Ernie Blom, who had led the organisation for eight years, has stepped aside temporarily. A letter from Blom, obtained by Jeweller, said, “Due to medical, family and personal reasons I am unfortunately temporarily unable to continue in office as president at this point, therefore I need to step aside for a period of time.”
The letter does not specify a date at which Blom may return to the role. However, speaking to industry publication JCK Online, Blom said that he had planned to permanently step down as president at this year’s WFDB Congress in Hong Kong in November.
“There comes a time when I need to be moving on to other interests. I put my heart and soul into the WFDB, and I’m very proud of the legacy I have left,” Blom said.
JCK Online also noted that Blom’s company, Ernest Blom Diamonds, is currently involved in a legal dispute with the Dubai Diamond Exchange.
Dvash was unanimously elected acting president by the Executive Committee of the WFDB on 19 April.
“The diamond industry like all other industries is going through a very difficult time due to the coronavirus pandemic that has struck so much devastation in human, as well as business terms, across the world,” Dvash said in an official statement confirming his election.
“In this situation it is imperative that the diamond industry across the world be united in the goal to restore it to its glory days, once the pandemic has receded and some semblance of normalcy returns to the globe.”
He added that the WFDB was “at a very historical moment” due to the recent launch of its official members’ diamond trading platform, Get Diamonds. The platform was developed following a mass exodus of diamond dealers from RapNet, a diamond trading platform owned by the Rapaport Group, due to a controversial price list published on 20 March.
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