Keen participation from visitors and enthusiasm amongst buyers continued through day two of the US & International Diamond Week. Exhibiting diamantaires as well as buyers gave positive feedback and reported that business deals were made. There were almost 600 buyers from some 22 countries lending to the welcome crowd.

Reuven Kaufman, president of the Diamond Dealers Club of New York, said that the trading floor once again was fulfilling its traditional role. "It's the ultimate meeting place for local dealers, many of whom do not know each other, as well as for buyers who want get the whole width and breadth of the market's goods on offer in one location: on the floor. We did not re-invent the wheel, this concept is a simply a successful recalibration," Kaufman stated.

Rony Ethani, of Regent Diamonds, said these type of events not only bring back memories of a long past tradition during which the trading floor was the heart of the diamond trade, but also prove that change can be achieved. "If you make this a permanent feature on our annual calendar, we can build new business initiatives around it," he said.

A special breakfast was hosted by the Israel Diamond Exchange management to honor visiting DDC members and other visiting American buyers. In the exchange trading hall, the Italian jewelry designer and manufacturer Roberto Coin and Gaetano Cavalieri, president of CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, addressed participants, emphasizing the important of the ongoing relationships and mutual interest between Israeli diamantaires and Italian jewelers."It all comes down to one thing," Coin told the hall. "You always have to strive to do better."

During the day, Kaufman was awarded Honorary IDE membership. Eli Izhakoff, who is, among others, a past DDC president, introduced Kaufman. Stating that Kaufman has been one of the chief engines behind the Diamond Week initiative, Izhakoff emphasized the long-time interdependence and cooperation between the two centers and praised the DDC's president for his vision and the fruitful cooperation with IDE president Yair Sahar. At noon, the bourse management hosted the Italian buyers' delegation for a brunch.

Continuing with the tradition of the Diamond Week, the day concluded with a lecture program hosting speakers - industry analyst Chaim Even Zohar discussing the diamond industry's challenges, and John King, GIA's chief quality officer, who spoke about "Color Diamonds: A System Development Update."