Expectations among exhibitors were high as the IIJS Signature commenced on Friday in Mumbai. Though early signs seemed to indicate that the pressures of the global economic turmoil and a weak rupee continued to be a dampener, many voiced the hope that visitor traffic would pick up over the weekend.%% Noting that the organizers had already pre-registered over 6,000 domestic visitors and were expecting to host about 500 foreign visitors including trade delegations from Turkey, Pakistan, Nepal, Uzbekistan and other countries, GJEPC Chairman Rajiv Jain expressed confidence that the show would be positive.%% This year the IIJS Signature, now in its 5th edition, and the second in Mumbai, has nearly 450 exhibitors occupying 750 booths. The booths are divided into five sections – Signature Club, Loose Stones, Gold Jewellery, Studded Jewellery and International Pavilions.%% Speaking at the inauguration, Jain noted that the high prices of gold and the falling rupee had affected business over the last few months, but added that there was a ‘silver lining’ in the fact that the Christmas season in the US had ended positively. He stressed the importance of innovation and creativity in product and design, and urged different segments of the pipeline to come together and launch generic promotions for diamonds and jewellery so that “we can reach out to new consumer segments and new markets”.%% The show was inaugurated by DTC’s Varda Shine, who told the audience that the diamond industry had an unbelievable future, and that India was very central to it both as the largest manufacturer and a very important market. Though there were some immediate problems, she urged the industry to get ready ‘to take advantage of the good times’ by putting in place a steady supply chain mechanism with strong financial grounding. Creative and innovative designs of the sort that were displayed at IIJS Signature were also important to enhance the appeal of diamond jewellery.%% Next year the IIJS Signature will shift to February 22-25, 2013 and is expected to be about 20 per cent bigger.%%