a world-wide market presence A great variety of products are produced and sold by the galeria cano, of which the most notable are 24 carat gold-plated and 18 carat gold reproductions, pieces based on prehispanic designs and assembled with precious and semi-precious stones. The Galeria respects the ancient precolumbian tradition by working with the world's finest emeralds, and the most select semi-precious stones, amongst which may be mentioned quartz, cornelian, agate, jasper, onyx, sodalite and amethyst. These are cut, perforated and polished to obtain a large variety of sizes and forms, later made into necklaces with the most delightful precolumbian replicas. Accessories such as belts and scarves and luxury editions of books are all related to prehispanic art and the work of indigenous artisans. Catering to the needs of a dynamic and growing clientele, galeria cano creates at their demand exclusive jewels and has developed, a costume jewelry product line, which combines the evolving trends of world design, with the imagination embodied by precolumbian ancestry. Handicraft production by the country's native groups, rural and urban artisans, has been supported by the galeria cano. This work was begun by the Galeria's organizing two national handicrafts contests, which served to underline the importance of the varied colombian ethnic value systems, and the need to work toward the conservation of traditional cultural standards. To achieve these ends the galeria cano promotes and sells indigenous art; exclusive pieces made by artisans in ceramic, wood, leather and various textiles, which highlight the aesthetic value of each artifact and improve the living standard of the colombian craftsman. At the international level, galeria cano has been present in the USA market for last 15 years, through its Trump Tower store in New York. In France its products are marketed at the world-known Galeries Lafayette stores and French National Museums, which include the Louvre Museum of Paris. The Galeria Cano store in Caracas attends the Venezuela consumer, one of Latin America's main markets. A wide circle of clients is maintained in all five continents, in countries as diverse as Ecuador, Cuba, Guatemala, Spain, Greece, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and England. From the start, galeria cano has participated in the most important European and American trade fairs. At the 1992 Seville World Fair it took charge of the exhibition and sale of the most exclusive colombian products.