Page 32 - Diamond Digest :: Jan.-Feb. 2021 Issue

Global News & Views.....
GIA India Offers Knowledge Webinar
To continue sharing knowledge about laboratory-grown diamonds, GIA India organised the Knowledge Webinar ‘Introduction to Laboratory-Grown Diamonds’ for members of the gem and jewellery trade across India. More than 130 participants attended this webinar to learn important information about laboratory-grown diamonds and GIA’s Laboratory-Grown Diamond Reports – LGDR by GIA. To stay informed about GIA India’s upcoming Knowledge Webinars, call +91-22-68493960.
GIA India instructor Karan Kundra shared insights on different diamond types, their characteristics and the differences between natural and laboratory-grown diamonds. The instructor also spoke about the importance of disclosure and third-party grading and identification. In addition, the instructor shared information about GIA’s latest report, LGDR by GIA – a family of four new digital-only reports for laboratory-grown diamonds with 4Cs color and clarity specifications replacing the descriptive terms and grade ranges previously used on GIA reports for laboratory- grown diamonds.
“I thank the entire GIA India team and appreciate their professionalism as well as the accurate information delivered in their webinars,” said Prakash Mahtani, MD & CEO, Bidfair Global Pvt. Ltd. “The knowledge shared is very informative and relevant to current industry practices. GIA’s knowledge webinars and educational programmes are the best for training and professional development and much required for the industry.” “This is my very first experience of attending a GIA webinar,” said Puneet Mehra, Director, Gandaram Jewellers. “The webinar on laboratory-grown diamonds was comprehensive and I gained key insights on
the subject. I have been in the industry for the past 25 years, but there were several aspects that I learnt and the webinar helped enhance my knowledge.”
“GIA has been studying laboratory-grown diamonds since the first gem-quality laboratory-grown diamonds were created by General Electric in 1960s. Since then, we’ve made several breakthroughs in the research related to identification of laboratory-grown diamonds and treatments,” said Apoorva Deshingkar, Senior Director – Sales, GIA India. “Through Gems & Gemology and recently with the Knowledge Webinars, we’ve been sharing the latest information with the trade as a part of our mission to ensure public trust in gems and jewellery. We are grateful to all the webinar attendees and I am confident the knowledge from this webinar will help members of the Indian gem and jewellery industry buy and sell with confidence.”
“Diamonds have always fascinated mankind. Whether it is natural diamonds with their billions-of-years-old story or laboratory-grown diamonds created in factories using advanced technology – today’s consumer has a choice,” said Sriram Natarajan, Managing Director of GIA India. “With our mission to protect all consumers, GIA recently introduced LGDR by GIA to help jewellery buyers get the information, confidence and protection that comes with a GIA report. With the help of such Knowledge Webinars, we remain committed to educating the trade on how to communicate the story of natural and laboratory-grown diamonds accurately and help build consumer confidence in gems and jewellery.”
For press inquiries, please contact Shivprasad Hiremath at shivprasad.hiremath@gia.edu.
India Global Connect With Oman
The Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) organised a virtual business meeting with Oman on 28th January 2021 in order to connect jewellery manufacturers from India and leading retailers/wholesalers of Oman. Gracing the occasion were Ravi Shanker Goel, Second Secretary (Commerce) Indian Embassy in Muscat; Suresh Kumar, Joint Secretary Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India; Nasser Ashraf Al Balushi, Head of Gemological Department, Ministry of Commerce Investment and Trade Promotion; Colin Shah, Chairman, GJEPC; Mansukh Kothari, Convener, Events, GJEPC; Sabyasachi Ray, ED, GJEPC.
Thanking the GJEPC for organising the India Global Connect Meet with Oman, Mr. Ravi Shanker Goel, Second Secretary (Commerce) Indian Embassy in Muscat said, “This initiative will help the Indian gem and jewellery manufacturers to understand the challenges, opportunities, market scenario, and tariffs in Oman." Mr. Suresh Kumar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Commerce & Industry said, “In the past, due to
the geographical boundary we have not been making desired efforts towards exploring the trade potential between the two countries. Shift of trade and businesses from physical to virtual platforms has provided us a wonderful opportunity to connect frequently with the Omani counterparts and identify business possibilities.”
Colin Shah, Chairman, GJEPC said, “The India-Oman bilateral trade pertaining to gems and jewellery is not significant. This is apparent from the fact that Oman imports gold jewellery amounting to $431.52 million from the world. However, from India it imports gold jewellery worth only $2.51 million, constituting a 0.60% share of the total. Our design sensibilities match and the Middle East accounts for 66% of India’s total gold jewellery exports, making it the largest market by far.” India should move forward to sign a treaty with Oman for duty exemption, so that Indian companies can export more jewellery directly without having to route it via Dubai. Oman already has similar treaties with the USA and Singapore.
32 • Diamond Digest • Jan - Feb - 2021 32 • Diamond Digest • Jan. - Feb. - 2021