Antwerp: World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) President Ernie Blom has expressed his support for the industry-wide debate on the issue of over-grading taking place.

He said it will be one of the issues on the agenda of the Presidents Meeting, a biennial gathering of the leaders of the 30 Presidents of the WFDB-affiliated exchanges around the world and of the International Diamond Manufacturers Association, to be held in Tel Aviv from June 14 to 16.

“It is critical for our industry members, in different forums, to hold these debates,” said Blom. “We need to discuss this and other issues, on an ongoing basis in order to find some sort of industry consensus on the direction we need to take and possible solutions.

“We will be discussing the issue of over-grading – for which there must be zero tolerance – at the Presidents Meeting. Is there a way of arriving at an industry consensus on grading scales to prevent confusion and to aid consumers in selecting diamonds? We must always remember that the end-buyer is critical and our aim is to help create tools that put the customer completely at ease with a purchase,” Blom added.