With well in excess of 1,000 people looking on, the second US & International Diamond Week was opened by an international panel.
The US & International Diamond Week at the Israel Diamond Exchange (IDE) was officially opened today (Monday) by a line up of guests from the global diamond and jewelry industry.
Along with guest of honor Conroy Heng Chi Heng of the Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group, the opening ceremony featured Lawrence Ma, president of the Hong Kong Diamond Exchange, IDE President Yair Sahar, DDC NY President Reuven Kaufman, CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri and internationally renown Italian jewelry designer Roberto Coin as more than 1,000 people looked on.
More than 500 foreign diamond buyers have registered from 22 countries. These include the United States, India, China, including Hong Kong, Italy, Russia, Belgium, Great Britain, Turkey, Canada, Australia, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Uzbekistan, Brazil and Taiwan.
IDE President Yair Sahar said that when he and Kaufman began discussing the idea of the Buyers Week a year ago they could have had no idea of the size of the response to the event. He said the second Israel Diamond Week would take place at the Diamond Dealer Club in New York in November.
"Look around you, this is an extraordinary sight. We had no idea the response would be so overwhelming," Sahar said. "Embrace the foreign visitors and good luck with your business."
Meanwhile, Kaufman said that there was nowhere that he would prefer to be at the end of the Jewish year than in Israel and nowhere that he would prefer to be at the start of a new year than at the Israel Diamond Exchange. "This is a great example of inter-bourse cooperation. The more we work together, the more we will succeed."
IDE General Manager Moti Besser welcomed the IDE's guests from Hong Kong and China, saying that the region accounted for one-third of Israel's polished exports.
In a special message sent by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he said: "Israel is among the most important diamond centers in the world and the diamond industry in Israel is one of our major exporters. In addition to being a leading polishing center, Israel has become a crossroads of international trade for a significant volume of the world's rough and polished diamonds."
