Charles Bornstein, former HRD head Charles Bornstein, former chairman of Antwerp’s Diamond High Council (HRD), died recently at age 68.

Bornstein began in the diamond business at age 20. Later he founded Bornstein N.V. and became a De Beers sightholder. He became a member of the board of HRD in 1993, and soon after, its chairman.

He is given credit for helping to restructure HRD in 2002. Eventually he became Honorary Consul General of South Africa for the Flanders region, working to improve the Antwerp diamond sector’s relations with African diamond producers.