The International Gemological Institute (IGI), the world’s largest independent gem certification institute, is organising a first-of-its-kind seminar series in Sharjah in a move to educate people on diamond grading.

The IGI Seminar Series will be part of the MidEast Watch & Jewellery Show to be held at Expo Centre Sharjah from March 27 to 31.

The demand for diamonds, in carats, is set to grow more than six per cent annually through 2020, said a report.

Even the most conservative growth scenario in the report forecasts a strong positive outlook for the $60 billion diamond jewellery industry, according the Bain & Company study.

However, even regular buyers are sometimes unaware of the various characteristics of diamonds that are graded and categorized by the diamond industry, the report said.

“The MidEast Watch & Jewellery Show is the premier jewellery showcase that is popular across the region among both consumers and traders alike and draws visitors from areas like North Africa, CIS countries and Central Asia. No wonder that it has been chosen as the launch platform for the IGI Seminar Series,” said Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, director-general of Expo Centre Sharjah.

“Whether you love or hate them, diamonds are endlessly fascinating. The four Cs such as the cut, clarity, colour and carat weight hold the key to buying the right diamond. While buyers need to understand the qualities of a good diamond, jewellers too need to know what they are selling.”

“They also need to know about the diamond certificate, which is the complete evaluation of a diamond by a qualified professional with the help of special gemological instruments. Each stone bears its own recognizable, individual characteristics, which is listed on the certificate,” said Midfa.

The seminar, organised and conducted by IGI Worldwide, and supported by Expo Centre and promoted by The New Jeweller Magazine, will be held at Expo Centre on March 29 and 30 from 6.30 pm to 7.30 pm.

The seminar will be conducted on ‘Know Your Diamond’, which will impart attendees – both visitors and jewellers – in-depth information and knowledge on diamonds and diamond jewellery certification.

The two sessions will also help attendees better understand the metric system used to represent weight of a diamond, nomenclature for standardized clarity grades, range of colours, fancy coloured diamonds and importance of cut for maximum light return in a diamond.

“The seminar is free to attend for registered visitors of the MidEast Watch & Jewellery Show and will be limited to a maximum of 30 attendees per session,” said Mohamed Amjed, project manager, Expo Centre Sharjah.

“After the seminar, there will be a Q&A session where questions related to the seminar will be asked and whoever gives most the number of correct answers gets a ‘diamond grading kit’ from IGI,” he added.

The MidEast Watch & Jewellery Show is now in its 32nd edition, occupying a total exhibition area of 20,000 sq m and hosting more than 450 master jewellers from around the world. – TradeArabia News Service