Philippe Mellier, Chief Executive Officer of the De Beers Group and Varda Shine, the Chief Executive Officer of the De Beers' Diamond Trading Company (DTC) will be the guests of honor and keynote speakers at the General Membership Meeting of the Diamond & Importers Association of America (DMIA) on January 8, 2013. It will be the first ever public appearance of De Beers' executives on U.S. soil.

"The DMIA members are proud and honored to be hosting Varda Shine and Philippe Mellier at their annual membership meeting," said DMIA president Ronald Friedman. ""We have been talking about and planning this event for a few years. So it is more than fitting that these two pivotal diamond industry leaders will be giving what the DMIA leadership refers to as a 'U.S. Inaugural Address' to the New York and American diamond industry," he added.

Called "An Evening with Philippe Mellier and Varda Shine," it will headline the DMIA's General Membership Meeting on January 8 from 5:30 p.m. Mr.Mellier and Ms. Shine are expected to make a comprehensive presentation about the De Beers Group of Companies, diamond mining, polished markets, and the state of the international, as well as the American diamond and jewelry industry.

In the spirit of inclusiveness, the DMIA is reaching out to other industry organizations and colleagues to take part in this unique event. A large turnout is expected, and anyone interested in attending is encouraged to reserve space immediately by emailing Ms.AllaSachakova at alla@williamfriedmandiamonds.com.