MAN ON THE MOVE - Huge attendance as HKTDC Hong Kong jewellery and gem shows return after pandemic

07 Mar 2023

By David Brough

HONG KONG – Vast crowds crammed into the March 1-5 HKTDC Hong Kong jewellery and gem shows, which reopened for the first time in more than three years since the pandemic.

The strong turnout signalled buoyant orders as trade buyers from around the world restocked an array of goods, ranging from diamond jewellery to gold and silver jewellery, antique jewellery, loose diamonds and gemstones, and accessories.

The event, organised by HKTDC (Hong Kong Trade Development Council), felt like one show, but comprised two fairs running side by side, the HKTDC Hong Kong International Jewellery Show and the Hong Kong International Diamond, Gem & Pearl Show. 

The big attendance augured well for the more than 2,400 exhibitors, with the mood boosted by the lifting of a mandate to wear masks in Hong Kong from March 1, the latest move to ease travel restrictions after the pandemic.

The Hong Kong show took place in the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, in the Wan Chai business district, over five floors connected by escalators and divided into different jewellery and gemstone market segments.

Winston Chow, director of Hong Kong jewellery retail group Chow Sang Sang Holdings International, who addressed an HKTDC-organised press briefing, quoted figures from show organisers that Hong Kong fine jewellery exports had jumped by 18 percent to USD 9.1 billion in 2022, compared with before the pandemic in 2019.

Exports from Hong Kong of pearls, gemstones and rough diamonds were up 20 percent to USD 20.295 billion in 2022 versus 2019, pre-pandemic.

The Hong Kong show was one of the largest jewellery trade events so far this year, in terms of visitor and exhibitor numbers.

UK-based exhibitor Town Talk Polish reported brisk enquiries from retailers in Asia and elsewhere.

“It’s our first time back for three years, so we were a little bit cautious about how it would go, but it has been a nice big show. We have kept busy,” said Andrew Smyth, Managing Director of Town Talk Polish, which has a factory in Bolton that manufactures jewellery care products.

London-based Nilufer Kizilkaya, owner of GFG Jewellery, which offers gem-set jewellery, said she had had a busy show seeking to buy coloured gemstones.

The antique jewellery hall was buzzing, with Mayfair, London-based John Souglides showcasing a 1970s David Webb suite featuring 85 carats of unheated Ceylon sapphires.

By David Brough