Beijing's largest diamond marketplace "Make Lumer Shopping Plaza" opened for business during the New Year's Day holiday.

With a floor space of 10,000 square meters and located in Solana, M&L plaza, they offer diamond categories that could be 20 times that of traditional diamond shopping centers. And it also offers buy-back services for diamonds with a weight more than 0.3 carat.

Industry statistics show China, which saw a 15 percent growth of diamond consumption last year, is the only country that experienced an increase in diamond consumption in the global financial crisis.

China has been a major consumer for diamonds in the world. The transaction value of Shanghai Diamond Exchange, the only diamond exchange in China, reached US$1.37 billion in 2008.

(chinadaily.com.cn January 5, 2010)