Visit to diamond cutting and polishing industries of Surat, India
(Offered Post: Conference)

Team Leaders                       :     J.N. Das, Member, Organising Committee, 10th IKC, Bangalore
                                              :      Mithilesh Pandey, Regional Director, GJEPC, Surat
                                              :      Samir Joshi, Dy Director, IDI, Surat

Post-conference field trip

Dates                                     :      Three Days. 12th February 2012 to 14th February, 2012
Departure/Arrival                   :       Bangalore
Approximate cost                  :       48,000 INR (800 €) (Cost includes return air travel, road transport from Mumbai to Surat,                                                      hotel accommodations transport from hotel to visiting sites Pick-ups and transpor to air                                                       ports Meals, etc) 
Please note the following:
•Those delegates who do not wish to return to Bangalore and have their separate return journey from Surat may write to the Secretariat in a separate email. The cost of return air fare will be reimbursed at Bangalore during the Conference.
•The field trips are financially self supported, would be conducted on no profit and no loss basis. If field trip finishes with a significant surplus refunds will be made to the delegates

Minimum participants             :      20
Maximum participants            :      30

Abstract

This visit will expose the participants to the methods of cutting and polishing (c & p) of diamonds mainly the small diamonds by both traditional and sophisticated processes. The methods include cutting, bruting (rough shape-table, bottom, and top), polishing, checking and assorting of diamonds.

Surat (21.17°N 72.83°E) lying adjacent to Arabian Sea towards north of city of Mumbai (erstwhile Bombay), is the second largest and fastest growing cities of Gujarat and is the World’s main centre for the cutting and polishing of diamonds (< 5 cents > 5 carat). The diamond industry started in a very small way during 1950 in Surat and become one of the largest producers of c & p diamonds in the world today. Varacha Road, a street in Surat is the main hub of diamond c & p industries. Diamonds from here are marketed through Mumbai, Hong Kong, London, New York and Antwerp. De Beer’s advertising marvel “diamonds are girls’ best friend” during mid 50s catapulted Surat’s diamond industry into new high.
The development of diamond exploration and mining depends upon the marketing of the finished diamonds. The diamond producing countries sent their rough diamonds after, sorting according to size, shape, colour and quality for cutting and polishing to India through the network like DTC with the Kimberly Process Certificate, certifying that they are from conflict free sources. Out of about 8,000 diamond cutting and polishing units in the country, employing between 800,000 to 1,000,000 workers Surat, has more than 3,000 diamond units, that employ more than 400,000 workers (RBI 2009, Government of Gujarat 2009 and SDA 2009).Beside Surat, diamond cutting and polishing industries are also present in a number of towns and villages in Saurashtra (in the districts of Bhavnagar, Amreli, Rajkot, Porbandar, Junagad) and in North Gujarat (Banaskantha, Mehsana and Patan districts).

India, which was once the main producer of diamonds till discovery of diamonds in Brazil and Africa, now is the main supplier of finished diamonds to the world. The saying goes that the eleven out of 12 diamonds set in jewellery in the world are cut & polished in India.

Traditionally the ‘hira karigars’ (diamond cutter) shapes the rough diamonds using ‘ghantis’ (polishing wheels). Off late large factories have come up using modern cutting and polishing machineries. The entire industry is dependent upon import of rough diamonds on a regular basis. Mahidharpura and Varacha Road are the two main diamond markets in Surat.

Field Trip Deadlines:

Registration & Refund guidelines for the Field Trip:
Registration guidelines for the field trips are as follows:

• Only those persons are entitled for registration to the field trips who have registered for the main conference.
• Registration for the field trips requires full payment of appropriate fee.
• Field Trip Refunds: Refunds resulting from cancellation by a delegate are less 10% administration fee before 30th September, 2011. Between 1st October 2011 and 1st December 2011 refunds will be 50% of the total field trip costs. There will be no refunds after 1st December, 2011.
• If field trips are cancelled by 10 IKC through insufficient participation prior to 1st December 2011, field trip payments will be refunded in full.
• If delegates are not allocated a place on any of the requested field trips, an option for the other field trip, if available, would be made available to the participants on the condition of payment/return of the differential fee of that field trip. In case the delegate is not interested in that option, the field trip payments will be refunded in full.
• All requests for cancellations of field trip participation must be received in writing by post, e-mail or fax by the Conference Secretariat. Cancellations are not accepted by telephone. All cancellations are subject to the limitations specified above.