The Israel Diamond Exchange will honor two leaders of the international diamond and jewelry industries, Eli Izhakoff, outgoing President of the World Diamond Council (WDC), and Gaetano Cavalieri, President of CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, on Wednesday, May 8.
Izhakoff and Cavalieri will receive official IDE recognition at a ceremony at the Israel Diamond Exchange.
They are in Israel to hold the annual conferences of their respective organizations: the Ninth Annual WDC Meeting, and the CIBJO Congress 2013. Both events were held under the auspices of the Israel Diamond Institute.
Gaetano Cavalieri (left) and Yair Sahar
From left: Eli Izhakoff; Nurit Rothman, a rough diamond trader; and Yair Sahar
The meetings are being attended by senior industry and government leaders from around the world, including African mining ministers, high ranking United Nations and European Union officials, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Brad Brooks-Rubin and Israeli government representatives.
Izhakoff will be honored by the IDE for his service and commitment to the world diamond industry over the past 33 years, during which period he has served as President of the Diamond Dealers Club in New York, as founder and Chairman of the New York Diamond Steering Committee, an unprecedented three terms as President of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses, and since 2000 as the Founding President of the World Diamond Council. He is also an Honorary Life President of the WFDB and CIBJO.
Cavalieri will be honored for his contribution to the international jewelry industry. After serving in a variety of senior roles in the Italian jewelry sector, he was first elected as CIBJO President in 2001, and is credited with bringing the world jewelry industry to new heights, promoting Corporate Social Responsibility in the jewelry industry, and forging relationships with major world organizations, including the United Nations, to which CIBJO became formally affiliated in 2006.
Yair Sahar, President of the Israel Diamond Exchange, said: "We in the diamond industry are indebted to these two individuals, who have dedicated their careers to serving the interests of our business community and all of our stakeholders. There are but a handful of people who can truly declare that they left a lasting and positive mark on our business, and Eli Izhakoff and Gaetano Cavalieri are certainly two of them. We are delighted to be able to honor them."
