Peter Meeus to Advise WFDB on Synthetics

RAPAPORT... The World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) has hiredPeter Meeus as an external adviser. He will be responsible for helping theorganization fine-tune its position on lab-grown diamonds and other industrymatters. Synthetic diamonds are a huge concern in the industry, and manytrade organizations created in the past 20 years are not geared toward defendingthe natural-diamond sector, WFDB president Ernie Blom told Rapaport NewsThursday. The WFDB's job is to protect the midstream's interests,Blom said. The organization has a large membership base and the power todiscipline its members, which is particularly important when it comes tolab-grown-diamond issues such as mixing parcels and non-disclosure, he pointedout. "This is...new territory [for the WFDB], and it is ourintention to deal with the matter in the most professional and diligentmanner," Blom explained. "Hence the idea to engage an external adviser." Meeus is a government adviser on the diamond trade for theCentral African Republic (CAR), and has served as the managing director of theAntwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) and HRD Antwerp. He was chairman of theDubai Diamond Exchange, and is the head of the WFDB's World Diamond Markprogram. "His 30 years of experience...as well as his vast network inAfrica, and his knowledge of diamond certification and...lab-grown diamonds, willprovide the WFDB with the proper means to define a strategy to assist our30,000 members," Blom added.Image: Peter Meeus. (World Diamond Mark)