The 45th Istanbul Jewelry Show (IJS), held from October 12 to 15, attracted a total of 15,514 local and foreign visitors, with the number of international buyers recording an 18 percent increase from last year.

According to trade fair organiser UBM Rotaforte, IJS is acclaimed as an effective platform for networking and building business contacts among industry professionals from Turkey, Europe, the Middle East, Russia and the CIS nations, North Africa and other markets.

The fair featured major jewellery brands and manufacturers specialising in diamond, plain gold, pearl and silver jewellery; loose diamonds, coloured gemstones and pearls; jewellery mountings; display and packaging products; and machinery, tools and equipment. IJS is held every March and October.

This year’s edition hosted visitors from 30 countries, 56 of whom were from Turkey while 44 percent were foreign buyers.

The top visiting countries were Turkey, Iran, Algeria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Jordan, UAE, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Syria, India, Israel, Greece, Egypt, Bulgaria, Tunisia, Morocco and Palestine.