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.
This time, we had the pleasure of interviewing Paul Chieveley-Williams, CEO at Diamwill. Paul is an experienced diamantaire who has, as he put it himself, done nearly all the steps of the diamond supply chain. Not only that, he has traveled far and beyond to manufacture and sell diamonds.
Can you start by telling us what you do and how your company operates?
Paul Chieveley-Williams: I actually work for myself – I don’t work for anybody else. At Diamwill, we specialize in fancy colour diamonds. We source all our own rough and we cut all our stones in Antwerp.
I’m very focused on origin – always have been. True origin starts with the integrity of the people who cut the stones and who sell the polished goods. We need more of that, and a bit less of these self-certification schemes that can be bent to fit whatever story someone wants to tell.
Antwerp helps enormously in that regard. The controls here are strict, and I believe that will benefit Antwerp in the long term. Some people complain and run off to somewhere else – good riddance. The people who stay here understand why they’re here. Two hours down the road you have 90% of the world’s jewelry brands. They know that in Antwerp they might not get the cheapest goods, but they will get the best in terms of make and origin. It’s a win-win.
How did you first get into the world of diamonds?
Paul: There’s a fossil on my shelf that I picked up on a beach in England when I was five. That’s where it started. By seven, I was cutting semi-precious stones. Then I moved on to opal and other more exotic stones.
At 18 I joined De Beers in London as a diamond sorter, it was not the most pleasant job. Later I did a manufacturing course with a Belgian cutter, Paul Genard, who ran a small factory in Hatton Garden. I took the course and it felt like I already knew it. They asked me to stay on. I worked as a cleaver for a year and a half, then I went on the wheel for two years of cutting. That’s how I really entered the business.
Since then, I’ve done most parts of the trade, even a bit of mining in Brazil.
You mentioned sourcing your own rough. How do you approach that? Do you buy through tenders?
Paul: Diamonds need to be in the right hands, not just in the hands that pay the most. This business is about adding value and purveying luxury, not playing roulette.
I look for supply contracts. I’ve had supply contracts with the Namibian government for quite a few years through their selling arm, Namdia. I also buy rough from South America occasionally, but only directly from importers, with full Kimberley Process documentation.
How long have you been in the diamond industry now?
Paul: Forty-seven years. I suppose that counts as experience, but I’m still learning every day. Anyone who says “I know everything” knows nothing. Every day there’s a new surprise, something you hadn’t thought of.
How do you see the current state of the natural diamond market?
Paul: The industry has been sick for quite a long time and it needs change. There’s overproduction of diamonds, overcapacity to polish – too much of everything except clients. People have stopped buying.
At the same time, there’s this perception that diamonds aren’t rare. Other stones, Paraíba tourmalines, for example, are positioned as rarer and more desirable. They’re not actually that rare either, but compared to diamonds they’re rare. We need to restore the sense of rarity in diamonds.
You can already see the impact on mining: high-cost mines are in trouble. The mines that will survive are those producing rarer, larger goods. There’s going to be a realignment of pricing in terms of size. Two carats and down: there’s a lot of production. Five carats and up: truly rare. For many mines, 80–90% of their revenue comes from smaller goods; those mines will struggle.
It’s not just how many carats per ton, it’s what kind of carats. It’s what’s inside the ore that counts.
What’s your view on the natural versus lab-grown debate? Can they coexist?
Paul: Lab-grown stones are a man-made synthesis of a natural product, just like synthetic rubies and sapphires. Both can be beautiful, but one is infinite, you can keep producing it. Natural diamonds are a geological phenomenon.
Personally, I don’t like calling synthetics “diamonds”. With rubies they don’t say “synthetic ruby”, they say synthetic corundum. For diamonds I would call them “man-made macro-crystallized carbon”. The word “diamond” implies natural origin and rarity.
That said, I believe they can coexist. They have existed in coloured gemstones for over a hundred years. One can even promote the other. People may start with a lab-grown stone, see that it’s beautiful, and then still desire a natural one. They will want the real deal.
You’ve stressed Antwerp’s importance several times. What, in your eyes, makes Antwerp special?
Paul: Integrity, history, and excellence in cutting. There are many places where you can cut diamonds, but Antwerp is still considered the royal seat of diamond cutting. It’s that little bit better.
We shouldn’t try to be the biggest; we should be the best. We don’t need to cut everything. Antwerp is for the very difficult stones, the big stones, the special cuts, the innovation. In terms of actual cutting technology - the know-how of cutting, not just measuring machines – Antwerp is number one by far.
There’s also work underway on “Antwerp Make”, a trade name for diamonds cut in Antwerp. The idea is that stones could be laser-inscribed with a registered Antwerp Make logo, giving customers a guarantee of where and how the diamond was cut, and adding to the story of authenticity.
And on top of that, Antwerp has a deep history. This isn’t a 50-year-old business. We’re talking about nearly 580 years of diamond cutting. It’s the aristocracy of diamond cutting.
You ran a factory in Brazil as well. How did that chapter start?
Paul: I was working for IDC, an English company based in Hatton Garden with a big office in Antwerp. They were buying rough all over the world and I was one of their buyers. They sent me to Brazil; I liked it, ended up marrying there, and my children were born there.
I built a diamond cutting factory from scratch, specifically for fancy colour diamonds. Belgium sent a master cutter, Johan, to give courses. Brazil had had large factories before, but most had closed because other places were cheaper. The cutters there had never worked fancy colours, which require a different approach. We brought the expertise, trained them, and built the factory.
The company was called Belodiam – from Belo Horizonte, later moved to Petrópolis. We developed our own signature cuts, including the Belodiam cushion. Eventually I closed the factory; it no longer made sense to keep it running. In 2007 we moved back to Antwerp as a family, on a memorable New Year’s Eve flight where our luggage took about a week to catch up with us.
What advice would you give someone completely new entering the diamond industry today?
Paul: I’d first ask them why they want to be in this business. If the answer is “to make a lot of money”, I’d say: wrong business.
This trade requires passion. You have to love diamonds and want to continue the mystique around them. People who treat it as a numbers game – just production and turnover – are rarely truly committed. That’s why many of them leave when the numbers stop looking good.
For me, diamonds are an extraordinary material. I’ve cut wood, ivory, semi-precious stones, and nothing compares. My advice is: make sure you genuinely love what you’re doing. If you do, you’ll keep learning, keep improving, and you’ll be able to inspire others.
One of my favourite moments is when someone opens a box, sees a stone, and literally gasps. In that instant, you’ve changed something in them. They won’t forget it. That’s the real magic.
How do you see the role of AWDC in Antwerp’s diamond ecosystem?
Paul: AWDC is very important. It’s our representative body, and it needs to be able to engage properly with ministers, regulators, and policymakers in Brussels to argue our case intelligently and convincingly.
I do think representation needs to be balanced, with proportional representation across the whole industry. We need people there who think not just, “What’s good for me?” but “What’s good for Antwerp?” Because what’s good for Antwerp will ultimately be good for all of us.
Personally, I’m committed to Antwerp. I’ve travelled and lived all over the world. In the end, I always come back here. I’ve bought a house, an office, and, God willing, I’ll spend the rest of my days cutting diamonds here and making beautiful things that make people happy.
When friends visit Antwerp from abroad, what do you show them besides the diamond district?
Paul: I love the Saturday market – I live nearby, so I always pop in. The old town, the Grote Markt, the cathedral, of course.
There’s also a wonderful detail above the new head store of Slaets jewelers on the Meir: a statue of Lodewijk van Bercken, who invented the diamond wheel. My daughter spotted it years ago. It’s a reminder that this isn’t just a trade: Antwerp’s diamond story is deeply historical.
And then there’s the Scheldt, the cycling paths, the new parks along the river. Antwerp has a lot to offer beyond diamonds, but it all ties back into the city’s character and history.
Finally, who would you nominate as the next ‘Face of the Industry’ in Antwerp?
Paul: Mike Akiki. He’s a personal friend and, in my view, a great ambassador for the trade. He speaks very well, he cares, he has passion, and he’s investing in Antwerp – literally, he’s building next door. He’s committed to seeing Antwerp continue and grow.
