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)