Diamond mining company Rio Tinto will be hosting a jewellery business development symposium and design showcase, in Chicago, Illinois on July 16-18, 2010, reports say. The purpose of the symposium is to build healthier relationships across the entire diamond distribution channel and present a forum to understand important issues in today’s diamond jewellery businesses, reports add.

The event will be attended by Rio Tinto’s Select Diamantaires, leading North American jewellery retailers and key jewellery buying groups. According to reports, Jean-Marc Lieberherr, General Manager of diamonds sales and marketing said,“We are seeing both cyclical and structural changes in the US , the world’s largest retail diamond jewelry market and this will be an important forum to put these changes in context for our customers and our customers’ customers”.

The symposium will also be a platform for Rio Tinto’s Select Diamantaires to showcase their latest designs to leading US retailers, and understand the retail market. The event is being held will assistance of Rick Bannerot and R&B Partners, reports say.