The ADTF News
Dear Friends of the Antwerp Diamond Trade Fair,
With less than three weeks to go until the doors of the fair will open once again, the organizing committee of the fair --made up of representatives of the Antwerp Diamond Bourse and the Diamond Club of Antwerp -- are ready to welcome yet another, exclusive group of diamond buyers and jewelers from almost all over the world to the third edition of this exhibition, which is now a fixed and appreciated event on the calendar of leading international diamond buyers.
For three days, more than 70 Antwerp diamond firms will display an unmatched choice of diamonds, gemstones and finished jewellery, offering proof of Antwerp's strength and unique position as the world's number one one-stop-station for rough and polished diamonds, gemstones and jewellery. Those of you who have not confirmed their attendance are invited to do so urgently as the deadline for bookings is just days away.
Renowned gem expert and merchant Benjamin Zucker to speak at ADTF Diamond Breakfast Conference
Benjamin Zucker, a renowned, New York-based gem merchant and expert will be the speaker at the ADTF Diamond Breakfast Conference on Tuesday, January 31st, at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Antwerp. He will speak on "The diamond cutting traditions of India and Europe."
"We're very excited that Benjamin has agreed to address the visitors and exhibitors of the ATDF," Jacky Korn, a member of the ADTF Organizing Committee said. "Benjamin's decades-long reputation as a leading expert on rare diamonds and gemstones is established worldwide and it will be an honour to have him address us."
Diamonds: bought in Antwerp, set in jewelry, worldwide.
A few weeks before this Newsletter saw the light of day, we asked some of the invited jewelers who will be participating in the 3rd Antwerp Diamond Trade Fair to send us photos of creations set with diamonds purchased in Antwerp. With the publication of these images we hope to start featuring a series of photo galleries, also in future ADTF newsletters.
For Annique Sanjurjo (http://www.annique.es/galeriaEN.html), of La Coruna, Spain, diamonds are the most important 'ingredient' in her creations.
In these earrings, she set 119 diamonds round diamonds (2.46 cts) and 82 black diamonds (1.24 cts) in rose gold.
A buyer's perspective on Antwerp
What attracts Buyers to Antwerp? Diamonds, of course, stupid. But when asked, each and every buyer has his or hers own distinctive reasons to prefer Antwerp as their buying destination.
For Joe Hakim of Antoine Hakim Jewellers of Beirut, Lebanon, Antwerp is an indispensible destination on his annual travel itinerary. "Our company is a diamond wholesale trading and jewellery manufacturing firm with deep, historical roots in Lebanon," Mr. Hakim said. Hakim explained that his firm wholesales diamonds in Lebanon itself, and manufactures high- end jewellery that is marketed sold throughout the Middle East. "This is a market that will continue to develop, diversify and expand," he noted.
Champagne Diamant joins Antwerp Diamond Fair as sponsor
For the third edition of the ADTF, the prestigious Champagne House Vranken - Pommery (http://www.pommery.fr) has joined the ranks of the sponsoring supporters of the fair.
The Vranken - Pommery company will serve two of the company's most remarkable brands -- "Vranken Diamant" and "Pommery Brut Royal" -- during the Cocktail of the Gala Dinner.
At this exclusive event, the invited guests will have an opportunity to discover these exceptional Champagnes, which are crafted with great passion and care.
3rd Antwerp Diamond Fair
Dear friends,
We hope that you are very busy serving your clientele for the holiday sales season and that you will, therefore, have good reason to look forward to the third edition of the Antwerp Diamond Trade Fair to stock up on diamonds, gems and jewellery. The fair will be held from January 29-31, 2012. At that time, a month after Christmas and New Year, we hope to welcome you to Antwerp – with a shopping list in hand of course.
As you will read in this ADTF newsletter, the organizers have gone out of their way to make the upcoming fair not only a great diamond, gem and jewellery sourcing opportunity, but also an exciting event in itself. If you have not yet taken a look at the programme, we invite you to so do here .
Welcome to Antwerp, the beating heart of the diamond trade
On January 29th, when the doors of the Antwerp Diamond Trade Fair (ADTF) open, more than 200 specially invited jewellers and diamond buyers from Asia, Europe and North America will be introduced to the diverse choice of polished diamonds that Antwerp's finest diamond companies can offer to the downstream gem and jewellery market.
For some of them, it will not be the first encounter with the Antwerp trademark of excellence. Our diamonds may already have captured their attention in one of our Antwerp Diamond Pavilions on trade shows worldwide, during a trade mission, a roadshow abroad, or here in Antwerp.
IGI head to offer gemological seminar during third edition of ADTF
It is impossible to be a member of the international diamond gem and jewellery business and not be familiar with the work of the International Gemmological Institute (IGI) – the world's largest provider of diamond and gemstone identification and grading services, as well as jewellery appraising services.
Visitors to the third edition of the ADTF will be hosted by IGI head Roland Lorie for a breakfast meeting and gemmological seminar on Monday January 30 at 8.30 am at the SAS Radisson Park Lane in Antwerp (*) Roland will offer an overview of the IGI's activities, and in particular of the gemmological training courses it runs across the world.
DTCI CEO Varda Shine Guest of Honour at opening of 3rd ADTF
The head of the Diamond Trading Company International (DTCI), Varda Shine, will be the Guest of Honour at the opening ceremony of the third Antwerp Diamond Trade Fair and will inaugurate the fair on January 29, 2012, in Antwerp.
Ms. Shine, who is the first woman to head the DTCI, will also attend the event's Gala dinner that same evening. "We're pleased to have Ms. Shine joining us for the opening as well as for the festive Gala Dinner that same evening, " David Pienica, member of the ADTF Organizing committee said.
ADTF partners with Brussels Airlines
The overwhelming majority of the visitors to the third edition of the Antwerp Diamond Trade Fair will arrive on a flight operated by Brussels Airlines, Belgium's leading international carrier and one the fair's major sponsors. Brussels Airlines offers a wide choice of flights to and from Brussels international airport, operating 51 aircraft and carrying out more than 300 flights daily with a high punctuality rating. The flights connect the 'Capital of Europe' to some 70 premium European and African airports. The airline also provides flights to the United Arab Emirates, China, Thailand, India, Canada and more than 30 other North American destinations via New York or Chicago.
read more
Less than three months to go
With less than three months to go until the third edition of the Antwerp Diamond Fair opens its doors on January 29, 2012, some 100 buyers have already secured their slots for the exclusive by-invitation-only diamond trade fair. The event will again be held in the trading halls of Antwerp's two oldest bourses, the Antwerp Diamond Bourse and the Diamond Club of Antwerp.
read more
Award winning museum to host ADTF reception
One of the highlights of the events planned for the Third Antwerp Diamond Trade Fair (ADTF) is the reception on January 30th in the the MAS Museum in Antwerp.
Hosted by Alderman Philip Heylen on behalf of the Antwerp Municipality, the reception will allow the trade fair's visitors to admire the 203-foot (60 metres) tall structure's distinctive facade that alternates between red sandstone from India and glass panes. A close look at the riverfront museum reveals that it is modern even as it recalls the 16th-century storehouses used in Antwerp’s old port.
read more
ME delegation to take part in 3rd ADTF
For the first time in its -- short -- history, a delegation of buyers from the Middle East will take part in the 3rd edition of the Antwerp Diamond Trade Fair. Coordinated by Suzanne Eid of the leading Pan-Arab and Beirut-based publication Collection Pan Arab Luxury Magazine, a group of jewelers from a variety of countries in the region will come to Antwerp for the first time to "see for themselves what the possibilities are ," Mrs. Eid noted.
Interview with Avi Paz, president of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB)
Mr. Paz, as WFDB president, what is your opinion about bourses organising a trade fair?
I think it is a very good idea. As the diamond supply pipeline is getting shorter with fewer intermediaries in the market, diamond bourses will need to offer more value-adding services to their members, especially in marketing. A trade fair run by diamond bourses themselves, such as the ADTF, is one of those services.
The WFDB, as the umbrella organization of 28 bourses and their 11,000 members, is also looking closely at what can be done to help bourse members increase their sales, and improve the diamond market. I've just come back from Hong Kong, where we held the Third WFDB Asian Summit Meeting. This was a meeting of diamond bourse presidents and other industry leaders from Asia (Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Russia, Singapore and Thailand), to determine, among other things, how they can interact with counterparts in the western markets, and how to cooperate to increase the market share of diamonds in the luxury product markets. A trade fair, organised by a bourse or bourses, is one of the tools to achieve that goal.
Diamond Office
Anyone who buys diamonds in Antwerp at some point will come into contact with the Diamond Office, or at least become aware of its existence and role. The Diamond Office is the department operated by the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) that, in full coordination with governmental authorities, supervises Belgian diamond imports and exports. The Diamond Office assists members of the diamond trade in fulfilling all the legal requirements involved in the import and exports of diamonds, including licensing procedures. It also oversees and coordinates security measures related to the import and export of diamonds.
The third edition of the Antwerp Diamond Trade Fair (ADTF)
The dates for the third edition of the Antwerp Diamond Trade Fair (ADTF), which caters to an exclusive audience of invited diamond buyers, have been set for January 29 to 31, 2012. For the first time, following requests both from exhibitors and sponsors, the organisers of the 2012 fair are extending invitations to jewellery manufacturers and retailers from Asia and North America, as well as Europe.
read more
Interview with Willy Rotti, president of the Diamantclub van Antwerpen
As is often the case with successful formulas, the concept of the ADTF has proven rather simple, but highly effective. By inviting a select range of diamond buyers to Antwerp, the majority of whom are prominent jewelry manufacturers and retailers, we offer a unique experience: direct access to many diamond companies on the floors of the trading halls of the Club and of the Beurs voor Diamanthandel (Antwerp Diamond Bourse). While many of these visitors may have done business with Antwerp companies, and perhaps even visited Antwerp diamond pavilions at international gem and jewelry shows, for many, this is a first, and an eye-opening, visit to Antwerp.
read more
Interview with Maurice Fischler, president of the Beurs voor Diamanthandel
For many years, our industry umbrella organization, the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) has been instrumental in branding diamonds from Antwerp all over the world in different ways. Antwerp's diamond trade is prominently showcased at international gem and jewellery shows throughout Asia and in the United States. However, before our bourse launched the ADTF in 2010, Antwerp did not have its own trade fair in Antwerp and that has now been remedied. In 2011, toward the second edition of the ADTF, our bourse joined forces with our sister bourse, the Diamantclub of Antwerp to expand the space available and the number of participants. The fair is now a firm fixture on the annual calendar of international gem and jewellery exhibitions.
read more
Antwerp Diamond Trade Fair to be promoted at upcoming international jewellery shows
Informational materials about the Antwerp Diamond Trade Fair will be available at the AWDC booth at the India International Jewellery Show (IIJS) , August 4-8, 2011, in Mumbai; at the Vicenzaoro show, September 10-14, 2011, in Vicenza, Italy; and at the Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair , September 19-23, 2011.
read more
Registration Procedures
Visitors must present a personal letter of invitation received from the fair organisers in order to be able to take part in the trade fair. If you wish to be considered for an invitation, you will first need to register online. To do so, please click on the visitors tab on the ADTF web site.
read more