Natural Color Diamond Association Appoints Barbara Wheat Lipatapanlop as Executive Vice President

The Natural Color Diamond Association (NCDIA), a not-for-profit organization devoted to natural color diamonds, has appointed industry veteran Barbara Wheat Lipatapanlop as Executive Vice President, based in New York.

Barbara’s career spans nearly 25 years in the international diamond, gem and jewelry industry. She served as executive director of the International Colored Gemstone Association, and as adviser on international relations for the Thai Gem and Jewelry Traders Association.

NCDIA President Jordan Fine said, “Barbara is the ideal choice for NCDIA because she is well known around the world by trade associations, government entities, miners, suppliers, manufacturers and retailers. As NCDIA grows, she is able to assist at all levels of the supply chain, from mine to market. She is also uniquely qualified to address sustainability issues and corporate social responsibility for the organization.”

In her role as executive vice president, Barbara indicated that she plans to place emphasis on training and education, as well as the benefits for jewelers to carry natural color diamonds.

She will be instrumental in providing information on these mysterious gems garnered from collectors, industry professionals and gemologists, and has already begun developing new point-of-sale brochures that explain the wonders of natural color diamonds to consumers.

“Natural color diamonds offer something incredibly unique to consumers who are looking to complement their jewelry wardrobes, which inspires me to work with suppliers and retailers on expanding markets in the United States and worldwide,” Barbara said.

Barbara has a Master of Science degree from Columbia University in Sustainability Management and is an Accredited Gemologist (AIGS). 

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