RAPAPORT… The Diamond Empowerment Fund (DEF) held its inaugural GOOD Awards on January 5 at the Empire Rooftop Hotel in New York City, honoring four industry executives for their roles in sustainability and education efforts for Africa. The award ceremony included a performance by by Grammy-nominated singer Melanie Fiona and music by New York’s famous DJ M.O.S.
The four recipients of award included: Varda Shine, the chief executive of the Diamond Trading Company (DTC), Edward Hrabak, the senior vice president at Sterling Jewelers Inc., Rebecca Foerster, U.S. manager of marketing and sales for Rio Tinto Diamonds, and Ivanka Trump, the founder of Ivanka Trump Fine Jewelry.
”The Good Awards allowed us to put the Diamond Empowerment Fund on the map for the industry,” said DEF’s board president, Phyllis Bergman. ”We had an amazing turnout and the feedback has been incredibly positive. We are grateful for the sponsorship from industry leaders, Sterling Jewelers Inc, Rio Tinto Diamonds, Julius Klein and Ritani and the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) whose support helped us put together such a wonderful event. With additional support from the industry moving forward, we can further our mission of building and strengthening diamond producing nations through the education of their youth.”