Peter Macken (centre),
CEO HRD Antwerp with the HKIDA Delegation

During the 2016 March Hong Kong Diamond, Gem and Pearl show, HRD Antwerp and HKIDA have come to an agreement concerning an exclusive melee diamond screening service using the M-Screen, the world’s fastest melee screening device available today. The new service will offer the screening of parcels of minimum 10ct melee size diamonds from 1 to 20 points, colour D-J. As of the 1st of April 2016, HRD Antwerp Hong Kong will also move its operations to a new location, sharing the same premises as HKIDA.

“As HKIDA’s aim is to safeguard consumer confidence throughout the diamond industry while protecting the natural diamond trade, the service agreement concerning the use of the M-Screen is a great step forward in offering our members the tool they need to make absolutely sure their melee diamond parcels are free of lab-grown diamonds” explains Mr Ramesh Virani, chairman of the Hong Kong Indian Diamond Association (HKIDA).

“In order to address the many challenges the diamond industry is facing these days, taking into account the increasing amount of lab-grown diamonds on the market, a trustworthy melee diamond screening service will undoubtedly contribute to establishing more trust throughout the diamond pipeline, both with suppliers as well as retailers catering to the end consumer. We’re therefore very happy to have established such a screening service here in Hong Kong, one of the major diamond trading hubs” says Mr Peter Macken, CEO HRD Antwerp.

“In addition to the introduction of the highly anticipated melee screening service, the relocation of our Hong Kong operations to the HKIDA premises, is a sound move forward towards strengthening our local presence“ Mr Macken adds.