Leading diamond security specialist, Opsydia, has welcomed former De Beers Group Senior Executive, Jonathan Kendall, to its non-executive Board of Directors, starting immediately.

In his new role, Kendall will contribute towards Opsydia’s international strategy and will use his significant experience and expertise to serve as an advocate for Opsydia’s solutions and their innovative commercial benefits at all stages of the diamond pipeline. He will also assist in an advisory capacity, providing Opsydia with insights on regulatory and industry bodies in the diamond sector, as well as expansion opportunities in the USA, India, Southern Africa and China.

Kendall was the President of De Beers Group Industry Services and the Institute of Diamonds for five years and has held roles at CIBJO, the World Jewellery Federation for nearly 15 years. He will continue to serve as CIBJO’s Executive Vice President and will use his 20 years’ experience across all areas of the diamond trade, including rough sales, marketing and business development, to support Opsydia as it focuses on diamond security initiatives internationally.

Opsydia Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Rimmer, says: “We are thrilled to welcome Jonathan to Opsydia at this exciting time in our international growth and development. I am sure that Jonathan’s professional knowledge of the natural diamond sector, coupled with his leadership expertise, will give Opsydia a unique advantage and will help to spread the word of our innovative sub-surface laser technology. With his support, Opsydia can continue to provide solutions for businesses ready to take the next steps in diamond security and bolster their traceability and transparency initiatives.”

Kendall adds: “I look forward to working with Andrew and the Opsydia team in developing new strategies and supporting the company’s goals over the coming months. Thanks to a number of important partnerships, Opsydia is experiencing real market momentum and I look forward to playing a role in strengthening the diamond industry’s approach to security and empowering transparency and accurate disclosure initiatives in the diamond pipeline.”

Opsydia Chair, Dr Alistair Smith,continues:“The ability to provide demonstrable identity features that build trust among diamond consumers is key. Opsydia technology is a response to the ever-increasing pressure for greater authentication of the ethical origin of natural stones. I look forward to working alongside Jonathan to achieve our shared goals.”

The Opsydia System is based on cutting edge laser technology developed at the University of Oxford. It can place unique identity features in all diamond sizes, even melee stones of just 0.5 millimetres in diameter and is capable of processing 50,000 to 100,000 stones per year in an industrial environment. Encryption techniques ensure the unique identifiers of one company with an Opsydia System cannot be fraudulently acquired and processed by another Opsydia user.

In recent months, Opsydia has focused on the two classifications of its sub-surface identifiers, Nano ID and Loupe ID, which allow diamond manufacturers, brands and grading houses to choose from a range of visibilities to suit their specific requirements. Both create a permanent physical link between a specific stone and its grading report, blockchain record or branded jewellery origins.