The Israeli Diamond Exchange (IDE) the main organizer of the 6th-version of the International Diamond Week in Israel (IDWI) has announced the holding of this much anticipated annual event from February 13 – 16, 2017 on the trading floor of the IDE. The event which is now open for registration promises to be much bigger and better that the previous versions, with several changes in the format, the addition of a host of new features, the presence of special guests and free attractions, all calculated towards making this international event more advantageous to international buyers.
As in the previous years, this year too hundreds of Israeli and international diamond companies are expected to exhibit on the IDE trading floor offering not only a large variety of polished diamonds but also rough diamonds as well. With registration proceeding briskly since its opening in the second week of December, it is anticipated that many hundreds of buyers from around the world would participate in the February 2017 event. In keeping with past traditions buyers will be offered free accommodation for three nights in hotels in the neighborhood.
The format of the 2017 IDWI has been changed in line with buyer preferences. Accordingly, the 2017 IDWI will see trading on the bourse floor from Monday, 13th February, 2017 to Wednesday, 16th February, 2017. Thursday, 17th February, 2017 will be left open for individual meettings within the Diamond Exchange. Alternatively, on Thursday if participants so wish, they could join either free sightseeing tours to Jerusalem or the Dead Sea.
A major attraction during the period of the 2017 IDWI will be the holding of the important international tenders of rough and polished diamonds. Several major diamond producers and diamond auction companies are finalizing plans to hold these tenders. To coincide with this annual international event, the IDE is also planning to inaugurate its own International Tender Center during this week.
A special guest-of-honor at the 2017 IDWI will be Andrey Zharkov, the president of Alrosa, the Russian group of diamond mining companies, engaged in the mining, processing and trading of rough diamonds and the manufacture of polished diamonds, accounting for 28% of global diamond production, with its headquarters in Mirny, Sakha Republic, Russia. While in Israel, Mr. Zharkov is scheduled to meet with leaders of IDE, to discuss the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding signed last year. He is also slated to address a group of leading IDE firms, presenting Alrosa’s vision for the next several years and the challenges facing the global diamond industry.
Commenting on his projected visit to Israel to attend the 2017 IDWI, as a special guest-of-honor, the President and CEO of Alrosa said, “I am happy to attend the International Diamond Week in Israel. This will be an excellent opportunity to discuss issues of mutual interest with the bourse leaders and with potential and existing clients, as well as to present Alrosa’s plans in response to the current and future challenges we face.”
Welcoming the visit of Alrosa President Andrey Zharkov to the 2017 IDWI, IDE President Yoram Dvash said, “Alrosa is a very significant player in the type of diamonds that the Israeli industry focuses on. Over the past several years Alrosa has supplied a growing quantity of such stones to the Israeli market, and we aim to expand this trade.”
IDE President Dvash expressing optimism that the next IDWI would attract hundreds of additional buyers as well as several world diamond leaders, further said, “This year we are working in cooperation with the WFDB to bring members of all the bourses, making this a truly ‘interbourse’ event. We are working very hard to make the sixth edition of IDWI both bigger and better. This time we are offering more – more traders, more goods, more variety, more business opportunities and more leisure activities. We will be announcing further details as they are finalized. Register now to ensure your place.”
Sounding the same note of optimism, the incoming president of IDWI, Haim Volner said that he was confident the next International Diamond Week would be bigger and better than previous ones. Continuing further he stated, “IDWI has established a reputation as a prime trading opportunity for diamond dealers. We have upgraded the event with a new format and other new features, which we’ll announce later on.”
