The International Diamond Laboratories (IDL) recently held a graduation ceremony at Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) to award diplomas to the first 20 Saudi students who completed their six-day intensive course in “diamond grading.” IDL is a subsidiary of Dubai Multi Commodities Center and aims to boost consumer confidence in diamonds through certification of polished diamonds and diamond jewelry and education program for retailers and consumers. Course instructor Jeroen Michielsen said the International Diamond Laboratories (IDL) started weekly courses in Jeddah in August 2008. Within a month they are going to open a lab in Jeddah as well. Peter Meeus, CEO of IDL, said the Kingdom was the largest consumer of diamonds in the region and an important market for IDL. As such it was important to educate retailers and consumers about the importance of diamond grading,” he said. The program covered properties of diamonds and identification of 4Cs – carat, color, clarity and cut – that define the quality of a diamond. The course was open to retailers, jewelry designers and also consumers interested in knowing more about diamond grading. Essam Jamal, president of the JCCI's Gold and Precious Stones Committee, said the objective of these courses was to raise the quality of service and information available to customers. Michielsen said their target market was “global.” Presently their focus is on the buoyant Middle East and Indian markets with the former accounting for 20 percent of the world's $50 billion market for diamonds and diamond jewelry. He added that the IDL Diamond Certificate offers detailed information on the 4Cs in a threefold luxurious cover. It confirms the natural character of the diamond and offers a detailed plotting of the internal and external characteristics of the diamond. – SG __
