants with experience or an interest in our brilliant industry can consult the vacant jobs and apply immediately. Vacancies within AWDC will also be posted online.
Send your job posting(s) to eliane.clement@awdc.be or contact us on 03 222 05 10 and we will post them online for you!
On Sunday May 19th, the Province of Antwerp organises the fifth edition of the Antwerp cycling tour “Fortengordel”. Participants of all ages can choose between 2 cycling tours that will take them to the forts of Wommelgem, Mortsel, Edegem, Kessel and Broechem. This year, the cycling tour is diamond-themed. Two participants of the interactive search event can win a diamond, donated by the Antwerp World Diamond Centre.
The forts still play a very important role in society. Not only do they have a cultural and historical value, they are also very significant in terms of ecological preservation. Each fort will offer a dedicated program with cultural, educational and sportive elements.
This year, the cycling tour is diamond-themed.. Kessel, a village in the Province of Antwerp, will be transformed into a vibrant diamond centre. For the occasion, the Diamond Museum of the Province of Antwerp has created two interactive quests.
Caroline De Wolf, spokesperson for the AWDC: “As silver sponsor of the Camille Paulus Youth Sport Fund, and through events like this, we are encouraging people to get into shape. That is why we are happy to support the Fortengordel. We will provide free maps for the quests. The two lucky winners will each receive a diamond. This sparkling prize will be awarded during an exclusive visit behind the scenes of the diamond sector. Moreover, everyone is more than welcome to visit the ‘Kessel Diamond Centre’ and learn more about diamonds and its unique role for the city of Antwerp.”
AWDC believes firmly in what we like to call the ‘Fifth C’. The four C’s of diamond are Cut, Carat, Colour and Clarity, but the fifth C stands for Confidence, Compliance and Corporate Social Responsibility. We want to increase transparency in the sector by implementing CSR and at the same time support the population of Antwerp. That is why AWDC decided to become Silver Sponsor of the Camille Paulus Youth Sport Fund and support events as the Fortengordel. The fund represents values as cooperation, ambition and respect. These are values inherent to AWDC. That is why this year, we are supporting the Fund by committing 25 000 Euro to the Youth Sport Fund.
More information on www.fortengordel.be
Last Sunday, the Antwerp 10 Miles took place. 75 runners represented our brilliant industry. We want to thank everybody for participating and for the fantastic enthusiasm of the team!
In the company ranking, the Antwerp Diamond Team finished 72th out of 149 teams. The results are based on the best 8 runners of the teams.
We would also like to thank everybody who supported the team and crew. It was a fantastic day!
You can download the results here and take a look at the pictures here.
In 2013, the city of Antwerp proudly bears the title of European Capital of Sports, promoting sports as a means of community integration through various initiatives, from professional sport competitions to local sports events in and around Antwerp. In the framework of this project, AWDC, representing the Antwerp diamond community, has committed to a strategic partnership with Sporting A, designed to be the sports club for everybody with a heart for sports, be it a professional basketball player, an enthusiast supporter or the neighborhood soccer league, or across cultural, social or ethnic differences.
As representative of one of the communities that defines Antwerp as a vibrant, multicultural city, AWDC is convinced this strategic sponsorship will actively contribute to further anchoring diamonds within the community, one of the goals set in the Antwerp Diamond Masterplan.
To illustrate the fact that our diamond community, young and old, has a big heart for sports, we are currently looking for people that are willing to share the stories of their personal sports passion. All these stories and testimonials will be used to promote our commitment to Sporting A. If you are interested to help us, you can contact Karen Rentmeesters, AWDC PR & Communications Department via karenrentmeesters@awdc.eu or 03 222 05 41.
We hope you too will become part of Antwerp’s biggest and most charming sports club!
