São Paulo – Bortoluzzi Pedras, a company from the Brazilian city of Soledade, exports ornamental stone and among its international clients are Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. The company sells amethyst, citrine, calcite, agate and crystals for use in decoration and collections. Of the company sales, 95% go abroad, according to one of the partners, Gilberto Luiz Bortoluzzi.
North America, Europe and China are the main markets and answer to 90% of the business volume. The Arabs only buy occasionally. The fact that the stones are turned to decoration and not for cutting – for use in jewellery – may be one of the reasons for the slight exports to the region.
"I believe that they buy more stones for cutting,” said Gilberto. But the company has never invested in the market and sales are through contacts made by the importers themselves.
Bortoluzzi Pedras buys stone and processes and resells it. It also processes the rough stone for sale. The products, says Gilberto, come mainly from the northern region of Rio Grande do Sul, from the city of Ametista do Sul and its surrounding areas, where many gemstones may be found. The sizes most sold are from one to 100 kilograms. But the company also sells stones of up to 15 tonnes or those weighing less than one kilogram.
Gilberto says that exports have been maintained in recent months, but that they should drop this year due to the crisis in Europe and the United States. He explains that as the product is not one of primary need, it tends to be affected by the crisis.
Bortoluzzi Pedras has its headquarters in Soledade and a branch in Rio de Janeiro. In July this year, the company also inaugurated a private museum in Gramado, a tourist city in the Gaúcha Mountain Range, where it exhibits ornamental stones. Together, the three units employ around 30 people. Bortoluzzi is a family business and its management is in the second generation of the family. The city of Soledade is a hub for trade of ornamental stone.
Contact
Bortoluzzi Pedras
Telephone: (+55 54) 3381-2866
Site: www.bortoluzzipedras.com.br
E-mail: bortoluzzi@bortoluzzipedras.com.br
*Translated by Mark Ament
