HB Antwerp
TypePrivate
Industry
Founded2020
Headquarters
Antwerp
,
Belgium
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 diamond cutting and technology company based in Antwerp, Belgium.[2] It was founded in 2020 by Shai de Toledo, Rafael Papismedov, and Oded Mansori.[3]

History

HB Antwerp purchases rough diamonds from the Karowe mine in Botswana through a deal with Canadian mining company Lucara Diamond Corporation and works in partnership with the Botswana government.[4]

In 2020, HB Antwerp partnered with Lucara and Louis Vuitton to work on several large stones, including the "Sewelo" diamond,[5][6] the "Sethunya", a 549-carat diamond,[7] and a 1,175-carat rough diamond, all discovered in the Karowe mine in Botswana.[8] In August 2020, they entered an agreement to purchase all of Lucara’s large stones (10.8 carats and up) and, in 2022, they signed a ten-year contract.[9][10] The contract was terminated in October 2023.[11]

In 2022, the company partnered with Microsoft to verify and track mined gems; all data about their trajectory is stored on a blockchain.[12] Later that year it partnered with engineering company Comate to devise mini safes in which diamonds are stored and tracked.[13]

In September 2022, during the United Nations General Assembly, Botswana president Mokgweetsi Masisi referred to the government's arrangement with the HB Antwerp as a model for other African countries.[13] He also pointed to the agreement during his negotiations with diamond corporation De Beers,[14][15] threatening to end the partnership if new terms weren't agreed upon.[16] In March 2023, Masisi announced that Botswana would acquire a 24% stake in HB Antwerp.[17]

The company established Signum, a rough diamond brand which sells directly to the public and sold 12 Non-fungible token diamonds in January 2022.[1]

HB Antwerp opened HB Botswana, a new cutting and polishing facility in Gaborone, Botswana, in 2023.[18]

References

  1. 1 2 "Antwerpse diamant duikt de metaverse in". DE TIJD. January 22, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Hoffentlich wird es kein Pferdekopf". Frankfurter Allgemeine. November 23, 2020.
  3. ↑ "HB Antwerp la pepite belge qui taille des diamants pour Vuitton Co". L'Echo. November 5, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Piepjong Antwerps bedrijf slijpt opnieuw megasteen voor Louis Vuitton". DE TIJD. November 5, 2020.
  5. ↑ "Unieke diamant zoekt doorwinterde koper". De Tijd. December 7, 2020.
  6. ↑ "The Second-Biggest Diamond in History Has a New Owner". NY Times. January 15, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Antwerps bedrijf mag opnieuw uitzonderlijke diamant slijpen voor Louis Vuitton". VRT. November 5, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Massive uncut diamond unveiled in New York". Reuters. September 21, 2021.
  9. ↑ "Lucara's Q2 Sales Drop as It Holds onto Big Stones". National Jeweler. August 11, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Lucara announces a 10-year extension on the HB sales agreement". Mining Review. November 17, 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  11. ↑ "Gem Trader HB Antwerp ends feud as Botswana weighs diamond sales deal". Reuters. October 3, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Would You Buy a Rough Diamond?". New York Times. January 22, 2023.
  13. 1 2 "'Als diamantreuzen hun businessmodel niet aanpassen, zit hun tijd erop'". DE TIJD. September 30, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Masisi Uses Lucara to Pressure De Beers for Better Revenue Sharing Deal". Africa Intelligence. April 7, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Quest for World's Biggest Diamonds Gives De Beers a Headache". Bloomberg News. February 28, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Botswana seeks better De Beers deal after taking Belgian diamond processor stake". Financial Times. April 12, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Botswana Tests De Beers Pact by Buying Stake in Gem Trader". Bloomberg News. March 27, 2023.
  18. ↑ Dube, Mqondisi (March 28, 2023). "Botswana, Belgian Diamond Trader Strike Deal". VOA News. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
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