REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, DENPASAR - Bali craftsmen remodel imported jewelries and gemstones before exporting them abroad. Yet, Made Muliarta, a silver jewelry businessman in Bali said that remodeling  gave added value to those jewelries and gemstones. The process makes the export value higher that the import itself. 

"After remodeling, the imported jewelries are exported to other countries. No wonder that Bali becomes an international market for jewelries," Muliarta said recently.

According to Statistics Indonesia, the value of jewelries exported from Bali reached five million USD in January 2014, while the value of imported jewelries was 1.6 million USD. 

Bali exports its jewelries mainly to Singapore (37.38 percent), Hong Kong (18.29 percent) and United States (10.90 percent). The import of imitation jewelries usually comes from China to be sold at low prices. While the imported gemstones usually comes from Thailand or European countries. 

But foreign buyers including tourists also love local gemstones such as from Sumatra or Kalimantan. Many of them even like to wear jewelries believed to have superstitious power.  

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