DW SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2019

Trade Fair
The 2019 edition of the
September Hong Kong
Jewellery & Gem Fair – the
biggest marketplace for the global
jewellery community – presented a
wide selection of diamonds, coloured
gemstones and pearls as it opened its
doors at the AsiaWorld-Expo (AWE).
The show featured 30 group
pavilions and 25 theme zones, with
precious materials at the AWE from
September 16 to 20, and unveiled
finished jewellery collections,
packaging solutions, tools and
equipment, and industry-related
technologies at the Hong Kong
Convention & Exhibition Centre
(HKCEC) from September 18 to 22.
A lot has been at stake for the
September Hong Kong fair given the
current political unrest. Speculations
were rife about the prospect of the
show because of the ongoing local
protests against the government and
the US-China trade war. There had
been requests from the GJEPC as
well as the Antwerp Diamond Centre
to postpone the show, but Informa
Markets, which organizes the show
rejected the requests as the continuity
of the show was important for the
health of the local businesses.
As many companies avoided
participating and some buyers too did
not participate in the show because
of the local protests, the expectation
as such was below average. The show
marked its beginning with far less
visitors as compared to the previous
years, but exhibitors claimed that
the response has not been bad. The
gemstone pavilion was especially
buzzing with serious activity. All the
major international brands including
Full Richmond Group were seen on
the floor buying.
Response for loose diamonds was
relatively slow but exhibitors were
optimistic. Buyers were heard saying
that many exhibitors didn’t display
big stones or high price merchandise
because of insurance issues. Hence
a lot of small goods, stones with low
colour and clarity were on display.
The local players were happy that
the show took place amidst all the
tension – had it not happened, it
would’ve been worse and resulted in
recession in an already slow market,
they said. The show will definitely
aid in bringing more business and
will keep the offices busy for the next
couple of months, the locals said.
Considering this is the last show of
the year, and as it is positioned ahead
of festive season, it definitely worked
as an impetus to the markets that is
currently going through a slowdown.
“Jewellery & Gem World Hong
Kong remains the ultimate meeting
place for the global jewellery
industry,” said David Bondi, Senior
Vice President – Asia at Informa
Markets. “What’s happening in Hong
Kong now and the uncertainties in
the global economy are affecting us
in a certain way. Visitor turnout was
down but traffic quality was up. We
did receive positive compliments from
exhibitors and high-quality visitors
who engaged in serious trading at the
show.”
Visitor numbers from China saw the
biggest drop compared with year-ago
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