Warning to all operators in the jewelry world: the Asian market is in excellent health, as demonstrated by the recent Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair. The student protests, in fact, did not prevent a record number of exhibitors and buyers from all over the world. Some numbers: 3,695 exhibitors from 49 countries and regions, divided between the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre for finished jewelry, and the Asia World Expo for diamonds, precious stones and pearls. Result: 59,116 unique buyers from 157 countries and regions, with an increase of 12% compared to last year. And some say that Asia buys less… On the contrary, the growth in the number of visitors from Asia was 17% compared to last year’s edition. Not only that: in this edition, for the first time, the number of visitors from China (18,310) exceeded the number of visitors from Hong Kong (17,079). The ranking of visitor origins then sees those from India, the United States, Taiwan, Thailand, Japan, the Philippines, Korea and Indonesia. This is also due to the great variety of products and materials present: resin, silver, titanium, bronze, palladium, gold, platinum, crystals, diamonds, pearls, precious stones. And this year, the pavilion dedicated to diamonds was the largest in the world. The three main areas were the Hong Kong Premier Pavilion, with 37 high-end local companies, the International Premier Pavilion, with 70 brands from 21 countries, and the Fine Design Pavilion, with another 74 global brands. The large Thailand pavilion was very crowded, with silver workmanship and sophisticated gold creations.
Difficult, due to the large number of exhibitors, to draw a trend line. As always in Asia, jade continues to be among the favorite elements. Tanzanite and blue topaz are very popular, as was tourmaline, especially green and pink. Colored diamonds are always in demand. Amber has attracted the attention of many Chinese buyers, who have greatly appreciated jewelry inspired by nature, especially flowers and birds. “To learn about upcoming market trends and meet serious jewelry professionals, the September Fair is an event that can be missed” was the comment of Massimiliano Arostinini, partner of Picador of Arezzo.
