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The Japan Jewellery Association (JJA) will declare the sapphire as the Gem Stone for the year 2003 at a ceremony to be held in Japan early next month. The declaration of the Gem Stone of the year by the Association had a positive impact on the market in Japan. They will promote the sapphires through different media and encourage jewellers to use more of the particular stone and find sources of supply.

Chairman, Export Development Board, Ratna Sivaratnam thanked the JJA for their decision to declare the year 2003 as the year of the sapphire, when he met the JJA members in Tokyo. Sivaratnam, Prof. P.G.R. Dharmaratna, Chairman National Gem and Jewellery Authority and Mrs. I. Malwatte, Director-Product Management Division of the EDB were in Japan recently for the celebrations of 50 years of Diplomatic Relations between Sri Lanka and Japan. Sivaratnam said he hopes that the next 50 years our relations will be better and that exports of sapphires will increase over 100 percent.

"We planned a big Padmaraja promotion last year but the treated coloured stones from Thailand created a big problem, not only in Japan but also in most other countries," said Kishaburo Masaki Chairman, Japan Jewellery Association, when he met the delegation of officials from Sri Lanka.

Padmaraga known at times as Paparaja is a rare precious stone of pink which is much sought after. Prof. Dharmaratna said that Sri Lanka could offer genuine Padmaraga or Paparaja. "We find hundreds of Padmaraga in Bangkok but in Sri Lanka there are only a few. The rarity explains the genuine value," he said.

Thailand treated not only Paparaja but most other stones as well. Cats eye and best quality largest blue sapphires also come from Sri Lanka, in the range of 500 to 1,000 carats which you will not get from other parts of the world. We are now trying to set up a good laboratory of international standard with the assistance of the American Gem Traders' Association, Prof. Dharmaratna said.

Haruo Miyashita, Executive Director said the Japanese had a custom of gifting red kimonos and they are trying to promote the presentation of a red ruby. They could use similar promotional methods with the sapphires.

The delegation said that all the precious stones from Sri Lanka are exported through the National Gem and Jewellery Authority after a quality check where as in other countries it just goes through the Customs.

Masaki said not only the imports from Sri Lanka but also imports from all over the world have gone down during the last year. The year 2001 was the year of the ruby and imports had increased by 50 per cent. Total imports between January to July 2002 were about 91.24 per cent of the imports of last year but the prices have gone up by 116.4 per cent.

Sivaratnam outlined the impending visit of Bulgari to Sri Lanka. Bulgari Gioielli Spa is considered the third largest jeweller among Tiffany, Cartier. About 60 percent of his jewellery in sapphire are made with Sri Lanka's sapphire stones.

Masaki said that Japan imports sapphires from Thailand and he will now consider how stones could be imported directly from Sri Lanka.

The officials of the JJA expressed their interest in visiting Sri Lanka. Haruo Miyashita Executive Director, Hisashi Ashino Executive Secretary and Kuni Watanabe, Senior Manager were also present.

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