Gemstone talks in Banjarmasin

Gemstone talks in Banjarmasin

JAKARTA (JP): Banjarmasin will host the first international
conference and exhibition on gems and tourism from March 22 to
March 25, an official said.

The conference, scheduled to be opened by South Kalimantan
Governor Gusti Hasan Aman, will be attended by 70 local and 36
international participants from Sri Lanka, Australia, New
Zealand, Malaysia, Italy, Denmark, England, Singapore, Thailand
and the U.S., Badrani, the assistant secretary of the Banjarmasin
administration said here Thursday.

Speakers will discuss topics including the export of gemstones
and "innovative designs to the stone, standards of quality
applied to it, product certificate and guarantees".

Badrani said the event, organized in cooperation with the
Directorate General of Tourism, was intended to raise public
awareness of the economic potential of gemstones and also
increase cultural awareness of the middle and small-scale trade
in them. He cited the production of opals in Australia, gold
mines in South Africa, gemstones in Sri Lanka and the combined
trade of stones and tourism in India. (02)