The two-day international diamond trade Mines to Market conference, which opens in Mumbai on October 12, will witness the debut of the Surat Diamond Sourcing India Limited (SDSIL) diamond company, the Times of India reports.



SDSIL is a two-month-old initiative in which some 1,500 of Surat's diamantaires have come together to source rough diamonds directly from suppliers all over the world.



Rajiv Jain, chairman of India's Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council, which organizes the Mines to Market conference, said the GJEPC's "ultimate goal" was to secure rough diamond supplies and that the organization was "always there" to support the diamantaires.



Ashit Mehta, Chairman of the Blue Star diamond company and a founder-director of SDSIL, called the Mines to Market conference a "golden opportunity" to introduce SDSIL to the major figures in the international diamond industry. Mehta is scheduled to give a full presentation on the new diamond sourcing initiative on October 13.