Antwerp industry veteran Isidore (Isi) Mörsel joined the Rapaport Diamond Podcast to share the inside story on the urgent and controversial issues affecting the Belgian and global diamond trades.
Mörsel, director of manufacturer Dali Diamond and president of the board of the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC), related how the city was originally on course to become a “single node” for imports of rough into the Group of Seven (G7). He told how this changed and how he is still trying to “correct…this mishap.”
The single node was the Belgian government’s plan to have all rough destined for G7 markets pass through Antwerp for inspection as part of the bloc’s sanctions on Russia diamonds. The purpose was to “compensate” Antwerp for the damage that the sanctions would likely bring, he explained. It attracted deep opposition from producer nations, such as Botswana.
Speaking on the podcast, the executive also addressed the lack of unity around import bans, with rules differing from country to country, as well as some of the logistical problems that have arisen since the latest regulations went into effect on March 1. Some of these difficulties have led to severe disquiet in the Antwerp trade.
“In the Shakespeare play Hamlet, he notes a few times that a graveyard is…where there’s no disputes and differences become meaningless,” Mörsel said in conversation with Rapaport’s Joshua Freedman. “Here in Antwerp, we like to say that we’re not a graveyard. And how do you prove it? You see how many differences and disagreements you have.”
Mörsel gave his opinions on synthetic diamonds and Anglo American’s plans to sell De Beers. He also explained the history of his family business and previewed the Facets 2024 diamond conference taking place in Antwerp in November.
Listen to the podcast here: https://rapaport.com/podcasts/podcast-making-peace-in-antwerp/
