Carats 2025: Surat diamond expo attracts total business of over Rs 100 crore

Indian Express

13-07-2025

Amid a global slowdown in the diamond industry, Carats 2025, an diamond exhibition held in Surat, attracted a total business of over Rs 100 crore, compared to last year's Rs 75 crore. The three-day exhibition culminated on Sunday in Surat city.
Carats 2025, featuring loose polished, natural and lab-grown diamonds (LGD), diamond-studded jewellery, and diamond industry tools, was organised by the Surat Diamond Association in Avadh Uthopia, Surat.
A total of 73 exhibitors, mainly from Surat and Mumbai, showcased their products. The main attraction of the exhibition was two lab-grown diamonds, which are sold in pairs and weigh 38 carats each. The buyers were from Jaipur, Jodhpur, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chandigarh, Kerala, Chennai, and Cochin. Apart from this, over 30 buyers were from Dubai, Ukraine, Russia and the USA.
Sources said that at the exhibition, 12 stalls were of diamond tools, 10 of jewellery, and the remaining were of loose polished diamonds.
Surat city Mayor Daxesh Mawani had inaugurated the three-day event in the presence of BJP MP Govind Dholakia. The Mayor also appealed to businessmen and industrialists to organise an 8-10-day 'shopping festival', similar to one held in Dubai.
One of the exhibitors, Jagdish Ahir of Bansi Diamonds, Surat, said, 'I have been attending the event since the last five years, and this event was quite overwhelming as we have done more business than last year. It was quite unexpected. Amid an economic slowdown, such exhibitions should be conducted regularly, as exhibitors will make new contacts with whom they can do business throughout the year and continue to do so for years to come. The annual turnover of business from each contact is in crores. I participate in exhibitions held in Surat, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Jaipur, and even international exhibitions in the USA, Hong Kong, and other locations. The motive behind attending such exhibitions is to increase my customers and raise the sales graph.'
'I came to Surat at the age of 14 from Amreli and started working as a diamond polisher. I studied up to Class 5 class, but I worked hard and learnt the art of diamond cutting and polishing, and learned to identify diamonds based on their quality. Later, I began trading locally, purchasing diamonds from the domestic market and selling them to traders. Then I started my own diamond cutting and polishing factory. I was never satisfied with the diamond manufacturing unit, so I transitioned into a diamond-studded jewellery business and continued to operate it. One of my friends advised me to participate in a diamond-studded jewellery exhibition, which is nationally and internationally recognised. So I did, and now I am running both my diamond cutting and polishing factory and a diamond-studded jewellery unit. I have multiple offices in India and abroad.'
Talking to The Indian Express, Surat Diamond Association president Jagdish Khunt said, 'We have taken feedback from the exhibitors and they are delighted. They have advised us to organise such exhibitions twice a year. Last year, the overall business of Carats was estimated to be up to Rs 75 crore, and this year it has surpassed Rs 100 crore. The exhibition helps exhibitors get new contacts for their business.'