U.S. customs agents in El Paso, Texas, intercepted the package, which would have been worth $9 million if the jewelry was genuine.
New Trade Fair Launched in Thailand’s ‘City of Gems’
The Gem and Jewelry Institute of Thailand will hold its inaugural event in Chanthaburi in December.

Bangkok—The Gem and Jewelry Institute of Thailand is launching an event to bring even more activity to an important hub for the gemstone sector.
The organization has introduced the International Chanthaburi Gems and Jewelry Festival 2019, slated for Dec. 4 to 8 in Chanthaburi, Thailand. It’s the first international trade fair to be organized by GIT.
It will run under the theme of “Power of Gemstones and Jewelry” to “strengthen the position of Chanthaburi as the world’s key hub for colored gemstone production and trading,” GIT said in an email about the event.
Chanthaburi, located approximately 134 miles southeast of Bangkok, is known by many as the City of Gems. It was once famous for its ruby and sapphire mining. Currently, production is minimal, but today it is a leader in gem processing—cutting, polishing, treating and enhancing—and trading.
The International Chanthaburi Gems and Jewelry Festival 2019 will allow international and domestic exhibitors to showcase and sell their gem and jewelry products, featuring rough stones, cut and polished stones, jewelry, jewelry parts, equipment and tools, machinery, and display and packaging.
It will be held at three venues: the Chanthaburi Gem and Jewelry Trade Center, the KP Jewelry Center and the gem market on Srichan Road. (For those unfamiliar with these locations or the city, GIT notes online that all gem and jewelry traders will be in a 1-kilometer area—less than a mile—in the heart of Chanthaburi.)
GIT is also inviting gem and jewelry professionals to participate in its planned business matching activities, held from Dec. 5 to 7, in which participants will have the opportunity to meet with potential business partners and visit a major factory.
The tentative schedule for that can be found online.
Additionally, the fair will feature a ceremony to present GIT’s jewelry design, faceting and jewelry research awards, a gemstone auction and educational seminars.
GIT told National Jeweler via email that exhibitor booth space is full; a list of those participating can be found online at ChanGemsFest.com.
Visitors are welcome with no registration fee; pre-registration is open online.
For more information about the International Chanthaburi Gems and Jewelry Festival 2019, go online or reach out to schopetch@git.or.th or pchanoknart@git.or.th.
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