A real gem

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Gem stones are being incorporated into luxury design.

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Amazing Stone is incorporating semi-precious stones into luxury interior design. General Manager Roger Borro talks about the new trend dazzling the property industry.

Interior decoration is sure not what it used to be. The days of hiring someone to simply paper your walls are long gone. Now, owners of up-market homes and offices are buying semi-precious stones from Madagasca to add a touch of pizzazz to properties.

"There has been a change in the market over the last 10 years. Before, only massive high-rise developments and villas were being built. Now, developments are of a much higher quality and these buildings are definitely more fashion-orientated," says Roger Borro, General Manager of Amazing Stone LLC.

Amazing Stone began operating in 2004 under the sponsorship of Salah Khamas Group, run by a Dubai-based family, with an initial investment of US$2 million.

The company has seen rapid growth of 60% with sales forecasts for 2008 dubbed to reach US$6 million, according to Borro. The family-run company still own 51% and claim to be the exclusive distributor of their product to the Middle East market.

"We have set our growth standard by an increasing rate of 40%-60% per year due to loyal customers and partners, and our high profits in 2008 are further proof of our ability to deliver exceptional pieces that compliment the interior design of any building," he says.

The company's current success is perhaps of no real surprise. Some of the stones are 200 million years old and inevitably sell at a high price.

While Borro refused to say how much individual clients pay for the stone creations, prices range from US$3,000-US$3,500 a sq m depending on the stone, quantity and the finish.

"We target the high-level market. Semi-precious stones cannot be compared to stone, marble or granite. We are in the upper-level and it's all hand-made. We use beautiful stones for rich clients who want something unique and personal," says Borro.

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