The Israel Diamond Institute will open an Israel Diamond Pavilion at the JCK Show ~ Las Vegas 2003 where twelve Israeli manufacturers and exporters will show their goods. Moreover, there will be dozens of other Israeli exhibitors located throughout the show.

“This is one of the most important trade shows of the year, and this year even more so,” Shmuel Schnitzer, President of the Israel Diamond Exchange and the World Federation of Diamond Bourses, said in a statement. “The timing, coming after the end of the war with Iraq, is very significant. The industry is looking forward to renewed growth. All eyes are on the American market, especially because of the difficulty now in doing business with Asia. I believe that this show will be at least as successful as last year’s. We have every reason to be optimistic.”

Exhibiting at the Israel Diamond Pavilion in the International Hall, at booth numbers 53100 to 53113 will be Eytan Cohen Diamonds, Divine Diamonds, Spectra Gems Ltd., Shlomo Bichachi Diamonds, Broide Eliezer, Gemstar-Eshed, Wertheimer-Fruchter Diamonds Ltd., Tzoffey’s KazDiam, Regev Diamonds, Avi Arazi/ Elul Diamonds, Cutting Edge, and SKR Diamonds Ltd. The Israel Diamond Institute will be represented there, as well as at booth 13038 on the top exhibition level.

In an effort to reach out to a wide audience of wholesalers, retailers and other industry players, the Israel Diamond Institute will also sponsor a seminar forum on Thursday, May 29at 3:30 pm, as part of the JCK Show Educational Program. The forum, entitled “Challenges Facing the Diamond Market Today,” will include Ed Bridge, Esther Fortunoff, Eli Izhakoff, and Shmuel Schnitzer. The forum will address the concerns and challenges of diamond sellers at all levels, with special emphasis on marketing and sales strategies, targeting diamond buyers, and increasing local market share of diamond sales. The seminar is free to all registered participants in the JCK Show.

The JCK Las Vegas show comes at a time when Israel’s diamond exports are showing healthy growth, Schnitzer said. Figures from March 2003 indicate that net polished diamond exports from Israel increased 25% over the same period last year, and since the beginning of the year they increased 12.2% to reach $1.502 billion.

JCK