India,
China to drive global jewellery demand
NEW DELHI 28-Dec-06 found
at India,
China to drive global jewellery demand
GLOBAL jewellery sales have the
potential to grow by almost 7per cent annually to reach US$280 billion by 2015,
spurred by India and China, an industry study said.
The global gems and jewellery industry is estimated at US$146 billion at
retail prices in 2005, the joint study by the Gems and Jewellery Export
Promotion Council and consulting firm KPMG said.
The industry has grown at an average annual rate of 5.2 per cent since 2000.
"India and China are the emerging centres of jewellery consumption and
have steadily increased their share," the report said, putting India's
share of the global market at 8.3per cent and China's at 8.9 per cent in 2005.
The study said current projections were for global jewellery sales to grow at
4.6 per cent annually to US$185 billion in 2010 and US$230 billion by 2015.
But with steps like identifying new jewellery products and consumer segments,
reducing the cost of financing and maximising potential in emerging markets, the
industry had the potential to grow to US$280 billion by 2015.
"This would translate to an annual growth of 6.7 per cent," Neelesh
Hundekari, a KPMG official, said.
The United States is the world's largest market for jewellery, accounting for
an estimated 31 per cent of sales in 2005. Eight key markets account for 75per
cent of global sales.
"Palladium is expected to establish itself as an alternative metal for
jewellery fabrication, while gold and diamond jewellery will continue to
dominate the market together, accounting for about 82 per cent of the market
share," said the study.
 The
study said growth in the industry would be slow in comparison to watches and
perfumes or luxury apparel, which are expected to grow at 10per cent to 15 per
cent over the next seven years.
India is the world's biggest exporter of cut and polished diamonds, with
Mumbai being one of the main centres for the international diamond trade.
The report said the structure of the diamond-processing industry would change
considerably, with India's share likely to drop to 49 per cent in value terms by
2015 from 57 per cent currently.
The industry is one of India's top foreign exchange earners generating around
US$17 billion last year and employs around one million people including traders,
cutters and polishers.
By 2015 China will emerge as a strong player with a 21.3 per cent share of
diamond processing, the study said.
By 2015 around nine per cent of the world's diamonds were expected to be
processed locally by mining countries.
Reuters
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