The 2009 Shanghai International Diamond and Jewelry fair have opened in east China's largest metropolis. The annual event is the largest trade fair among pearl and jewelry exhibitions in China.

Defying the global recession, the fair has broadened its exhibition area to 23-thousand square meters, a 25 percent increase from that of the previous year.

Exhibitors from 15 countries and regions, including China, Belgium, Thailand and Switzerland, are in Shanghai. They will present an extensive variety of jewelry, diamonds, pearls, silver, gold, precious stones, watches, as well as packaging materials, manufacturing machinery and gemstone identification instruments.