Gemstone entrepreneur Ostro awarded OBE

Gemstone industry entrepreneur Maurice Ostro has been appointed OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.

Ostro, who is  chairman of Ostro Minerals, was awarded the status in recognition of “his role in business, charity and interfaith relations”.

The firm has grown into one of the world’s leading producers of blue topaz since its founding in 1960 by his father, Max Ostro, who is credited with introducing a variety of gemstones from South America and Africa in the Far East.

Ostro and his own son Michael have in recent years added the ‘ostroblue’ and ‘ostroroyal’ collections to the company’s portfolio. He regularly collaborates with artists, designers and goldsmiths to create “some of the most unique topaz jewellery in the industry”, according to his spokesman, including a 200-carat blue topaz and diamond necklace, gifted to Her Majesty The Queen.

The company is also patron and owner of the Ostro Stone, the world’s largest known Swiss Blue Topaz, weighing in at an impressive 9,831 carats.

Following the tradition of his father, who introduced cutting factories in Thailand and Sri Lanka over 40 years ago, Maurice is now working on economic development projects in impoverished countries such as Burma, with the stated goal of  “providing the skills and materials necessary for trainees to start gem cutting businesses to sell their end products to the world market”.

Commenting on his appointment, Ostro said: “It is a special privilege to be honoured for doing what I love to do both in business and philanthropy. I believe it affirms the contributions that those in the gemstone and jewellery industry can bring to wider society and I hope it encourages others to do likewise.”