Sarasota, Fla.–Clark McEwen, chief operating officer of lab-grown-diamond company Gemesis, will leave the company when his contract expires in April, McEwen confirmed to National Jeweler on Monday.
In a letter dated Nov. 25 and sent to the company’s clients, McEwen stated, “Due to the fact that the company’s direction, corporate culture and management philosophies are no longer in alignment with my own, I felt that it was necessary for me to make the move.”
He declined to provide further details, stating in an e-mail to National Jeweler that it was time for him to “move on.”
McEwen has been with Gemesis for 3.5 years.
In the letter, McEwen states that he has seen profound changes both in the company and in the industry’s attitude toward lab-grown diamonds in that time.
“Through great effort, the company has successfully been transformed from a technical operation with a research facility to a diamond company with a production facility. Also during this time, the product has been legitimized in the eyes of many within the industry due to our efforts with initiatives such as the GIA/IGI issuing grading reports and the recent victories with regards to nomenclature with both the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) and the CEN workshop in Antwerp,” the letter states.
In July, the FTC ruled that it was not deceptive to use the term “cultured” to describe lab-grown diamonds, as long as it is used in conjunction with the terms “laboratory-grown,” “laboratory-created,” “synthetic” or “[manufacturer name]-created,” a victory for Gemesis because a number of natural-diamond organizations sought to ban the term completely.
In addition, the company took another step forward when it unveiled its first batch of pink diamonds at the JCK Las Vegas show this past summer.
McEwen’s contract is up at the end of April. Until then, he will remain at the company winding down business and transitioning his responsibilities, according to the letter.
Gemesis Chief Executive Officer Stephen Lux said McEwen’s departure is part of the normal transition of personnel that occurs at all levels of a company.
“Clark has helped the company to make significant strides, particularly in trade acceptance and awareness of cultured or lab-grown diamonds,” he said.
Moving forward, the company will be evaluating how it wants to replace McEwen’s diamond industry expertise.
“With the ‘belt-tightening’ the entire industry is undergoing, we are proceeding cautiously,” Lux said.
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