The International Diamond Conference – Mines to Market 2010 organised by The Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) concluded yesterday in Mumbai, with speakers sending out the message that while the darkest period of the recession was over, the industry needed to plan carefully, do business with an element of caution, and aggressively market its products to the end consumer and tap the latent potential demand, if it was to emerge stronger and fitter from the crisis.

The discussions also focused on the Kimberley Process and in particular the question of exporting diamonds mined in Zimbabwe’s Marange fields, and provided the delegates with valuable information and insights into the background and multiple aspects of the issue.

Among the highlights of the Conference were the presence of senior representatives of some of the important mining countries and companies including a large delegation from Zimbabwe led by Minister of Mines Hon’ble Obert Mpofu, Botswana, De Beers / DTC, Rio Tinto and Alrosa.

The conference spanned two long days with hectic sessions that continued from morning to evening with just a short break for lunch, yet the delegates sat through all the discussions, raising pertinent queries at the end of each session.

The two days of serious deliberations were made easy to digest by Conference Moderator Chaim Even Zohar’s probing questions and incisive comments put forward in his inimitable style.

The Conference concluded with a brief summary and a Vote of Thanks by GJEPC Vice Chairman Sanjay Kothari, who said that one of the key messages of the conference was the importance of aggressive generic promotions. He made a plea for all interested stake holders to come together for joint generic promotions in key markets, even if the attempt to form a single body at a global level for such a purpose had not taken off.