Hong Kong plays gong

Asia is still the Mecca of jewelry? The Chinese continue to buy bracelets and necklaces made in Italy? The pulse of the market has been monitored at the Hong Kong International Jewellery Show, the largest trade show of the Asian sector, for some years a magnet for many companies of Italian jewelry. The organizers of the event just ended talk of encouraging results: last year the number of buyers who visited the first edition of 2015 (76 000 people from 140 countries) grew by 2%. A double-digit increase recorded, however, the participation of some markets such as the United States, Italy, United Kingdom and Japan. Shine delegations of American jewelry companies, which have managed to organize 50 events in four days. A positive surprise, among the economic uncertainties in Europe, are the statements of the Director of Federorafi, Steven Tranquilli, the signs of recovery of the national retail, with a propensity to purchase items of medium-high. So, crisis averted? With this perspective, the aim is to organize a delegation of 50 Italian retailers for next year. According to a survey of 1,206 buyers and exhibitors, mainland China remains a key market to explore, and although the colorless diamond of one carat, round cut  will continue to be the most stone sought after, pearls will be the emerging trend. Federico Graglia