The Indian Diamond & Colorstone Association (IDCA), the New York-based premier association of jewellers, diamantaires and coloured stone dealers hosted a historic “Jewelry Industry Symposium on 19th November, 2022 at the Consulate of India, New York. Jamie Singleton, Group President & CCO, Signet Jewelers was the keynote speaker at the event. The event was well attended by city, state and India government officials and industry veterans. Ronnie VanderLinden, President, IDMA was the guest of honour for the day. Also present on the occasion were Consul General of India, New York – Randhir Jaiswal; House of Representative, Congresswoman Grace Meng; New York City Commissioner of International Affairs, Edward Mermelstein; and Deputy Commissioner for International Affairs, Dilip Chauhan.
IDCA honoured three member organisations and individuals with the “Business Leadership Award” in the Colorstone, Gems & Jewelry and Jewelry category for their outstanding achievements in the industry. These included Sunil Jain, Chairman, FEI; Sandeep Shah, President, Sandeep Diamond Corporation; and Tejas Shah, CEO, Unique Designs Inc.
IDCA President Rajeev Pandya opened the proceedings with a welcome address. He said the United States and India together play a pivotal role in the industry with the US being the largest importer of diamonds and jewellery from India and this being the third largest contributing sector to India’s GDP.
In her address, Jamie Singleton thanked the Indian community for playing a key role in the success of the jewellery industry. She noted, “As the market continues to normalise after an incredible 2 years, we will continue to grow and thrive but what we should focus on is deeper consumer insights, bolder innovation and protecting the integrity of our supply chain.”
Ronnie VanderLinden stated how he had witnessed the progress of the Indian community and emphasised that it is our relationships, trust and friendship with one another that keeps the industry going.
The last section of the program was a panel discussion moderated by Paul Zimnisky, a diamond industry analyst and consultant. Participants included Amish Shah, President, ALTR Created Diamonds; Anubh Shah, CEO, With Clarity; Sandeep Shah, President, Sandeep Diamond Corp.; and Tejas Shah, CEO, Unique Designs Inc. The panel focused on the “State of the Diamond & Jewelry Industry” focusing on the future of Lab-Grown versus Natural Diamonds, Trade Tariffs and Sustainability & Impact on Climate Change amongst other topics.
News and image courtesy gjepc.org.
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