About Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC)

SOCIAL SELLING MADE EASY!

The GemLightbox App is packed with features. It’s very easy to use and effortless to navigate. We loved it!

It’s hard to imagine a diamond industry without Antwerp—the city that has been the capital of the world diamond trade. The AWDC was the initiative of the Belgian government and diamond industry representatives. It was founded in 1973 with the mission to protect and promote the diamond sector in Belgium; thus, the AWDC is the official representative of the diamond community.

To date, AWDC has over 1600 registered individual companies, about 4,500 diamond ANTWERP WORLD DIAMOND CENTRE dealers, and a source of livelihood for over 10,000 people.

The AWDC’s success is based on a long tradition of quality, transparency, and integrity. As it continues to facilitate a favorable business environment for all time without deviating from best industry practices, it is their goal to remain at the forefront of the diamond industry, to be relentless in contributing sustainably to local and international trade, and to encourage and inspire future generations to see and embrace the beauty and value of the diamond industry.

The Challenge:

As the uncertainty of time continues, the diamond industry has shown great resilience in the face of the economic nosedive, but for how long the dive would linger and how far the industry could endure, nobody knows.

The present time has pushed the industry towards expedited technological innovation. Over the past year, we have seen several physical store closures, event delays, and cancellations. The world of trade has shifted to a digital economy. We have seen the rise in online events—Zoom meetings, online conferences, webinars, etc., the increasing number of online selling events, even the first online diamond trade show.

If there’s anyone who knows the way forward, it’s AWDC which collaborated with the Israel Diamond Industry for the first online diamond trade event. The AWDC is known to actively organize B2B initiatives such as trade fairs, workshops and seminars, and other networking opportunities; hence, the big challenge now focuses on bringing these opportunities online.

How can we help the AWDC navigate the competitive digital jewelry world?

The Insights:

The use of a lightbox photography system is not a new concept to Ahalya and her company. In fact, they alternated between different options—a camera and a lightbox, an iPhone and diamond loupe, and an iPhone with micro and macro Moment camera lenses— in the hope of finding the one that would give an excellent image quality. Unfortunately, some issues were significantly noticeable considering the role of images in the nature of their business. Although all three options technically worked, Ahalya noted that the output required tremendous post-production editing. It also took a lot of time not only in adjusting the lighting but the whole process itself.

As time, money, and effort invested in the process had seemingly outweighed the payoff, Ahalya and her team needed to confront the pain point of the process to improve their photography workflow.

The Solution:

Diamond videos and images are a big part of the AWDC business, especially in digital transactions. These photos and videos are sent to clients on WhatsApp and email as well as for product listings on its website.

Touching on the pain points raised by the company and Ahalya herself, we introduced the GemLightbox Macro to them to simplify their complex photography process. Macro provides three clear-cut solutions as seen below.

• Full photography studio in a box

First, Macro is fitted with four different lighting options to cater to different gemstones. These options ensure that no matter the color of the gemstone they’re photographing, they’re provided with a perfect lighting environment with the right color temperature. It is one of the critical features of Macro, particularly for AWDC, as it directly addresses their issues with lighting adjustments. By providing them a solution that targets their main concern, we help them increase their productivity by reducing the hours required to capture amazing results.

Next, Macro entirely simplifies AWDC’s photography process by eliminating the need for complex photography equipment. Whereas before, they used a camera and a lightbox, an iPhone, a diamond loupe, and an iPhone with micro and macro lenses, we sent them packing and incorporated everything into the box.

Macro’s lightbox environment guarantees soft, diffused lighting that’s ideal for diamonds and gemstones. Primarily, it functions using a smartphone camera and an app that optimizes the smartphone camera settings for stunning capture every single time. Macro also comes with a reflector cover with a built-in macro lens providing up to 10X magnification. This means that Macro will capture every single tiny detail of a gemstone that’s impossible to capture
with a standard lens or are not visible to the naked eye.

Finally, Macro does not necessitate postproduction work; thus, eliminating the need for post-capture editing. This has been made possible by tailoring the camera phone settings to what is required by the subject being photographed through the GemLightbox app. Quashing post-production work is significantly beneficial to big companies that are usually too hard-pressed to carry out cumbersome tasks, but as cumbersome as they are, the result of which is also fundamental to making sales. Macro removes this cumbrous step without compromising the quality that seals the deal.

The Results:

Targeting specific concerns leads to specific results.

Ahalya was very keen on how Macro changed the way they functioned in the studio. They were able to capture 10 to 15 diamond videos and photos per diamond, per hour easily. She also loved the turntable as it provided them with the flexibility to adjust the gemstone based on their required angle. Another winning moment for Macro based on AWDC’s experience was the newest GemLightbox app update, which enabled the team to generate interactive share links. With this Share a Link feature, users are given free 30 links monthly. Users can upload the images and videos, generate a link, and directly send it to prospective buyers.

What’s beautiful about the Share a Link feature ANTWERP WORLD DIAMOND CENTRE is its interactivity which empowers not only the vendor but more importantly, the buyer who can interact with the video by dragging the diamond video left and right for thorough visual inspection before making a buying decision.

Ahalya also took notice of the beautiful Sparkle effect made possible by the Sparkle light as it was perfect for showing scintillation in videos. Additionally, the setup process for the smartphone holder was a thoughtful addition to Macro as it eliminated the unnecessary task of finding the optimal smartphone position while keeping the phone in the correct placement every time. For instance, they were able to capture numerous diamond videos and images without having the need to set up the holder in between captures, thanks to the smartphone holder lock, a built-in ruler, and a width adjuster.

See How Ahalya and Her Team Used the GemLightbox Macro