Up and coming diamond merchant from Antwerp, Siddhant Rakyan is on a mission. The 30-year-old jeweller is exploring ways and methods to bring some changes in the perceptions of the customers across the world. 
“That’s why I’m here with only diamond stones and not diamond-studded ornaments,” said Rakyan, one of the youngest exhibitors at the Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition (DJWE).
A first timer at the DJWE, Rakyan is from an Indian family which has a more than 100-year-old tradition in the business of diamonds. The young entrepreneur from Belgium, who represents his own firm Vitraag, is of the opinion that the jewellery part of diamonds should be left to the customers themselves. “Let the collectors buy diamond stones and entrust it to their loyal craftsmen,” he said. 
Rakyan has brought along numerous diamond stones costing well over $100,000 each. He also has a pear-shaped dual piece which, he said, costs no less than $3mn in the diamond market. “It took me more than two years to get the first piece. The units were collected from Belgium and the US. 
There is also a rare American blue diamond, which is prized at $700,000. “I’m amazed by the awareness some of the locals have about diamonds when they visited my booth,” said Rakyan whose family also runs outlets in New York, Mumbai and Dubai. At the ongoing DJWE, Vitraag is running a booth at Alfardan Jewellery pavilion.




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