Working with local Indian manufacturers, the government of Antwerp recently dispatched an 11-person relief team to India to help victims of the earthquake there. The team is headed by a doctor from the University of Antwerp and is backed up by two ambulances, a mobile hospital, and local relief workers.

A fund has been established by local Indian diamantaires to support the team and other relief efforts, and supporters hope to raise $5 million. “When a calamity like this occurs, we remember our home country,” says Mehul Khotari, one of the diamantaires helping the effort. U.S. retailers who would like to contribute to Indian earthquake relief efforts can contact the Indian Diamond and Jewelry Industry Charitable Foundation, c/o The Indian Diamond and Colorstone Association, 56 W. 45th St., Room 705, New York, NY 10036; (212) 921-4488, fax (212) 768-7935, e-mail: idca@worldnet.att.net .