HB Antwerp
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry |
|
| Founded | 2020 |
| Headquarters | , |
Key people | Oded Mansori (Founder, Managing Partner) Shai de Toledo (Founder, Managing Partner) Rafael Papismedov (Founder, Managing Partner) Boaz Lev(Managing Partner) |
Number of employees | 107[1] (2022) |
HB Antwerp is a sustainable diamond cutting and technology company based in Antwerp, Belgium.[2][3][4][5][6][7] It was founded in 2020 by Shai de Toledo, Rafael Papismedov and Oded Mansori[5] to bring transparency to the diamond industry.[8][3] The firm works with the government of Botswana, the Lucara Diamond Corporation,[3][9] Microsoft[10] and Comate, a Leuven engineering company backed by Marc Coucke.[8]
Partnerships
HB Antwerp has exclusive access to a mine in Botswana through a deal with Canadian mining company Lucara Diamond Corporation. The company works in partnership with the Botswana government and diamond scanning and cutting equipment developer HS Technology,[11] HB Antwerp's sister company also known as HB Blueprint.[12] In 2022, the company partnered with Microsoft to verify and track stones from the Karowe mine. All data about the trajectory of the diamonds is stored on a blockchain.[10] Also in 2022, HB Antwerp partnered with engineering company Comate to devise high-tech mini safes in which diamonds are stored and tracked.[8]
HB Antwerp has partnered with Lucara and Louis Vuitton to analyze, cut, and polish several large stones, including the “Sewelo” diamond, the second-to-largest stone ever found,[13][14][15] the “Sethunya”, a 549-carat diamond,[16] and a 1,175-carat rough diamond, all discovered in the Karowe mine in Botswana.[17] In 2020, HB Antwerp entered an agreement to purchase all of Lucara’s large stones (10.8 carats and up).[18]
The company has established several training programs in Botswana,[8][19] and in 2021 the president of Botswana promoted the cooperation with HB Antwerp as a model for other African countries in the margins of the General Assembly of the United Nations.[8][9]
HB Antwerp is also the owner of Signum[10][6], a customized rough diamond brand which sells directly to the public and sold 12 NFT cryptoart diamonds in January 2022.[20][2]
References
- ^ "Antwerpse diamant duikt de metaverse in". DE TIJD. January 22, 2022.
- ^ a b "Antwerpse diamant duikt de metaverse in". DE TIJD. January 22, 2022.
- ^ a b c "The good gem guide". Financial Times. October 18, 2021.
- ^ "Hoffentlich wird es kein Pferdekopf". Frankfurter Allgemeine. November 23, 2020.
- ^ a b "HB Antwerp la pepite belge qui taille des diamants pour Vuitton Co". L'Echo. November 5, 2020.
- ^ a b "Why everyone wants a diamond in the rough". Financial Times. April 1, 2022.
- ^ "A New Era of Transparency for Mined Diamonds Has Arrived". Ethos. June 19, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e "'Als diamantreuzen hun businessmodel niet aanpassen, zit hun tijd erop'". DE TIJD. September 30, 2022.
- ^ a b "Masisi Uses Lucara to Pressure De Beers for Better Revenue Sharing Deal". Africa Intelligence. April 7, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Would You Buy a Rough Diamond?". New York Times. January 22, 2023.
- ^ "Piepjong Antwerps bedrijf slijpt opnieuw megasteen voor Louis Vuitton". DE TIJD. November 5, 2020.
- ^ "HS Technology". www.b2bhint.com/.
- ^ "Unieke diamant zoekt doorwinterde koper". De Tijd. December 7, 2020.
- ^ "Louis Vuitton Wants to Turn This Dark Diamond into Jewelry". National Jeweler. January 21, 2020.
- ^ "The Second-Biggest Diamond in History Has a New Owner". NY Times. January 15, 2020.
- ^ "Antwerps bedrijf mag opnieuw uitzonderlijke diamant slijpen voor Louis Vuitton". VRT. November 5, 2020.
- ^ "Massive uncut diamond unveiled in New York". Reuters. September 21, 2021.
- ^ "Lucara's Q2 Sales Drop as It Holds onto Big Stones". National Jeweler. August 11, 2020.
- ^ "HB Antwerp Opens Diamond Training Academy". National Jeweler. July 16, 2021.
- ^ "This NFT Project Offers 'Digital Restitution' for Looted African Art". ART news. May 24, 2022.