Ronnie VanderLinden, president of the Diamond Manufacturers Importers Association of America (DMIA), has also been elected president of the newly-formed United States Jewelry Council (USJC).
This USJC, which acts as a coalition of leading diamond, gem and jewellery trade associations in the United States, has been initiated to assure that the U.S. jewelry industry is collectively represented at both government and international levels. The organization plans to deal more effectively with key issues of social, ethical and environmental importance that might impact the industry as a whole.
“The success or failure of U.S.-based jewellery businesses—and the entire diamond and jewelry supply chain—is in large part dependent on a healthy representation of U.S. businesses in the national and global arena,” says VanderLinden on the creation of the USJC. “These challenges on the national and global scale are more than an individual association can handle alone. The U.S. industry needs a coordinated effort to ensure we can protect consumer confidence in our product and have a say on policies that affect the livelihoods of our members.”
The new trade body is made up of the DMIA, the American Gem Society (AGS), the Diamond Council of America (DCA), the Diamond Bourse of Southeast United States (DBSE), the Diamond Dealers Club of New York (DDC), the Indian Diamond and Colored Stone Association (IDCA), Jewelers of America (JA), the Manufacturing Jewelers Suppliers of America (MJSA) and the Natural Color Diamond Association (NCDIA). CJ
