Ilan Kaplan began his career in the diamond industry in 2004 after obtaining a BA in Economics and Logistics from Bar-Ilan University in Tel Aviv and completing his CFA Charter. Ilan began his career in the diamond business by polishing diamonds on the bench. To get a comprehensive technical knowledge of our unique and special product, He purposely went through the entire diamond manufacturing process.

In 2005, Ilan started buying rough diamonds for Safdico, a well-respected De Beers Sightholder and one of the world’s leading producers of large, top-end rough diamonds.

From 2008–2018, Ilan managed Safdico’s Southern African operations, including overseeing the purchasing, manufacturing, and grading of diamonds in Safdico’s Southern African factories in Gaborone and Johannesburg.

In 2018, Ilan ventured off on his own, starting his company, iSparkle, which also focuses on high-end diamonds. With a talented young team, iSparkle has grown exponentially over the past four years.

In 2022, Ilan received the call to return to Safdico and currently manages the Safdico group operations while keeping an eye on the team at iSparkle.

Ilan has been involved in the South African diamond industry’s public affairs since 2007. He served his first term as SADMA president from 2011 to 2015 and is currently serving a second term.

Ilan is passionate about natural diamonds and enjoys a day on the golf course!