New York: At the outset of the fourth day of the Israel Diamond Week in New York, both the Israeli and the American diamantaires participating in the event at the Diamond Dealers Club (DDC) in New York City were in complete agreement: the third edition of the Israel Diamond Week in New York is a great success.

David Lasher, the DDC’s Managing Director, estimated that some 700 buyers attended, hailing not only from the New York region, but from across the USA, including Chicago, Los Angeles and Miami. He noted that the biggest turnout occurred on Monday, the first day of the event at the DDC and that the number of buyers was significantly higher than at the previous event in November 2013. This year, too, more than 100 Israel Diamond Exchange (IDE) members registered and made on their way to the Big Apple to exhibit their goods on the DDC trading floor, alongside some 70 colleagues of the DDC.

IDE President Shmuel Schnitzer and DDC President Reuven Kaufman said they were both pleased with the results of the show in the first three days. “People are telling me that this year’s show is even better than the two we held previously. There is a great deal of foot traffic. This is a very encouraging sign at this time.” Kaufman remarked.

The end of the second day of the show was marked with a short ceremony. Reuven Kaufman praised his Israeli counterpart Shmuel Schnitzer, saying he was “smart, highly dedicated to the Israeli diamond sector and to the people of Israel.” He went on to present Schnitzer and IDE General Manager Moti Besser with awards of recognition for their work.

In turn, Shmuel Schnitzer praised the DDC for taking the organization of the event to an even higher level. “It seems that everyone is happy and I am very much looking forward to these types of shows in the years to come. The next International Diamond Week will take place in Israel in February 2015, and in addition to the DDC membership, members of the Antwerp Diamond Bourse will also take part.