HRD Belgium

HRD Antwerp NV operates six divisions: Diamond Lab (which issues one of the world’s most respected diamond certificates), Education, Graduates Club, Precious Stones Lab, Equipment and Research.

Diamond Lab

Demand for diamond grading reports has grown dramatically in recent years, as consumers increasingly demand independent and concrete documentation of their purchases. Based on this growing demand worldwide, HRD Antwerp has opened representative offices in Mumbai, Shanghai and Hong Kong. It also launched HRD Antwerp Lab Link, a diamond grading and certification pick-up and drop off service in Tel Aviv, Hong Kong, Mumbai and Dubai.

HRD Antwerp Lab Link offers a full service for customers who like to receive a HRD Antwerp certificate for their diamonds. The service guarantees that diamonds are picked up by a professional logistic company and sent to Antwerp. Within 15 days, the customer receives back his diamond with an HRD Antwerp diamond certificate. This service is offered at very competitive prices.

HRD Antwerp diamond certificate guarantees that the stone examined is indeed a real diamond, and contains a full and detailed quality description, focussing on the famous 4C’s – Carat (weight), Colour, Clarity and Cut. The report includes a complete quality description of the diamond including shape, weight, clarity grade, fluorescence, colour grade, possibly supplemented with comments.

The HRD Antwerp Diamond Lab is the largest diamond grading organisation worldwide to confirm to the standards of the International Diamond Council, by the World Federation of Diamond Bourses and the International Diamond Manufacturers Association, the industry’s two leading representative bodies.

The Diamond Lab was also the first diamond lab ever to receive accreditation by the International Standards Organisation, and currently operates according to the demanding standards of NBN EN ISO/IEC 17025.

Underpinning the work at the lab is the Research Department. Located at a dedicated facility in the nearby town of Lier, the institute has a team of scientists, engineers and laboratory staff carrying out research into diamond properties, as well as applied research to assist the diamond industry and to provide specialized services to the sector. One of these new services is called ‘Hearts and Arrows by HRD Antwerp’. Hearts and Arrows diamonds (H&A) are round brilliants with special patterns visible under specific lighting conditions. They consist of eight hearts when viewed from the pavilion side and eight arrows when viewed from the crown side. The appearance of the pattern is a strong indicator of a top quality cut. HRD Antwerp ordered a research project to solve several problems linked with grading this pattern.

Today companies can ask for such an HRD certificate for a diamond. With objective criteria and digital imaging is determined whether a diamond meets the Hearts & Arrows standard. At the same time, diamond professionals receive accurate and repeatable feedback to assist them in the manufacturing and sales process.

For more than two decades, the Educational Department of HRD Antwerp created a strong reputation for developing and conducting diamond grading programmes for students and professionals from Antwerp and overseas.

The Educational Department also runs programs for the study of gemstones. In operation since 1982, HRD Antwerp has created courses for people from across the diamond chain, including diamond traders and graders, diamond specialists in other sectors, managers and professional staff in the diamond and jewellery industries, appraisers, gemmologists and jewellery designers.

The institute has created new programs for short training courses, which enable it to provide a broad range of courses lasting from three days to five weeks. The three-day course introduces participants to the 4Cs; while the five-week course is on diamond grading. The gemmology course was split into two programs, basic and advanced, of three weeks’ duration.

HRD Antwerp started recently with classes on the use of diamonds in jewellery design. It teaches the students how to transfer creative ideas to practical concepts.

Leveraging its scientific knowledge, the Educational Department works with the company’s research division to keep up date with the latest developments in the diamond industry and adapt courses and classes to meet demand. All the latest technical and technological developments on the diamond market are included in its programs. In addition to its in-demand courses in Antwerp, HRD Antwerp provides courses around the world, thus saving time and expenses for companies who can ill-afford to have employees away from their offices.

These courses have taken place in cities as far apart as Cairo, Madrid, Dubai, Beirut, Bari, Hong Kong and Shanghai. The purpose of a diamond certificate is to offer the customer the highest security possible.

HRD Antwerp applies the newest technology that allows somebody to check that his diamond corresponds to its certificate. Today you can ask for a laser inscription that is put on the girdle of the precious stone. This inscription carries the stone number that is mentioned on the certificate. And if this is not sufficient, you can always check that the certificate is original.

For that purpose HRD Antwerp has started an internet service. If you visit the HRD Antwerp website (www.hrdantwerp.be) and enter the certificate number of your diamond, you will find your electronic certificate as it is stored in the data base from HRD Antwerp. The data of any diamond graded in the HRD Antwerp Diamond Lab will be kept in the computer memory as long as 10 years.