Rio Tinto to be lead sponsor of new Indian diamond jewellery promotion initiative

Mumbai, September 30, 2009 - Rio Tinto is delighted to announce its support as lead sponsor to the new and innovative India Diamond Jewelry Promotion campaign (IDJP).
This campaign, referred to as Anant, meaning ‘Eternal”, was launched in Mumbai on September 16. The aim of the program is to work with Indian retailers and diamond jewellery manufacturers to drive domestic demand for diamonds, and strengthen India’s share in the international market for diamonds and diamond jewellery.
According to Jean-Marc Lieberherr, General Manager for the sales and marketing for all Rio Tinto’s diamonds, “India is very well placed to reap the rewards of this program given its historical diamond jewellery manufacturing capability, and the driving role of the Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), the apex body of India’s gem and jewelry industry.”
Rio Tinto, who recently celebrated 20 years in India, is well placed to play a lead role in this campaign. Rio Tinto has a strong track record of unique partnerships with the Indian diamond industry, including;
- creating awareness and acceptance of Indian made diamond jewellery in the US;
- paving the way for direct sales to US retailers; and - its groundbreaking work in India to drive safety, product assurance and quality control across the whole value chain.
According to Vikram Merchant, Manager of Rio Tinto Diamonds’ Indian representative office in Mumbai, “the world is looking to India as a driver of future growth in the diamond industry, be that through their highly innovative and flexible manufacturing sector, or as an end consumer of diamonds. The IDJP is an ideal platform for Rio Tinto to work collaboratively with our partners and the industry, including the GJEPC, to create demand for diamonds throughout the distribution pipeline.”

The Anant campaign will be implemented from September 2009 to February 2010. Promising Bollywood star, Sonam Kapoor has been signed up as the face of the Anant campaign which will cover 15 major Indian cities targeting 1.5 million affluent consumers.