The site has been developed by an in-house team in order to provide its more than 300 international members with a platform to discuss industry issues, expand their business network, participate in events, develop leadership roles within the WFDB, and organise philanthropic initiatives.
Rami Baron, founder YD and chairman of the YD Promotion Committee, told Jeweller, “It's a truly exciting time in our industry, and so many understand that there is enormous value in being able to communicate with people who are like-minded all over the world – to share ideas, problems and solutions. I am very excited by the knowledge that we are building a wonderful community worldwide.”
Baron added that YD, which was founded in 2016, is currently focused on growing its membership, and “ensuring we have the correct tools to manage what ultimately will be thousands of members”.
He noted that fostering opportunities for women is also a key priority for YD, explaining, “The challenges for women in the diamond industry are no different from other fields and to some extent exaggerated when you have a heavily male-dominated industry. We ensure women are strongly represented in YD committee groups.”
Yoram Dvash, acting president WFDB, added, “The diamond industry, over its long history, has been shaped and nurtured by many different generations of diamantaires. We are happy to see the younger members of our industry actively engaging in discussions regarding critical issues and exploring how they can build on the rich legacy of this industry.”
Harsh Shah and Chris Zoettli, YD website developers, said the site will continue to be expanded with new features. “The site will never be a trading platform, but a resource centre for Young Diamantaires worldwide, to help them improve and grow their businesses,” they explained.
Fostering connections between YD members – who are based in 18 countries – has become increasingly important given the COVID-19 pandemic.
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“It's really heart-warming to see the degree of interaction, support and camaraderie that the Young Diamantaires group has shown during this pandemic,” Baron told Jeweller.
“The ability to hear firsthand from our members all over the world as to what's happening in their country, in their cities, can’t be accurately articulated in a few words.”
He pointed to the food parcels sent by YD members in Surat, India, to their employees’ families, hospital fundraisers held by YD members in Antwerp, Belgium, and webinars conducted by members from different countries.
Indeed, philanthropy forms a central component of the YD’s mandate, and the group is currently focused on a South African fundraising initiative in partnership with De Beers.
“This particular project is aimed to raise funds for a school built by DeBeers in Messina, an area which is close to the Venetia Mine in South Africa,” Baron said, adding that 25 YD members – including Australians – visited the mine in September 2019.
“On our visit it was clear that the school was in desperate need for a kitchen and a library. Therefore, one of our initial goals is to raise the money in order to build these two facilities.”
Baron said the mine visit had fostered a close relationship between De Beers and YD. “Having had such a wonderful interaction with DeBeers when visiting their mining operations in South Africa, we have continued our dialogue together. They have shared a commitment to support us in a number of areas which will evolve overtime.”
YD is also exploring potential initiatives with the Diamond Producers Association, which promotes the diamond industry internationally and is funded by the seven largest diamond mining companies.
2019 REVIEW
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