Italian gold jewellery is set to conquer the Indian market. This will happen at IIJS, the Indian international jewellery show, which will be held in Mumbai from 6 to 10 August.

A group of nine national companies, coordinated by ICE, will be accommodated in a very large exhibition space (around 225 square metres). It will be a further occasion for the companies to try to confirm the excellent results they achieved last year, in one of the most dynamic markets in the Asian continent. In fact, around one million, three hundred thousand people are employed in the Indian jewellery sector. The quality of manufacture is high, despite the low production costs. Their gold consumption is equal to around 800 tonnes, which is 20 per cent of the world’s production. Local demand, moreover, is continually increasing, with around two and a half million shops, many of which are family-run.

It is therefore an important opportunity for the Italian companies, who are among the most highly anticipated in this exhibition, organised by the “Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council”, a private Indian organisation involved in export promotion. Business owners will be there from the Valenza Po district, a true world reference point for fine jewellery with precious stones, and those from Vicenza and Arezzo, the traditional representatives of the Italian quality jewellery industry.

The main export areas for our companies, outside of Europe, which as a whole accounts for 57.1%, are North America (13.5%), where the importance of the United States (12,8%) is felt as the number two world market after Switzerland, and the Middle East (12,9%). While sales in the United States are falling (-12%), those in the Middle East, however, are recording strong growth (+29.5%). With regard to the geographical location of Italian jewellery production, the Centre takes the lead, with 32.1% of the companies in the sector located there (particularly in Tuscany and Lazio). Then come the North-West (24.6%), the South (24.5%), and the North-East (18.8%).

The National Institute for Foreign Trade (ICE) will assist the companies from an organisational and promotional point of view. Located beside the companies’ exhibition stands will be one for ICE, with specialised staff and interpreters at the service of the Italian and foreign buyers and sellers.

The 2008 edition of the Mumbai Jewellery show recorded a presence of 19 thousand visitors and 790 exhibitors, from 7 different countries (an increase from the previous year, when there were 740).

There were a total of 11 Italian stands, arranged over a floor area of 140 square metres, which was one of the most significant presences at the show. They were particularly appreciated for the technical quality of the jewels they exhibited, the elegance of their designs and the particular composition of the group, in which the best companies of the sector were represented.