Sri Lanka gem show expects Asian influx

Organizers of FACETS 2008, Sri Lanka's annual gem and jewellery exhibition, are expecting an influx of participants from East Asia for the expo that is now in its 18th year. The Sri Lanka Gem and Jewellery Association said representatives from Hong Kong, Thailand, Myanmar and Singapore are billed to participate in the fair. A trade delegation from Egypt would also arrive.

The exhibition will be held at the BMICH convention centre in Colombo on September 6 to 9.

The show's organizers say it has attracted over a million buyers and sellers in the past 17 years.

"The domestic market has been impacted due to the security situation and rising international gold prices," the chairman of the Gem and Jewellery Association, Chanaka Ellawela, said in a statement.

"But the Gem and Jewellery Association is taking steps to safeguard the industry and the FACETS Sri Lanka Show is one such initiative.

"The FACETS Sri Lanka Show promotes Sri Lankan products to the world in a big way."

Sri Lanka gem and jewellery exports rose to 471 million dollars in 2007 from 364 million dollars in 2005.

The show is organized in partnership with The National Gem and Jewellery Authority and the Sri Lanka Export Development Board.