September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair in Pictures

The annual dragon dance that opens the fair.

HONG KONG — It’s the largest fine jewelry tradeshow in the world and it has become the most important event for the worldwide jewelry industry. The September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair lacks the product introductions, fashion trends and the glitz and glamor of Baselworld and the Las Vegas jewelry shows. But when it comes to the business of buying and selling, there's nothing that compares.

Etienne Perret's ceramic jewelry.

“This is the meats and potatoes that fill jewelry store shelves all over the world,” said U.S.-based independent jewelry designer, Etienne Perret, a longtime buyer at the show who was exhibiting for the first time.

My Hong Kong friend Payal Shah, owner of L'Dezen Jewellery showing her diamond earrings.

In some ways it’s a difficult show to cover. Few exhibitors are interested in discussing their products or the jewelry business in general. I spent much of my time arguing with exhibitors about taking pictures of their products. One threatened to call security even though I was authorized to take photos.

I managed to take plenty of pictures anyway as well as get a good overview of the enormity and importance of the show and how Asia has become the most important jewelry market in the world. Stories that I wrote about the show (which runs till September 25) can be read on the JewelleryNetAsia website. There will be more stories appearing on Forbes.com and the Financial Times newspaper. For my site, I decided to take a more visual approach by presenting a pictorial of the show. Enjoy.

Tara and Sons pearl display.

Jeweled sculpture by Stone Young, owner of Handosy Jewelry Co. of Guangzhou, China. He said it was inspired by Noah's Ark.

Colored gemstone jewelry from Chinese retailer Enzo.

Jewelry from Stefan Hafner

Coral sculptures by Lucoral's of Taiwan.

Will New Jewelry Show Compete With Baselworld?

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Wolfram Diener (center) reading a prepared statement during a press conference at the September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

HONG KONG — The competition among the numerous jewelry tradeshows around the world is fierce. So when a new show appears on the international calendar, one can’t help but notice which show will it be competing against.

UBM Asia has announced that it is entering the European market with Jewellery & Gem Fair – JGF Europe 2014, to be held in April 1 - 4, 2014 at the Messe Freiburg Exhibition and Convention Centre in Freiburg, Germany.

Wolfram Diener, senior VP, UBM Asia, Ltd., who made the announcement Thursday during a press conference at the September Hong KongJewellery & Gem Fair, made it a point to note its convenience to major jewelry trading hubs, such as Antwerp, Paris and Vicenza. What it’s really close to in both timing and distance is Baselworld, the world’s largest and most important watch and jewelry fair held in Basel, Switzerland. The two cities are so close that I stayed in Freiburg two years ago while attending Baselworld.

Diener downplayed that the new tradeshow will compete with Baselworld for exhibitors and buyers.

“It wouldn’t be our notion to rely on any other exhibitions for our success and lack of success and we expect that we can draw exhibitors or buyers from another show,” he said. “I think we have to build our own success. As for the timing of the event, it’s really difficult with a full calendar of jewelry tradeshows to not clash or be close to any other shows.”

However, a UBM official told me afterward that JGF Europe is most likely positioned to indeed compete with Baselworld. If this is true, then it will be the battle of titans. The September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair, which UBM owns, is the largest fine jewelry tradeshow in the world. However, as already noted, Baselworld is the largest watch and jewelry show in the world. It is also the world’s most prestigious tradeshow and it is where trends are set in the watch and jewelry world each year.

One thing that the new show will not be involved with, at least at this time, is watches, which is the lifeblood of Baselworld.

There are plenty of jewelry trade fairs in Europe but Diener says that the continent lacks “a real and comprehensive sourcing fair.” This new show is an attempt to fill this void.

“JGF Europe is positioned as high efficiency, high level, face-to-face jewelry business platform that will create real business value for the international suppliers and buyers,” he said. “It’s going to be a comprehensive jewelry show with jewelry, raw material and packaging and equipment”, he said. “It’s going to be a good balance of European and non-European exhibitors. That will be refreshingly different from other shows in Europe.”

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Early Reports at Hong Kong Jewelry Fair: Moderate Sales, Moderate Optimism and Diverse Offerings

Buyers crowd around a Japanese Pearl dealer.

HONG KONG — Acres of diamonds, miles of pearls and nearly every gemstone on earth were on display during the second day of the SeptemberHong Kong Jewellery & Gem tradeshow.

I arrived for the second day and while the show had a slow comfortable pace early, by afternoon the aisles were jammed with buyers. This is the first part of the two-tier tradeshow. The first being held now (September 19-23) at the Asia World Expo Centre for raw jewelry making materials along with technical equipment and packaging. The finished jewelry portion of the show, which attracts the most attention, will open Thursday and run till September 25 at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre near the center of this bustling, business-minded city.

An assortment of gemstones from Marcel Poncet.

Jewelry manufacturers from around the world are the primary buyers at the Asia World Expo portion of what has become the world’s largest fine jewelry show, finding equipment and materials to meet their diverse needs.

One person representing a Filipino-based gold jewelry manufacturer said he was happy with the compact size and technological advancements in the new laser soldering machines at the show and was ready to purchase.

A pearl jewelry manufacturer from Hawaii said she was easily able to find the types of pearls she needed for her market. Hawaii depends on tourism, particularly from Asia and the U.S. She said in recession has left only the high-end Asian market and the low-end U.S. market.

“The middle has disappeared,” she said. She was also a bit perplexed by the cost of pearls these days. All pearls have risen in price dramatically she said, noting as an example that an average-sized golden South Seas pearl costs about $3,000.

Coral art displays from Lucoral's of Taiwan.

According to reports, the first day of the show was on the moderate side but diamond dealers are cautiously optimistic, citing recoveries in both the China and U.S. market. Leibish Polnauer, founder and CEO of Leibish & Co., a fancy-colored diamond company, said one- to three-carat fancy light yellow diamonds have been popular lately because they present a value.

“The world is not coming to an end,” Polnauer said. “They (Chinese consumers) maybe making less money then they made a couple of months ago but they made money and they’re happy and they’re looking forward to enjoy what they made. The American market altogether is improving.”

He continued, “I think the show has a better momentum than the last one (held in June). “The prices (of diamonds) are settled and with the fancy colored stones, there’s no downturn at all…. In general the mood in America is not bad and in China, it’s getting back from the temporary slowdown they experienced in the summer and I think the jewelry consumption will go up.”

Diamond dealers at the show and on the flight arriving to the event said large statement diamonds continue to be popular as an investment for wealthy consumers.

JNA Awards Ceremony Honors Jewelry Industry Leaders and Innovators

JNA Award winners

Leung Sik Wah and Wallace Chan received special honors at the JNA Awards, held Thursday at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. They were among 16 people honored for innovation and leadership in the jewelry trade. 

The awards and ceremony were organized by Jewellery News Asia, Asia’s leading jewelry industry publication, as part of the September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair. The grand affair, only in its second year, was attended by more than 500 persons and lived up to the billing  of “one of the industry’s most important and much-anticipated nights.” 

Leung was honored with the prestigious “Lifetime Achievement Award” for transforming Hong Kong and Asia into a major jewelry trading and retailing hub. Leung was also instrumental in establishing the Hong Kong Diamond Bourse, and is currently Honorary Life President of the Diamond Federation of Hong Kong and Chairman of the Hong Kong Jewellers’ & Goldsmiths’ Association.

Chan was the first recipient of the “Outstanding Contribution of the Year Award,” recognizing his unique talent and creativity, and for placing his works and Asia on the global haute joaillerie scene. Acclaimed industry-wide as a “carving genius,” Chan remains, to date, the only Asian artist to be invited to the prestigious Paris Biennale des Antiquaires show.

Other recipients of the JNA Awards 2013 are:

* Brand of the Year – Retail: Luk Fook Holdings (International) Ltd

* Employer of the Year: Jewelmer International Corporation and Shree Ramkrishna Exports Pvt Ltd

* E-Tailer of the Year: Plukka (HK) Ltd

* Industry Innovation of the Year – Manufacturing – Business: China Stone Ltd

* Industry Innovation of the Year – Manufacturing – Technology: Shenzhen United BlueOcean Technology Development Co Ltd

* Manufacturer of the Year – Coloured Gemstone Cutting & Polishing: China Stone Ltd

* Manufacturer of the Year – Diamond Cutting & Polishing: Shree Ramkrishna Exports Pvt Ltd

* Manufacturer of the Year – Gem-Set Jewellery: Shenzhen Xingguangda Jewellery Industrial Co Ltd

* Manufacturer of the Year – Precious Metals-Only Jewellery: 3D Kaiente Jewellery Co Ltd

* Outstanding Enterprise of the Year – India: Kiran Gems Pvt Ltd

* Outstanding Enterprise of the Year – Mainland China: ttf HAUTE JOAILLERIE

* Retailer of the Year: Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group Ltd

* Sustainability Initiative of the Year: Dharmanandan Diamonds Pvt Ltd and Pranda Group

* Young Entrepreneur of the Year (Age 40 and below): Zhou Defen, Shenzhen Yuehao Jewelry Co Ltd

The real winner Thursday night may have been JNA Awards. It’s rare that a young program such as this has gained such international importance. But it has and there is still has plenty of room to grow.

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3.37-Carat Pinkish Purple Diamond On View at Hong Kong Jewelry Fair

The "Purple Orchid" diamond

A fancy intense pinkish purple VS2 diamond will be shown to the public for the first time during the September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair. The 3.37-carat gem, named the “Purple Orchid,” has an asking price of $4 million, or nearly $1.2 million per carat. Leibish & Co., an Israeli firm that owns the diamond, says it’s a “once-in-a-lifetime” find.

The diamond will be on view at the AsiaWorld-Expo near Hong Kong International Airport September 15 – 19. The jewelry tradeshow is only open to qualified jewelry professionals. The Hong Kong jewelry show is also located at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre from September 17 – 21. 

Leibish & Co., which sells its fancy colored diamonds and jewelry online at www.leibish.com, says the gem originated from an unnamed South African mine, one of the very few in the world where purple diamonds can be found. The company purchased the diamond as a rough of more than 4 carats and spent four months cutting and polishing the gem.

Leibish Polnauer, president of Leibish & Co., says it is a “once-in-a-lifetime” find. “There is nothing more unique on the market right now than color diamonds, and this incredible purple diamond is more than a cut above the rest. There are very, very few diamonds on the market above 3 carats with purple as the main color, which is what makes this exquisite diamond so rare.”

There isn’t a lot of documentation on how purple diamonds get their color, but it is believed that it is the combination of crystal lattice distortion (which is also involved in the creation of pink diamonds) and high amounts of hydrogen.

Leibish & Co also views this diamond as a fashion-forward statement as it says the color of the diamond is associated with “Radiant Orchid,” the Pantone color of year for 2014.

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September Hong Kong Jewelry Show Opens More Space, Adds More Programs

The dragon dance that opened the 2012 September Hong Kong Fair. Photo credit: Anthony DeMarco

It’s difficult to imagine the world’s largest jewelry show adding more space but it has. The  September Hong Kong Jewelry & Gem Fair will occupy 135,000 square meters of exhibition space, making it the largest edition ever.

The tradeshow will be held September 11 - 15 at AsiaWorld-Expo for jewelry-making materials and machinery and September 13 -17 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre for finished jewelry. The tradeshow, owned and operated by UBM Asia, will host more than 3,500 exhibitors from 48 countries and regions and is expected to attract around 52,000 visitors from around the world.

Visitor pre-registration is now available by following this link. The fair’s Mobile App is also available for download.

The Trade Buyer ID project was rolled out in June 2012 to make registering at UBM Asia’s jewelry fairs in Hong Kong and China easier. It now allows direct access to all of UBM Asia's jewelry fairs around the world. Instead of getting an admission badge for each jewelry fair, visitors can present the Trade Buyer ID Card and walk directly into their chosen fairs. As of today, over 10,000 jewelry buyers from 92 countries and regions have received Trade Buyer ID Cards.

For those who have yet to upgrade their visitor’s badge, all they need to do is to bring their identity documents and visit the Trade Buyer ID Card service counter at the fair to receive the new card. The new Trade Buyer ID Card is valid until December 2015.

This year, the fair will host 22 group pavilions spanning over two world-class venues. Groups represented are from Antwerp, Brazil, China, Columbia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Poland, Singapore, Spain, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the United States, and the International Colored Gemstone Association. There will also be a bigger antique and vintage jewelry section.

Russia’s Alrosa Group, the world’s biggest diamond miner by volume, will launch its first diamond auction at the tradeshow. In addition, a series of events focused on Japanese pearls will be staged, including pearl seminars and a fair reception, sponsored by the Japan Pearl Promotion Society and the Japan Pearl Exporters’ Association. The Fair will again feature the world’s largest diamond pavilion, Asia’s biggest gemstone marketplace and the biggest display of Hong Kong jewelry in the world.

AWE will display jewelry raw materials from approximately 1,700 exhibitors from around the world, while HKCEC will showcase fine finished jewelry from around 1,900 international fine jewelry exhibitors.

The Fair is open to jewelry trade professionals and members of the press. Free admission will be granted to visitors who present their business cards or official invitation together with Hong Kong Identity Card/ Exit-entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macau/ National passport. Visitors under 18 will not be admitted.

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Bhatt and Boyajian Named as Judges for JNA Awards

Nirupa Bhatt

Nirupa Bhatt, managing director of Gemological Institute of America in India and the Middle East, and Bill Boyajian, founder and president of Bill Boyajian & Associates, round out the panel of judges for the JNA Awards. 

Bill Boyajian

The annual awards program, now in its third year, pays tribute and recognizes companies and individuals that have demonstrated excellence, strong corporate and social responsibility, and set high standards in the Asian jewelry and gemstone trade. The awards program is organized by Jewellery News Asia, the largest and most important jewelry trade publication in Asia.

They will join James Courage, CEO of Platinum Guild International; Albert Cheng, managing director of the World Gold Council, Far East; and Lin Qiang, president and managing director of the Shanghai Diamond Exchange as judges.

Bhatt has received several global honors for her contributions to the gemstone and jewelry industry. Her role with GIA has taken her to over 60 locations across India, Turkey and the Middle East. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the All India Gem and Jewellery Trade Federation, and Gem and Jewellery Skill Council of India, as well as an invitee to the marketing committee of the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council. It is the second consecutive year she served as a judge for the JNA Awards.

Boyajian was president of the GIA from 1986 to 2006 and is one of the global gem and jewelry industry's most well-known experts. With Bill Boyajian & Associates, Inc., he consults for a variety of companies both in and out of the jewelry trade. He is author of the book “Developing the Mind of a Leader - Your Path to Lead and Inspire People,” and is a sought-after speaker and coach.

The JNA Awards 2014 will culminate with a ceremony and gala dinner on September 16, at the InterContinental Hong Kong, during the September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair. The Awards has Rio Tinto Diamonds and Chow Tai Fook as “Headline Partners,” with Diarough Group, Gubelin Group, Israel Diamond Institute, KARP Group, Paspaley Pearling Company and SDE as “Honoured Partners.”

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