In an exclusive with Mr Henri Keesje The New Jeweller Bureau gets an opinion on the leadership status that Antwerp enjoys in the Diamond world. Excerpts:

Important factors that has evolved Antwerp to become the Global Diamond Hub:

There are many factors that contribute to this: The volume and diversity of goods in both polished and rough, the tax and trade facilities, the federal and regional support of the diamond industry, the geographical factor, the research and development contributions from HRD and WTOCD, the presence of trading halls and major gem laboratories, well distributed shipment facilities, the good trade contacts that Antwerp has with the other big diamond centres, and of course highly qualified diamond traders. All of these factors make Antwerp the world's diamond hub.

Besides these already well known elements, the diamond sector of Antwerp is always striving for excellence and is constantly progressing towards new trends and developments.

As a trade association for import and export, it is also vital for us to have optimal facilities in the other diamond centres.

Current Diamond Trade dynamics and the future:

The challenges have always been there, and are rapidly changing, however if there is indeed a slowing down in the polished diamond business, it is up to us to be flexible and to search for new markets. According to me, it is important to have a specialisation, and to travel in order to remain close to clients. I think that the work of the umbrella organisations is well done, but the BVGD strives for a more aggressive and competitive edge.

On Lab grown Diamonds and education thereon:

Yes, AWDC and HRD are using every event to organise workshops and communicate this message. Additionally, a lot of information is available online. Recently, DeBeers have come up with a plan to market synthetic diamonds in order to lower the prices of these diamonds and create a bigger gap between the natural and synthetic stones. Generally, the idea was welcome, however some concerns do remain.

On Diamond detection devices launched for the sector:

Every few months a new device for lab grown diamond detection comes on the market. These machines are becoming cheaper and more effective. I strongly believe that in a short time, these machines will become more affordable, and accessible to all traders. Presently, this service is available in main diamond and jewellery centres at affordable prices.

On the Millennial generation and generic marketing efforts:

All concerned companies involved in the diamond and jewellery trade make their utmost effort to attain the millennials through different marketing channels, especially social media. A good example is what the Diamond Producer Association is doing by helping the generic marketing effort. For more information, you can visit their website at www.diamondproducers.com.

Besides the effort that we put in as professionals, the goodwill and support from other media channels are always welcome and can make a big difference.

On the younger generation taking on the family business:

Yes, the government is a big facilitator for our sector, and works very closely with us. I would like to remind you that Antwerp is the only city in the world that has an alderman for the diamond sector. Although we do have the facilities and infrastructure we need, it is the responsibility of the younger generation to become more educated and thus more professional to overcome the challenges and competition that awaits them.

In just 3 words tell us why should a person visit Antwerp?

Diamonds: It's in our DNA.