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| Sunday, 14 December 2003 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Southern jewellers to dazzle Colombo The Ruhunu 'Ran Ridee' Jewellery Collection will be showcased in Colombo from December 16-18 at the Crescat Boulevard. The show, organised by the Export Development Board (EDB), will display the talents of 10 jewellers from the Southern Province and will be opened by Minister of Enterprise Development, Industrial Policy and Investment Promotion Professor G.L. Peiris and Minister of Southern Province Ananda Kularatne. Each item is modern in design and is of the best quality. The quality and design of Sri Lankan jewellery is exceptional and is on par with any other jewellery manufactured in the world, the organisers said. The show is the culmination of a series of training, development and promotion programmes that have been carried out during the year in association with the Product Management Division of the EDB under a programme of promotion and development of small-scale jewellery manufacturers in the Southern Province by the special project for regional SME development. The collection was first showcased in August in Kandy while the next show will be held in February at a Down South location, most probably in Bentota or Hikkaduwa. The objective of the show is to find a market for the jewellers who have undergone training in stone setting, jewellery designing, product quality and market development. Around 60 craftsmen underwent training out of which 10 were selected to take part in the event. The Southern Province is famous for jewellery manufacturing and the industry has been westernised due to the many tourists visiting the area. Most leading jewellers in the Southern Province have started small and grown by developing contacts with tourists. However, what most jewellers had failed to understand was that the tourist market was different from the export market. Most tourists purchase items with traditional designs as souvenirs, but to find an export market, the jewellery should cater to modern day needs while such markets also expect a very high quality be it in design or stone setting. There is now a niche market for silver jewellery in Colombo, which is purchased not as an investment, but as a fashion accessory. "The handlooms sector wants the EDB to set up a showroom at Crescat to sell their items. If this becomes a reality, we hope to include jewellery in this showroom. We are also planning to make the jewellery show an annual event. The jewellers will also take part in the Facets Exhibition, which will give them international exposure within the country," the organisers said. The jewellers taking part in the event include Swarna Rekha Jewellery, Chaminda Jewellery, Eranga Jewellers, Feldspar Jewellers, Agromart Foundation, YBL Nanda and Company, Mahaweli Wiskam Handicraft, Wimalarathna Gems and Jewellery, Intimate Jewellers and M. Jayanthasiri. |
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