Bangkok Jewellery Show Opens Thursday

The Bangkok Gems and Jewellery Fair will start on Thursday at the Impact Challenger exhibition center in the Thai capital. The 42nd edition of the show will run from September 11 to 15.

“As Thailand is one of the world’s foremost cutting and trading centers for diamonds and colored gemstones, we view the local jewelry market as a potential market for our services, and in particular our HRD Antwerp certificates”, Dirk Dullaert, chief officer commercial operations at HRD Antwerp, said in a statement.

HRD Antwerp, the commercial arm of the Antwerp World Diamond Centre, will be participating in the show’s educational program.

The Thai Gem and Jewelry Association in a separate statement said it would promote its Online Sourcing Project (OSP) at the jewelry fair. OSP is an interactive Internet-based service that helps foreign buyers source Thai gems and jewelry.

The show is a key component in a campaign to consolidate Thailand’s position as a leading gemstone and jewelry center in South East Asia.

Exports of gemstones from Thailand rose 38.5 percent in 2007 to $371.3 million compared to a year earlier, and by 70.8 percent to $238.8 million during the first five months of 2008 compared to the same period a year earlier.