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Dubai Claims New World Record With $6 Million 5.5km Gold Chain
By Kitco NewsWednesday January 7, 2015 12:19 PM
(Kitco News) - As promised, Dubai has done it again!
The Dubai Gold and Jewellery Group along with the Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment have set a Guinness World Record for the longest hand-made gold chain.
The 5.522-kilometer, 22-carat gold chain, named the “Dubai Celebration Chain,” was unveiled earlier this week as part of the 20th anniversary of the Dubai Shopping Festival. 
According to media reports, the chain weighs 256 kilograms (8,230.6 ounces) and is valued at almost $6 million dollars. The chain has more than four million links and it took 100 craftsmen 45 days – working 10 hours per day – to complete the unique piece for the Jan. 5 deadline.
“It was a painstaking task but we have completed it and we are very proud to add another world record to Dubai,” said Chandu Siroya, managing director of Siroya Jewellers and chairman of the jewelry group, in an interview with The National, an Abu Dhabi English-language publication.
The plan to create the world record chain was first unveiled in late November and has since attracted a lot of attention. The jewelry group reported that 60% of the chain, which is being offered in segments to consumers, has been pre-sold already.
According to media reports, the group has also said that jewelry sales during the festival have increased significantly this year compared to the previous year as consumer take advantage of sales promotions and lower gold prices.
The previous record for the longest gold chain was set in 1999 at 4.28km and was also part of a promotional event for the Dubai Shopping Festival.
By Neils Christensen of Kitco News; nchristensen@kitco.com
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