The Dubai Diamond Week closed last Friday (February 25), marking five successful days of business and events and signaling a welcome return to normal for the global diamond industry after two challenging years of Covid and Covid-related issues.
The Dubai Diamond Week opened on February 21 with the Dubai Diamond Conference, organized by the DMCC – the world’s flagship Free Zone and Government of Dubai Authority on commodities trade and enterprise. The successful event dealt with key topics on the future of diamonds. Israeli industry leaders thanked Ahmed Bin Sulayem, the Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DMCC, for the fascinating conference.
Another significant event was the opening of the Israel Diamond Exchange (IDE) representative office at the Dubai Diamond Exchange (DDE) in Almas Tower. The event was attended by Executive Chairman and CEO of DMCC Bin Sulayem, WFDB President Yoram Dvash, IDE President Boaz Moldawsky, IDE Managing Director Eran Zini and Israel Diamond Institute (IDI) Managing Director Aviel Elia.
The JGT Dubai Jewellery Show (February 22-24) was also held during the Dubai Diamond Week. After two years of remote “mingling”, the first face-to-face industry event since 2020 certainly had participants excited. Foot traffic was excellent and business was brisk, and the three-day event closed on Thursday with anticipation of more face-to-face exhibitions in the near future.
For the first time in a Dubai show, the Israel Diamond Institute (IDI) hosted an Israel Diamond Pavilion, with eleven Israeli diamond companies participating. The Israeli pavilion enjoyed excellent traffic during the three-day event, with many buyers from Dubai and other central diamond markets including China, India, Belgium, Italy and more. The Israeli participants reported a positive sentiment through the event, and it is assumed that business was good as well.
The Israeli companies who showcased both natural loose diamonds and diamond jewelry were: D.N Diamonds, Dayagi Diamonds, Direct Diamond Solutions, G. Arabov Diamonds, El. Diamonds Trading, Tiroche Diamonds, TOC The Excellent Make, West Africa Diamonds, House of Gems Israel, Moshe Namdar Masingita and YDI-Yoshfe Diamonds International.
Alongside the 11 Israeli companies, the Israel Diamond Pavilion offered Get Diamonds terminals that enable buyers to search for goods among the Israeli exhibitors, and the IDI Lounge offered refreshments throughout the day.
The concluding event of the Dubai Diamond Week was the bi-annual Presidents’ Meeting (February 23 – 25, 2022), organized by the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) in cooperation with the International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA). Held at Almas Tower, the three-day event was the first in-person WFDB meeting since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. It was attended by presidents and officials from the 29 member bourses of the WFDB. According to participants, the bi-annual meeting was particularly effective and successful.
