The exhibition -- one of the biggest show of its kind in the Middle East -- which conducted an estimated Dh 21 million worth of business in 1998 has been expanded this year to accommodate more participants. Many participants from the UK, Italy, the UAE, Thailand, Japan and Austria are expected to participate in the event.

Jewellery made of coloured gemstones currently accounts for less than five per cent of the total jewellery sales in the Middle East but has significantly more market share in Europe and the US, where fashion and jewellery designers have used it to enhance the creativity and beauty of their designs.

"Our decision to participate in the International Jewellery Dubai '99 is to disseminate information about coloured gemstones in the market and to expose individual buyers to the colourful world ofgemstones," said Mark Barrett, marketing manager of STS Jewels, who is a participant in the jewellery show.

"The gemstones are rapidly growing in popularity vis-a-vis conventional jewellery made of gold and diamond. The availability of gemstones in a wide variety of colours makes them extremely useful for fashion and jewellery designers," he said.

Within the Middle East, gemstones jewellery is mostly manufactured in Saudi Arabia but is able to feed only a small part of demand in the region. Other Middle East countries usually import their requirement of gemstones.

"International Jewellery Dubai attracts the right mix of visitors and also quality exhibitors from not only the Middle East region but also the rest of the world. It is a strong platform to push the case for coloured gemstones in the Middle East, which has traditionally been a gold and to a certain extent, diamond jewellery market," Barrett said.