London Diamond Bourse Appoints Ethical Issues Advisor

(IDEX Online) – The London Diamond Bourse (LDB) has appointed Katherine Chappell as its Special Advisor for Ethical Issues to its Council of Management.

Chappell is a longstanding member of London Diamond Bourse and a specialist in fair trade principles.

Victoria McKay, the LDB's Chief Operating Officer, commented, “Kathy’s knowledge of the gemstone and diamond industry is second to none with particular emphasis on ethical sourcing and fair trade principles. For LDB, this means we can enhance our conversations around responsible sourcing and engage in a more relevant dialogue at the same time as strengthening the bourse’s understanding of specialist issues.”

Kathy has worked in the gemstone business for over 20 years. She emigrated to Canada as a child in 1965, settling in the gold mining town of Red Lake, northwest Ontario and later in the diamond province of Guyana and then in South Africa, returning to the UK in 1974. Through the family gemstone business she has successfully marketed the Nyala Rubyᵀᴹ from the Chimwadzulu mine in Malawi, the LDB said in a statement.  

She buys stones from source and has a working relationship with Columbia Gem House of the USA, a leading proponent of ethical sourcing and distribution. Her client list includes wholesale and retail jewelers committed to fair trade principles. She is a member of Women in Mining. She assists her father, David Hargreaves, a long-standing mining engineer in the preparation and presentation of consultancy reports on gemstone mines worldwide.

“I am honored to be appointed to this role,” said Chappell. “There are clear opportunities for the London Diamond Bourse in this area and I am excited about the prospect of working with the management team and clarifying the industry’s fair trade principles. We will achieve much together.”