Industry Outlook with David Brough: September

30 Sep 2024

By David Brough

Exhibitors at Jewellery & Gem WORLD Hong Kong talk of softer Chinese attendance 

Jewellery & Gem WORLD Hong Kong, which ran until September 22, saw buoyant overall attendance, but exhibitors spoke of a softer turnout by Chinese buyers compared to previous editions.

Buyers flew into the Hong Kong September show from across the world to restock their stores and factories before the festive season.

A key question facing the organisers, Informa Markets Jewellery, was the number and quality of Chinese buyers visiting the show, as the event is a leading buying opportunity for mainland Chinese retailers and wholesalers.

Footfall overall was steady across the two venues, AsiaWorld-Expo (AWE) and the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC), despite a mid-autumn Chinese festival which kept some people away at the start of the fair, and a typhoon in Shanghai which led to a rescheduling of flights.

However, the main concern was the impact of a slow Chinese economy on jewellery and gemstone demand.

The Hong Kong September show offered a vast array of products from the latest fine jewellery designs, to loosediamonds and gemstones, machinery and accessories.

With more than 3,300 exhibitors, the September event has consolidated its position as the world’s largest jewellery trade show.

“It’s a ‘must-attend’ show for Just Diamonds,” said Dinesh Parekh of NAJ member, Birmingham-based Just Diamonds, a wholesaler and importer. 

“We believe that no other show has the ‘whole package’, in terms of choice, price, new products, and so on.”  

Highlights of the fair included panels on sustainability, including discussions on moving towards more responsible practices in natural diamond manufacturing and coloured gemstone mining, and on efforts to safeguard cultured pearls in their marine environment.

Jacques Christophe Branellec, CEO of pearl supplier Jewelmer, talked of a constructive cultured pearls market driven by buoyant Asian demand, amid challenges on the supply side, in part due to climate change.

A highlight at the show was a 16.92-carat vivid natural yellow, flawless radiant square natural diamond, presented by Surat-based diamond crafter Venus Jewel.

Vicenzaoro September show unfolds in upbeat mood against the backdrop of reconstruction works

The September edition of Vicenzaoro, celebrating its 70th anniversary, unfolded in upbeat mood with little impact seen from reconstruction works under way to expand the show’s capacity.

Visitors noticed that some routes inside the show had changed, re-positioning exhibitors, but they quickly adapted to the new layout which was well signposted with frequent “Info” points and ready availability of maps.

The ongoing 60 million euros project in the Vicenzaorodistrict, is expected to add 20 percent capacity to Italy’s premier jewellery trade event, organised by Italian Exhibition Group (IEG), which ran from September 6-10.

The plan is for the T.GOLD machinery and new technologies exhibition to go under the same roof as the rest of the exhibitors.

Vicenzaoro is a showcase for both “Made in Italy” gold and silver jewellery exporters, and for jewellery suppliers from around the world.

The event attracted buyers from key importers of “Made in Italy” semi-finished and finished jewellery, such as Turkey, and from those seeking to re-stock the latest jewellery designs, watches, loose gemstones and accessories, arriving from the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Europe and elsewhere.

Events and panel discussions

Well-attended events included a session staged by Paola De Luca, Creative Director of TRENDVISION, which introduced the Trend Book 2026+ and examined key design trends, and a discussion about the Heritage of Tomorrow, featuring Luca Iacomucci, a high jewellery designer at Louis Vuitton.

Attendance at Vicenzaoro September was broadly stable and in line with the previous year’s show, including a sharp increase in visitors from Europe.

Visitors from a total of 132 countries attended the fair.

The number of visitors from Europe increased to 63.37% (compared to 52% in September last year), led by Spain, France and Germany, while those from Asia and the Middle East reached 21% (17% in 2023), IEG said in a statement. 

Source: David Brough