The World Diamond Council welcomes five new members
CHORON GROUP
The Choron Group was established in 1985 by Rajesh Gandhi in Antwerp, Belgium. In its early years, it focused on procuring rough diamonds from secondary sources in Antwerp and distributing them in India, while at the same time it was purchasing polished diamonds from manufacturers in India for distribution to clients across Europe and the Far East.
As the business expanded, Choron set its sights on developing relationships with major rough diamond producers. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, it solidified its rough diamond supply and was transformed into a leading diamond house. In parallel, it broadened its sales network with offices across the globe.
Today, Choron is focused on the sourcing, assortment and sale of rough diamonds, the manufacturing of exceptional rough stones, the sale of polished diamonds and the distribution of wholesale jewelry.
Rajesh Gandhi, CEO
Parag Gandhi, co-COO
Anshul Gandhi, co-COO
INTERNATIONAL GEMOLOGICAL INSTITUTE (IGI)
The International Gemological Institute (IGI) is the world’s largest independent laboratory for grading diamonds and fine jewelry. It was established in 1975 in Antwerp, where it is headquartered. It today operates 20 laboratories and 14 education facilities in major diamond and jewelry centers around the world.
With a staff that includes gemologists, appraisers and professional office personnel, IGI provides the fine jewelry community and consumers with a broad range of services, including natural and laboratory grown diamond reports, colored stone grading and origin reports, as well as jewelry identification and appraisal reports.
With the increase of lab grown diamonds in the marketplace, IGI screens millions of natural and lab grown diamonds in order for the industry and consumers to receive the product they expect.
ROSY BLUE
The Rosy Blue Business Alliance was established as B Arunkumar in 1960 in Mumbai, India, and subsequently established an office in Antwerp, Belgium in 1973. It today has a presence in 12 countries around the world, among them the United States, Belgium, Luxembourg, Israel, UAE, India, China, Hong Kong, Japan and Botswana. It is one of the largest and best-known names in the global diamond industry.
The business is divided into three key operations: rough diamond procurement, diamond manufacturing, and polished trading. Although independent, they are united by a customer-centric approach and underpinned by strong, long-standing relationships.
In 2010, the Rosy Blue Foundation was established in 2010 to improve and enhance the community service commitment of the Rosy Blue Group. It was founded on the principles of diversity, integrity and accountability, and a belief that economic growth must be accompanied by an awareness of social and environmental responsibility. Through it, Rosy Blue seeks to expand the reach and extent of its philanthropic activities.
Ravi Bhansali, Managing Director, Rosy Blue NV
Raj Mehta, Director, Rosy Blue
SAPHIRA
Founded by Exploration Geophysicist Dr. Adriana Traviati in 2017 in Melbourne, Australia, Saphira is a private jeweler that provides natural, GIA-certified diamonds direct to the public.
Specializing in rare diamonds, such as Argyle Pink Diamonds, Saphira seeks to educate consumers on the importance of ethical diamond mining and provenance, and provides education on the diamond pipeline from upstream recovery, to the downstream final product.
Dr. Traviati’s unique background in the geosciences provides a differentiated understanding of the upstream environment, which has aided the growth of her downstream business, Saphira, significantly, allowing observation of key consumer behaviors and perceptions, including brand building and identity.
Saphira seeks to challenge and improve consumer understanding of the diamond pipeline to create transparency, innovate new solutions and ensure the longevity and success of the natural diamond industry worldwide.
Dr. Adriana Traviati, Founder
SYNOVA
Headquartered in Duillier, Switzerland, Synova S.A. develops and manufactures advanced laser diamond-cutting systems that incorporate the proprietary water jet guided laser technology (Laser MicroJetÒ) in a true industrial CNC platform.
Diamond industry customer benefits include significant yield and quality improvements in cutting, as well as enhanced capabilities for shaping, blocking, bruting and drilling.
Synova operates state-of-the-art diamond manufacturing and competence centers in Switzerland, the United States, India and the United Arab Emirates, offering job shop cutting services for rough diamonds.
