The organisers of Carat+ (to be held in Antwerp from May 6- 8, 2018)  announced an impressive line-up of speakers and some extremely relevant topics for the seminars to be held alongside the show.  

Dubbed the Carat+ Conference 2018, the on-site seminars, will include topics on, and big names from, the areas of  digital technology, media, responsible sourcing and diamond education.

Carat+ had recently announced that GIA (Gemological Institute of America) Executive Vice President and Chief Laboratory and Research Officer, Tom Moses, will speak at a GIA GemFest during CARAT+ on Monday, May 7, at 4.00 pm. 

Before that, on Sunday, May 6, the seminar series will be kick started at 3.00 pm by Jonathan Chippindale, Co-Founder and Chief Executive of augmented retail solutions and software provider, Holition, with a talk titled, ‘Digital Storytelling: How Brands Use Technology to Innovate’.  Holition,  an award-winning creative studio specialising in premium digital experiences, augmented reality and artificial intelligence, is affiliated with the longest established diamond broking and consultancy firm in the world, Bonas Group, with fifth-generation broker, Charles Bonas, serving as Holition’s Chairman.

On the same day  at 4.00 pm, the main partner of  Carat+ AWDC (Antwerp World Diamond Centre) and innovation strategy and business consultancy firm, Junction, will anchor an event at which the final six teams participating in the inaugural Hack4Diamonds event (Friday, May 4 to Sunday, May 6) will present their forward-thinking ideas.  

Monday, May 7 will see the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) providing audiences with   an update of its activities; as well as addressing current issues and challenges in the diamond trade, at 11.00 am. Speakers at this session include RJC Executive Director, Andrew Bone; and Director of Business Development, Edward Johnson.

At 2 pm on  Monday, May 7,   Avi Krawitz, Senior Analyst and News Editor at Rapaport, will host a talk titled, ‘Unstuck From the Rock and the Hard Place’. This session the organisers said, will focus on the squeeze on the diamond trade and how to “navigate a market where the only constant is change”. 

On Tuesday, May 8 at 11:00 am -- the final day of Carat+,  Katrien De Corte, Chief Officer of Education at diamond grading specialists, HRD Antwerp, will make a presentation on new solutions for the identification of synthetic diamonds, including the company’s new ‘D-Tect’ device,  that will be launched at the show. 

Pic Cap: Jonathan Chippindale, Co-Founder and Chief Executive of Holition