ANTWERP, February 5, 2011 – HRD Antwerp, one of the leading diamond labs in the world, and the Istanbul Chamber of Jewelry have signed a cooperation agreement.
According to the agreement, HRD Antwerp will provide the Turkish jewellery industry with support on three levels: diamond expertise, gemmological training, and promotion.
As a result of the agreement, HRD Antwerp will open a gemmological lab at the Istanbul Chamber of Jewelry.
In addition, three major jewellery wholesalers and retailers have agreed to become privileged HRD Antwerp partners, issuing HRD Antwerp diamond jewellery reports and certificates for their top brands.
These three companies are: Atassay, Topal and Atilla Karat.
“This is a most significant development, because it represents an alliance between the world’s largest diamond trading centre and one of the world’s largest producers of gold jewellery,” said Georges Brys, General Manager of HRD Antwerp.
“As a grading laboratory HRD Antwerp already holds a dominant position in Turkey, with a market share of almost 60 percent.
“To underscore this success we established our first gemmological lab outside Antwerp in Istanbul.”
