The news was brought to light following the European Gemological Laboratory’s (EGL’s) appointment of a global manager.
The newly created role has been filled by Menahem Sevdermish, the president and co-founder of EGL Platinum, an EGL grading laboratory located in Israel. The new position will see Sevdermish managing and overseeing the diamond grading activities of all EGL affiliates – located in Asia, India, Belgium and South Africa – as well as directing the network’s global policies and communications.
“[Sevdermish’s] broad experience, his dedication to gemmology and his passion for the joint venture will be highly valuable in taking the EGL network into calmer, mainstream waters,” an official EGL press release stated. “EGL is confident that he will succeed in the reorganisation of the network and ensure strictly controlled and homogenous grading practices throughout the network.”
Commenting on his appointment, Sevdermish said, “As global manager I will do my utmost to strengthen the EGL network globally and to ascertain that EGL remains a major gemmological service provider to the international diamond, gem and jewellery industry and trade, and will instil confidence throughout the supply pipeline, from the trade down to the end-consumer.”
Addressing the issue of over-grading
EGL recently came under scrutiny after Martin Rapaport, chairman of Rapaport Group, announced that his group would no longer list EGL certificates on the RapNet online diamond trading network.
Rapaport cited concerns that EGL was using the Gemological Institute of America’s (GIA’s) terminology while applying alternative standards to “over-grade” diamonds.
EGL South Africa managing director Alan Lowe acknowledged the issue as well as EGL’s decision to restructure following Rapaport Group’s decision, stating, “We [EGL] are, of course, very much aware of the publicity in the trade press and international media and of the largely unjustified and damaging campaign of Martin Rapaport against the network. It is therefore fortunate that the EGL brand owners have taken such quick and decisive action.”
Media reports have claimed that this “quick and decisive action” has included the decision to close the EGL International affiliate in Israel and to remove the “International” brand from all grading certificates.
However, some believe that this action was not quick enough. Echoing the sentiments of Rapaport’s recent editorial on over-grading, Honest Grading, EGL USA director Yaakov Tversky said the “tactics” of EGL International and its affiliates had hurt the industry.
EGL USA is an unrelated business to EGL International and in response to the latest news of EGL’s reorganisation, Tversky reiterated this message, stating the developments had nothing to do with EGL USA.
“We are not part of EGL International or any other EGL overseas entities, and we will never be part of their proposed network. We are not them,” Tversky emphasised.
“EGL USA has been fighting against these tactics and these labs for over a decade. We have done this in federal court, the US Patent and Trademark Office, the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, and even the press. But, more importantly, we have done this by providing hundreds of thousands of accurate, consistent gemmological reports for nearly 40 years.”
In September this year, EGL USA – which has repeatedly attempted to dissociate from the unrelated EGL International brand – claimed it had been unfairly grouped with EGL affiliates in Rapaport’s decision to remove all EGL-branded grading reports from RapNet.
“EGL USA supports genuine gemmology – GIA grading standards applied by GIA- and FGA-trained gemmologists using GIA-graded master stones and state-of-the-art equipment,” Tversky attested. “Flights of fancy like ‘face-up grading’ and made-to-order standards have no place in gemmology.
“The only thing that EGL USA is announcing this week is our continuing commitment to exceptional gemmological science and service. For EGL USA, that’s business as usual,” Tversky concluded.
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