Surat | Mar 13, 2016: Okavango Diamond Company (ODC), a rough diamond distribution company, wholly owned by the Government of Botswana, will host its first viewing of rough diamonds for small and medium diamantaires from Surat and Mumbai at India Diamond Trading Centre (ITDC) Special Notified Zone (SNZ) in Mumbai.

All members of Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) and Bharat Diamond Bourse (BDB) have been invited by the ODC to participate in the diamond viewings for five days from July 20.

GJEPC chairman Praveenshankar Pandya said, "We are very happy to know that Okavango Diamond Company is coming to India for displaying its diamonds. The endeavour is to make rough diamonds available for small-scale manufacturers here, and we appreciate the miners who are bringing their diamonds to India for display. I am sure ODC would appreciate the world-class facility at IDTC and schedule its future viewing sessions with ITDC for our members."

After Union finance minister allowed tax-free viewing of diamonds at SNZ, the IDTC has been flooded with enquiries from diamond mining companies for display of diamonds. GJEPC sources said the viewings at IDTC have been booked till December 2016. There will be more than 200 viewings during this period.

The goods being shown at the IDTC will predominantly be a selection of the -2 carats size ranges that will be offered for sale at the ODC's online auction on July 28, 2016.

The viewings in India will take place in parallel to those in Gaborone, Botswana. The ODC viewing appointments at the IDTC will be available to any GJEPC and BDB members who have completed ODC's registration process.

ODC managing director Toby Frears said, "We are delighted to showcase ODC and Botswana's diamonds in India and grateful to the IDTC for presenting us with this opportunity. We recognize the importance of Indian industry to the ODC and look forward to exposing new customers to the ODC brand and promoting Botswana as a leading rough sourcing destination."

(Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/)