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| Friday, 24 January 2003 |
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Branding 'Ceylon Sapphire' in September Branding of the Ceylon Sapphire in the international market will be a reality this year when Sri Lanka launches its exclusive jewellery collection at the Gem and Jewellery Show in Hong Kong in September. The collection is designed by a world famous jewellery designer in the UK - Stevan Webster with the support of a group of Sri Lankan designers, Director - Project Management Export Development Board (EDB), Indira Malwatte said. Webster will also provide technical assistance to seven Sri Lankan companies which are the shareholders of the Ceylon Sapphire Council, the institution set up to promote the Ceylon Sapphire project. The stakeholders include Sri Lanka Export Development Board, Ceylinco Worldwide Trading (Pvt) Ltd, A.M.S. International (Pvt) Ltd, Renelle (Pvt) Ltd, Premadasa Holdings (Pvt) Ltd, Ceyital Jewels (Pvt) Ltd and Mallika Hemachandra Jewellers (Pvt) Ltd. Malwatte said that earlier plans to launch the project at the Las Vegas Jewellery show had to be cancelled because Webster being a top designer who supplies to the US market was having his own collection at the show. "It would have been a sort of conflict of interest therefore we rescheduled the launch to be held in Hong Kong," she said. The branding of the Ceylon Sapphire project launched by the EDB and the private sector jewellery manufacturers aims to make Sri Lanka the hub of sapphires in the world. The groundwork leading to the launch has already been done and some of the preparation work included obtaining intellectual property rights. Meanwhile, Gems and Jewellery exports rebounded in 2002 as a sign that economic recovery is taking place in industrialised countries. In 2002 gems and jewellery recorded an export value of Rs. 5668.82 million and 925.13 million as against Rs. 5177.47 million and 841.49 million respectively in 2001, an increase of 8.66% and 9.94% respectively. The increase in the gem exports was largely due to the demand from the US, Switzerland, UK, Germany and Hong Kong, a senior official of the Gem and Jewellery Authority said. (CJ) |
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