Antwerp Diamond Bourse Steps up Branding Efforts by Organizing Exclusive Antwerp Diamond Trade Fair

ANTWERP, Belgium, January 11 - With the economic slowdown still being painfully felt in the
global diamond industry and trade, Antwerp's diamond business is taking
drastic but inventive measures to ensure that Antwerp will secure its
exclusive title as the world diamond capital in the years to come. In early
February, the Antwerp Diamond Bourse — de Beurs voor Diamanthandel — will
be unlocking the doors of its 105-year-old trading hall to welcome an
exclusive group of jewellers and diamond buyers into the inner chambers of
the world's diamond capital. The occasion is the debut of the Antwerp Diamond
Trade Fair, a by-invitation-only diamond trade fair that will be held from
February 7-9, 2010, on the bourse's historical trading floor.

So why did the Antwerp Diamond Bourse decide to profile and
market itself more assertively? Raphael Rubin, who is one of the members of
the Antwerp Diamond Trade Fair organizing committee, explained that many of
bourse members exhibit annually at one or more of the leading international
jewellery fairs in the United States, Europe and Asia, most often in diamond
pavilions organized by the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC), the umbrella
organisation of the Belgian diamond industry. However, the Antwerp Diamond
Bourse leadership felt it also needed to advance its own, exclusive brand.

"With the Antwerp Diamond Trade Fair, we aim to become part of
the growing number of by-invitation-only events that specifically target
high-end diamond, gem and jewellery buyers. We realized that we could only do
so under our own brand - the brand of the Antwerp Diamond Bourse which has
been operating for more than a century," Rubin noted.

For three days, the trading floor of the Antwerp Diamond
Bourse will be converted into a stylish exhibition floor where 43 leading
Antwerp diamond firms will display their diamonds in elegantly designed
booths. With the sponsorship of the AWDC, the fair has invited more than 200
diamond buyers from across the European Community, some of whom have done
business in Antwerp before, but many others who have not.

David Blackman, a second-generation jeweler from Dublin,
Ireland said the invitation to participate in the Antwerp Diamond Trade Fair
had come as a pleasant surprise.

"Everything is changing in our business, and you have to be
open to new ideas," he noted. "I visited Antwerp numerous times on diamond
buying trips, but this will surely be a new experience. The fair's concept
will enable me to make lots of new connections, in a much shorter time frame.
So I'm hopeful for good results," Blackman stated.

Jens Lorenz, principal of veteran jewellery retailer Hans
Lorenz Gmbh of Berlin, Germany, said it would be his first time in Antwerp.
"I am looking forward to the obvious networking and sourcing opportunities
that the Antwerp Diamond Trade Fair will be offering. Retail jewellers are up
against an enormous challenge in today's consumer market where we compete
with internet based firms with a host of marketing models. I am looking
forward to finding a common language with diamantaires on how to head this
off and work together closely to advance our common interests."

Antwerp Diamond Bourse President Artur Beller said the fair
was a vote of confidence in the future of Antwerp's diamond industry and
trade. "Antwerp is the world's number one diamond trading hub for polished
diamonds," he said. "More than 50 percent of the world's polished diamonds
are traded here. Antwerp is the undisputed global diamond powerhouse of the
21st century," he stated.

    Editors: for more info go to www.antwerpdiamondfair.com
    Press Contact: communications@antwerpdiamondfair.com, +32-3-2335313

    Contact: Ms. Lucile Lerat - ll@punch.be
    The Antwerp Diamond Trade Fair is owned by the Antwerp Diamond Bourse,
    Beurs voor Diamanthandel, Pelikaanstraat 78, Antwerp, 2018, Belgium,
    T. +32-3-2335313, F. +32-3-2336503, E. info@diamondbourse.be
    website: www.antwerpdiamondfair.com

Contact: Ms. Lucile Lerat - ll at punch.be, The Antwerp Diamond Trade Fair is owned by the Antwerp Diamond Bourse, Beurs voor Diamanthandel, Pelikaanstraat 78, Antwerp, 2018, Belgium, T. +32-3-2335313, F. +32-3-2336503, E. info at diamondbourse.be