The Indian Diamond & Colorstone Association (IDCA), a New York-based association of jewelers, diamantaires and colored stone dealers, hosted a historic US-India Jewelry Industry Symposium on Nov. 19th, 2022 at the Consulate of India, in New York.
Ms. Jamie Singleton, Group President & CCO, Signet Jewelers was the keynote speaker at the event. Mr. Ronnie VanderLinden, President of the International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA) was the Guest of Honor for the day. The event was well attended by city, state and India government officials and industry veterans including: Consul General of India, New York, Randhir Jaiswal; Congresswoman Grace Meng, representing the 6th District of New York; New York City Commissioner of International Affairs, Edward Mermelstein; and Deputy Commissioner for International Affairs, Dilip Chauhan.
IDCA honored 3 member organizations and individuals with their Business Leadership Award in the Colorstone, Gems and Jewelry category for their outstanding achievements in the industry: Mr. Sunil Jain, Chairman, FEI; Mr. Sandeep Shah, President, Sandeep Diamond Corporation; and Mr. Tejas Shah, CEO, Unique Designs Inc.
IDCA President, Mr. Rajeev Pandya, opened the proceedings and gave the Welcome Address, highlighting the main raison d’etre for the symposium. New York City is the leading diamond and jewelry center in the world and the United States and India together play a pivotal role in the industry with the US being the largest importer of diamonds and jewelry from India and this being the third largest contributing sector to India’s GDP.
In her Keynote Address, Ms. Jamie Singleton thanked the Indian community for playing a key role in the success of the jewelry industry and stated that jewelry is such an inspiring industry. She stated she is “very confident that as the market continues to normalize 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. The future of our business is in our hands as we lead with insight, integrity and innovation.”
Mr. Ronnie VanderLinden shared he had witnessed the progress of the Indian community and emphasized that it is our relationships, trust and friendship with one another that keeps the industry going.
The program concluded with a Panel Discussion, “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. The panel was moderated by noted diamond industry analyst & consultant, Mr. Paul Zimnisky. Panel participants were: Mr. Amish Shah, President, ALTR Created Diamonds; Mr. Anubh Shah, CEO, With Clarity; Mr. Sandeep Shah, President, Sandeep Diamond Corp; and Mr. Tejas Shah, CEO, Unique Designs Inc.
Aditi Lamba was the emcee for the event.
US-India Jewelry Industry Symposium Speakers
Mr. Rajeev Pandya
President
IDCA
Ms. Grace Meng
Congresswoman
6th District of New York
Edward Mermelstein
New York City Commissioner
International Affairs
Keynote Speaker
Ms. Jamie Singleton
Group President & Chief Customer Officer
Signet Jewelers
Guest of Honor
Mr. Ronnie VanderLinden,
President, IDMA
