India on Sunday extended a formal invitation to Saudi gems and jewelry dealers to take part in an international mega event that is coming up in Mumbai in August. "We will be giving you a lot of facilities including stay in five-star hotels, transport to and from the expo venue, and offer you opportunities for B2B sessions with other national and international participating exhibitors and delegates," Anil Sankhwal, regional chairman-northern region of the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council, said in his speech at the council's roadshow organized by the Consulate General of India at the Park Hyatt Jeddah Sunday night. Major Saudi jewelers were present at the show. The event - India International Jewellery Week - being held at the Grand Hyatt in Mumbai from Aug. 15-19 will have five country pavilions - from Thailand, Israel, Turkey, Belgium and the UAE - and individual participants from 40 other countries. Most of the exhibitors are manufacturers and wholesalers in gems and jewelry. There will be in all 800 exhibitors putting up 1,800 stands, Sankhwal said, adding that the last event had 30,000 trade visitors from the world over. Outlining India's status as one of the top gem and jewelry manufacturing centers, he said: "Out of every 13 diamonds and gems sold in the world, 12 of them are cut and polished in Indian states of Gujarat and Rajasthan." India mostly imports roughs from Africa, Australia and certain other parts of the world and fabricates them with its specialized expertise in cutting and polishing. Zimbabwe is one of the newest countries for India to import roughs. He said India exports $43 billion worth of gems and jewelry. "In fact, exports have doubled from $21 billion in 2007-08 to $43 billion in 2012," he added. Saudi Arabia imports India's gems and jewelry via the UAE, which is the Middle Eastern and Gulf hub. 44 percent of India's exports are for the UAE, 25 percent to Hong Kong, 12 percent to the USA, six percent t to Belgium and two percent to other countries. India employs 800,000 workers for cutting and polishing diamonds. He added that the council runs five designing and manufacturing centers in India - New Delhi, Mumbai, Surat, Jaipur and Kolkata. They run both short-term and long-term courses and thousands have graduated from these centers, some of them establishing their own enterprises. The courses are for cutting and polishing diamonds and color stones, and also for designing, both handmade and machine made. __
