The International Gemological Institute (IGI) has named Avi Levy president of its North American business.
Levy, who brings 30 years’ fine jewellery experience to the role, is well-versed in the fields of diamond sourcing, manufacturing, product development, and brand partnerships.
“We are excited to welcome Avi to the team,” says IGI CEO Roland Lorie. “He will play a significant role in bolstering the Institute’s relationships and services offerings between the overseas manufacturers and the U.S. customer base.”
“IGI has been a leader and innovator in the certification of fine jewellery for more than 40 years,” Levy says. “I’m excited to continue the tradition of building trust and recognition within the industry and beyond.”
Levy succeeds Jerry Ehrenwald, who has served as IGI North America president and CEO since 1991. Ehrenwald has announced he will be overseeing lab-grown diamond exchange platform LGDEX.org.
“There comes a time in life where you want to do something different, and that time for me is now,” he says. “While I have decided to move on to a new and exciting business venture, I will always keep IGI in my heart and hope to achieve the same level of pride and success with LGDEX.org as I have with IGI.”
“Jerry and I have spent most of our professional lives working together and have seen the company flourish, and we are very proud of what we achieved for the Institute,” Lorie adds. “Today, major players in the retail industry are utilizing IGI reports to bring confidence to their customers; for that, I thank Jerry for his great work and wish him all the best with his new endeavor.”
