A dedicated website for the Indian jewellery industry was recently launched by the Gemological Science International (GSI). The site - www.GSIIndia.net, http://www.gsiindia.net/ is also the first minisite to be created in GSI’s portfolio.

Information on the minisite serves the new professionals and the entire Indian jewellery industry as a whole, providing a list of Indian suppliers of equipment and services along with directories of Indian jewellery associations, trade publications, and retail jewellers all over the country. A free "Billboard" allows anyone to post a classified ad for their product or service or a listing for any needed help. GSI's customers in India, or elsewhere, can view their actual reports online, rather than just as data and can track progress of their goods in the lab in real time.

The scale of the website has been made interesting as it invites both the trade and consumer audience. "Originally we envisioned the website as a B2B site, but in the end we decided on a B2B2C approach, because we believe that by offering free classifieds and information on trade organisations and publications, we're facilitating wider public access and better understanding of the industry," said CEO of GSI, Mark Gershburg. "We also believe that in this tough economic environment, it is a useful platform for many sectors of the Indian industry to reach out to each other. We're grateful to members of the Indian industry for their help and support in development of the minisite,” he added.

GSI has been serving through Mumbai in India, since the summer of 2006, and its business now serves both export and local sectors. Mr. Gershburg said that "The minisite concept has been used by many non-jewellery companies. We believe this is its first application in the jewellery industry. This approach allows us to offer more Indian-directed services online without overcomplicating our main site. It also shows our dedication and strong belief in the future of the Indian jewellery industry."