In ‘The Faces of the Industry,’ a recurring item in our newsletter, we bring an industry name to the spotlight, one at a time. This person has been nominated by the previous ‘Face of the Industry’ and will appoint the one for the next edition of the Antwerp Diamond Digest.
For this interview, we sat down with Arthur Langerman of Langerman Diamonds. With an impressive 70 years in the Antwerp diamond industry, Arthur is a true connoisseur of the trade. Over the decades, he has experienced nearly every step of the diamond supply chain, and remarkably, his passion for the business remains as strong as ever. Who better to learn from than someone who has truly seen it all?
To start, could you tell us a bit about yourself and what you do in the diamond industry?
Arthur Langerman: I started when I was 15, and now I’m almost 84, so I’ve been in diamonds for nearly 70 years. I’ve more or less stayed in the same field. I started with cleaving. Back then, just after the war, it was one of the easiest ways to earn a bit of money. I was a hidden child during the war, and afterwards we had nothing left. My mother came back from the concentration camps, and we had no money at all. The Germans had taken everything from us, so we were very poor.
My mother remarried, and when I turned 15, she told me I had to contribute to the household. So I started cleaving. I did that for about a year, a year and a half, but I didn’t enjoy it. You burn your fingers, and it’s not a pleasant job. I preferred to explore more, so I went to work for a cousin of my mother who had a small workshop. That’s where I really learned the trade: sawing, cleaving, polishing, bookkeeping, you name it.
After about ten years, I started my own business. I became a broker. I knew everyone here. Back then, Antwerp was very active, especially the bourse. If you wanted a seat there, you had to fight for it or come very early to reserve one. It was packed every day. Today, it’s completely different, you almost don’t recognize it.
So you started your own business quite young?
Arthur: Yes, I was 25 when I started as a broker. I was quite good at selling. I would go from office to office asking people what I could buy or sell. With the money I earned, I started manufacturing myself. I had a small workshop and worked with polishers. Later, in the 1970s, I expanded into manufacturing, exporting, and importing.
Then came the big shock of the 1980s, when certification became crucial. Everyone was fighting to find certified stones. Prices skyrocketed, from $4,000 per carat to $65,000 for flawless stones, all because they had certificates. It was very difficult to obtain certificates. At some point, HRD decided that only manufacturers could get them. I didn’t own a factory, so it became very complicated. I had to rely on workers to secure certificates.
Then suddenly, prices collapsed again, from $65,000 to $45,000, then to $25,000, and even $15,000. It was a catastrophe. Many people had bought rough at high prices and suffered huge losses.
And is that when you moved into colored diamonds?
Arthur: Yes. I had always been fascinated by colored diamonds. When I was learning the trade, I saw that they were difficult to sell, because people didn’t understand them. But I found them beautiful.
After the crisis in the 1980s, I decided I would never touch white diamonds again and would only work with colored diamonds. It was ambitious and very difficult at the time, because there was no market for them.
I started manufacturing and studying them: how color evolves during polishing, how to bring out the best tones. Then I began traveling to jewelers to see who might be interested.
One day, a broker offered me a parcel of 7,000 carats at $7 per carat. I didn’t have the money, so I made a deal: I bought half, using money I gathered from everywhere. From that parcel, I selected three exceptional stones - a pink, a blue, and a yellow - and sold them at high prices. That allowed me to buy the rest.
That’s how I gradually built my business in colored diamonds. Today, I can say I am one of the leading colored diamond manufacturers in the world.
I also saw on your website that you sell rough diamonds. How did that come about?
Arthur: I’ve always been quite avant-garde. Color is already special, but rough colored diamonds are something different: you can create unique jewelry with them. Even companies like De Beers use rough in jewelry.
Do you have a sense of which diamond colors might become trends in the future?
Arthur: Some colors, like pink, have become extremely expensive, especially since the Argyle mine closed. Blue diamonds are also becoming very rare, but brown diamonds are still relatively affordable, and I believe they have great potential. You can make beautiful pieces with them, and the price difference is enormous. A one-carat pink diamond can be worth $200,000 to $300,000, while a brown diamond might be $2,000. That leaves room for growth.
You’ve worked with the Belgian Royal Family?
Arthur: Not in an official role. In 1991, I organized an exhibition in Brussels featuring colored diamonds and jewelry. Queen Fabiola visited. Which was supposed to be a short visit, lasted for three hours.
Later, I was asked to value the Belgian crown for insurance purposes. On another occasion, I was called in when there was controversy about a jewelry gift received during a visit to Congo. After examining it, I explained that it was of low value, which helped resolve the situation.
After 70 years in the industry, what do you see as Antwerp’s biggest strength?
Arthur: Antwerp remains the world’s leading diamond center. Here, you can do everything: you can be creative, manufacture, trade, or specialize in niches like colored diamonds. In other cities, you don’t have that complete ecosystem. Here, you can find rough, polished stones, expertise - everything. That’s Antwerp’s strength.
What are the biggest challenges today?
Arthur: The industry has become more difficult, especially with synthetic diamonds. But the key is not to follow the mainstream, you need to find your niche.
That’s what I did with colored diamonds. Others focus on antique jewelry or special cuts. If you master a niche, you can succeed.
What advice would you give to someone starting in the industry today?
Arthur: Develop good taste and create something special. Diamonds are about beauty and finesse. Work hard, travel, understand what customers want. That’s essential.
And finally, who would you like to nominate for this series?
Arthur: A young man named Julien Lorincz. He has found a niche in special and antique cuts. I think he’s very inventive, just like I was when I started. You should look him up.
