De Beers Rebrands Grading Unit

RAPAPORT... The International Institute of Diamond Grading and Research(IIDGR) has changed its name to De Beers Group Industry Services to enableconsumers to clearly identify it as part of the De Beers group. "[The rebranding] will make things clearer and simpler forcustomers, and [will] make the business's position as part of De Beers Groupmore obvious," David Johnson, head of strategic client services for De Beers,told Rapaport News Tuesday. The move will strengthen consumer confidencein the education and grading operation, he added. In an effort to build a coherent brand across all itsoperations, De Beers has been rebranding the various arms of its business since2014, capitalizing on the strength of its name, the company said. Otherbusinesses, including its Diamond Trading Company (DTC), auction operations andjewelry sales, have already been renamed. In addition to natural-diamond grading and verification, DeBeers Group Industry Services also comprises De Beers Group Technology, whichprovides synthetic-diamond-detection equipment, and De Beers Group Institute ofDiamonds, a range of expert courses relating to diamond education. Image: IIDGR grading reports. (IIDGR)