Company type | Private |
---|---|
Industry |
|
Founded | 2020 |
Headquarters | , |
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]
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]
Company type | Private |
---|---|
Industry |
|
Founded | 2020 |
Headquarters | , |
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]
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]