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ICA Congress 2003: A record-breaking congress In the current unstable economic and political environment, the organizers of the 2003 ICA Congress in Jaipur, India, worried whether all those who had registered would actually turn up. They needn't have. A record-breaking 283 participants attended the glittering event. "Terrific." "The best congress ever." "Wouldn't have missed it for the world. "Never have had such a good time with ICA." Enthusiasm encourages superlatives, and such was the case on the evening of January 9, when participants at the 10th biennial congress of the International Colored Gemstone Association gathered for the final—and gala—dinner of five-day event, at the Rajputana Palace Sheraton hotel in Jaipur, India. The world was a much different place when the congress opened on January 5, from the one that had existed in May 2001, when on the last day of its ninth congress in Sydney, Australia, the general assembly of the ICA decided that Jaipur would be the venue for the 2003 event. September II, 2001, and its aftermath, worldwide economic recession and the gathering clouds of war in the Persian Gulf are just several of the factors that provided the ICA Congress 2003 Steering Committee Rashmikant Durlabhji with what must have been many a sleepless night. "The congress' success was not achieved easily," said Joseph M. Menzie, the New Yorker who was elected ICA's new president in Jaipur, taking over from Israel Eliezri of Israel, who completed a four-year term in the position. "Up until days before the congress took off, we were not sure that all those who had registered would indeed turn up. Many ICA members and delegates had held back until the last moment, most probably as a result of the geo-political situation." But they need not have worried. Jaipur's gemstone business community and the committed ICA membership did themselves proud and broke records—both in attendance and, in the opinion of many of those present, in terms the general excellence of the presentations made during the various sessions and in the quality of the debate and discussion that followed. No fewer than 130 ICA members attended the Jaipur congress. Including the large group of Indian gem cutters and dealers who were present, and the many other industry members, vendors, journalists and accompanying travelers, the total participation at the was 283. It was a significant improvement over the ninth ICA Congress in Sydney. The 10th ICA Congress was an altogether Indian event. The country's provides an incredible variety of contrasts, ranging from a unique blend traditions, cultures and languages; its meeting of the first and third worlds, to its gentile colonial history. It was in the spirit of the latter that, in the afternoon that preceded congress' opening, the participants were transported to grounds of the Rajasthan Polo Club grounds, where they watched a polo game played against the spectacular backdrop of the mountains and one of Jaipur's many historical forts. Later, outgoing ICA President Eliezri joined the Maharajah of Jaipur in handing out the prizes the winning team. That evening, back at the Rajputana Palace Sheraton, a simple but moving Hindu ritual launched the ICA Congress. Before a packed congress hall, Eliezri, Durlabhji and Rajiv Pratap Rudy, The Indian Union State Minister of Commerce, took turns in lighting a special ceremonial torch. The minister, who is a rising star in the country's political arena, had flown in to Jaipur from New Delhi especially to attend the event. In his address to the gathering, he emphasized the importance of India's gem and jewelry industries within the country's economy, and in particular the role played by colored gemstone sector in Jaipur. While the annual exports of some $180 million worth of colored gemstones from India may be overshadowed somewhat by the overall total of $7 billion worth of diamonds, gems and jewelry exports, one should never underestimate Jaipur's contribution, he stated. Just as important, the minister said, Jaipur always had been an example of ideal coexistence between India's various ethnic and religious groups. "For generations on end Hindus have traditionally been the gem and jewelry traders, while Muslims have worked as the industry's artisans. We are a bubbling, multi-cultural country that is home to more than a billion people, the world's largest democracy that united people from different creeds and beliefs, who speak hundreds of different languages." The minister also referred to his government's program of economic reforms and the liberalization of the economy, inviting participants to take a closer look at the opportunities India offers today to foreign investors in joint ventures. "We have loosened government controls, and created a good climate for FDIs and economic zones that will enable companies to come in and set up operations here. Our economy experiences an annual growth of 5.5 percent and inflation is just under 3 percent. We invite you to come and help us build a better future, also for the gem and jewelry industries" Also addressing the opening event was outgoing president Eliezri. He briefly reviewed his four years in office, and spoke of the future of ICA, in which he said the leadership of the organization of the international colored gemstone community would inherited from the original group of ICA founders, who had first conceived of the association in Acapulco, Mexico, in the mid-1980s. Steering Committee Chairman Durlabhji reviewed the many months of intense preparations for the congress, and thanked the members of his steering committee, who we brought up to the podium and applauded by the audience. He also thanked the various corporate sponsors without whom the congress would not have been possible. He especially made mention of the Gembel Diamond group, which sponsored of the opening evening, and whose chairman, Rashmi Mehta, had flown in from Belgium especially to attend the event. Officially unveiled at the opening was the spectacular crown-made of half a kilogram of gold and set with 425 natural colored gemstones, weighing some 350 carats—which had been crafted especially for the event. The crown, which in the Indian tradition is actually an ornament to decorate a turban, was created a by a team of Jaipur-based designers and craftspeople, led by ICA member SudirKasliwal. Later, during the congress, Kasliwal presented a fascinating account of the project. The crown later was sold at the traditional ICA Auction for $45,000 to a consortium of association members, who included Wahid Chang Hatta of Taiwan, Benny Bezalel of Colombia and Ashok Sancheti of New York. The actual business of the ICA Congress commenced on January 6, and over a four-day period, with sessions in the morning and afternoon, a blue-ribbon list of speakers and panel members. A range of subject was covered, but there was a dominant theme—promotion and marketing. More than ever before, there was awareness among the ICA members that the future of the colored gemstone sector would rely on the ability of the industry to develop their share of the world jewelry market, and such a process would have to be proactive. Starting from this edition of the ICA Gazette, and continuing in future editions, extended excerpts from various lectures and discussions will be provided. The following are just an appetizer: Bill Boyajian, president of the Gemological Association of America "It is time for the colored stone trade to create its own romance and image-building. How to do this can be a source of considerable debate. But whether to try is not an option. Colored stones have a dimension to them that diamonds do not have—except in rare fancy colors—and that is color itself" "We must learn how to exploit this for both the trade and consumers. We need to think big We need to make colored stones 'a way of life.' We need to bring their natural fashion into public fashion and play to the price points that consumer demand dictates." Mike Nunn, founder and CEO of Afgem, South Africa "Why am I, as a brander of tanzanite, suggesting that you, my colleagues in our industry, start competing with me more strategically? The answer is simple. Not only is there plenty of room for us all to grow our businesses, there's also good reason and opportunity in competing." "Competition will keep us on our toes and make us all spend more on marketing, which will stimulate market growth, which will cause even more competition, which will make us spend more money, which will stimulate more market growth. It really is a win-win situation." Akira lto, ICA director and president of Ito Co., Ltd., Japan "Japan is the second largest consumer of gemstone in the world. However, since the burst of the so-called 'bubble economy' in 1991, and over the past 10 years, its market size has been reduced to one-fourth of its the size in 1991, and Japan is still unable to recover from the recession." "Such situations are negative factors for our industry, too. However, I believe, the gemstone we deal with can give dream and hope to people. Having power to bring peace of mind, vitality to live, courage, and pride to people, gemstone surely catches their hearts. Therefore, we should think in terms of not only increasing sales but also of widely introducing the charm of gemstones. From this standpoint, I believe promotion and marketing are very important." Avraham Eshed, president of the Israel Emerald Cutters Association "For the most part, in the late 1960s, and essentially through the 1970s, the 1980s and the first half of the 1990s, ours was a supply-driven business. In other words, if you had access to the rough, you had 95 percent of the job wrapped up. This certainly was the case when it came to emeralds, and I would argue the same with rubies and the more popular sapphire varieties. What it meant was that we would buy whatever rough was available, cut the best stones possible, and then look for clients for whatever we had in stock." "But, now, the era of the supply-driven market has passed, and in its place is the demand- driven market. It is one that offers more opportunity, but it requires a far greater appreciation of marketing technique in order to succeed." Joe Orlando, director of Gemstone Department, Stuller Settings, Inc., USA "Statistics show that the average retail jeweler in America generates only 9 percent of its sales from colored gemstone jewelry, as opposed to 30 percent from diamond jewelry plus another 16 percent for loose, large Diamonds. This presents a tremendous opportunity to grow color sales. We knew we only had to take the mystery out of selling color." We also know from past experience that without the distribution to the retailer in place, it is useless to promote any product to the consumer. If a consumer walks into a retail jeweler asking for a specific gemstone and the retailer does not have what they are looking for in stock, or easy, reliable and quick access to the product, they will try to turn the customer's attention to what they do have." Menahem Sevdermish, Advanced Quality A.C.C. Ltd., Israel "A major problem facing the gem dealer, grader and jeweler, is how to communicate and grade the color properties of gems. Printed catalogs they can be effective, but they never quite communicate the precise qualities gem colors, and not all printing materials are uniform. Sending the actual images of gems through the net is, as we all know, time consuming. And, even if such a transfer were to be faster in the future, we would still be left with the problem of describing the colors and the gems and grading them." "We have tried to create a program, which will be the jewelers', diamond dealers' and gem dealers' best friend. Since we wanted it to be comprehensive we wanted it to include functions that would be helpful and also serve us as a powerful and consistent communication tool." Download this ICA-Gazette article as PDF. |
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