September Hong Kong Jewelry Fair Set for September 13 - 19

Jewelry demand in China is expected to pick up in September ahead of the week-long national holiday in October, according to the GFMS Gold Survey 2016: Q2 Update & Outlook. This is potentially good news for the September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair, which will be held September 13-17 at AsiaWorld-Expo and September 15-19 at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre.

Recent data from the Chinese government also showed an improvement in the Chinese market: China’s gold imports from Hong Kong reached RMB45.8 billion (around $687 million) in the first six months of 2016, up 550 percent from the same period in 2015. The September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair positions participants to tap into opportunities in China as well as in the rest of the Asia Pacific. 

The September Fair, now in its 34th edition, continues to enjoy support from key industry players around the world, according to UBM Asia, which owns and operates the fair. 

This year’s September Fair will host more than 3,550 exhibitors from 54 countries and regions in more than 135,000 square meters of exhibition space. AWE will display jewelry raw materials from over 1,600 local and overseas exhibitors, while HKCEC will showcase fine finished jewelry from around 2,000 international fine jewelry exhibitors.

New exhibitors from Nigeria, Portugal, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Slovak Republic (Slovakia), Tahiti and Vanuatu will be mixing with the veteran vendors. In addition, there will be new group pavilions from Myanmar and Portugal, bringing the number of pavilions to 25. 

“We are excited to unveil numerous new events, launch value-added show features and introduce new exhibitors at this edition as part of our initiative to continually enhance buyers’ experiences,” said Celine Lau, director of Jewellery Fairs, UBM Asia. 

About 58,000 local and overseas visitors are expected to attend during its seven-day run, said Sunny Chan, deputy fair manager, Jewellery Fairs, UBM Asia. This will be a slight increase over the 2015 edition of the fair.

The Fair Mobile App is now available for download at http://www.jewellerynetasia.com/. Through the app, users can receive show alerts and updates, browse the list of exhibitors, and create a personal daily planner.

The Alrosa Group, Russia’s leading diamond company and the world’s biggest diamond miner by volume, will again host its diamond auction at the September Fair at AWE. Meanwhile, the 59th Paspaley Pearl Auction and the 68th Robert Wan Tahiti Perles Auction will be held at HKCEC. 

Also returning are the world’s largest diamond pavilion, Asia’s biggest gemstone marketplace, and the Hong Kong Pavilion and the Hong Kong Premier Pavilion, which house the biggest display of Hong Kong jewelry in the world. 

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Record Crowds at the June Hong Kong Jewelry Fair

The June Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair had 25,925 visitors from 113 countries and regions and 1,841 exhibitors from 37 countries and regions—both new records. Overseas visitor attendance at the tradeshow held June 20 - 23 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre was up about 5 percent from 2012.

This year, additional space was made available to accommodate more gemstone exhibitors, expanding the amount of exhibition space in the convention center to 64,000 square meters.

Among the highlights of the event:

* Nearly 11,000 visitors from Hong Kong, accounting for 39 percent of the total number of visitors. The rest of the visitors, 15,751, or 61 percent, were from overseas.

* The largest group of visitors from outside Hong Kong came from mainland China with 8,029; followed by India (894), Taiwan region (791), the Philippines (627), and the United States (537).

“The robust jewelry markets in Asia are filling some of the gap brought about by the weakness in the European and US markets,” said Celine Lau, director of Jewellery Fairs, UBM Asia. “This year, we again saw a double-digit growth in the number of buyers from the mainland China. This figure illustrates the continued strength of the country’s jewelry market and its potential for further growth.”

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Shortlist for the JNA Awards Announced

The shortlisted honorees in nine categories for the inaugural JNA Awards were announced at a press conference held on the first day of the June Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

“"The caliber of entries submitted to the inaugural JNA Awards was remarkable. Making the honoree list is a fantastic achievement for all the companies involved,” said Letitia Chow, founder of Jewellery News Asia and director of Business Development—Jewellery Group at UBM Asia, and chair of the JNA Awards judging panel.

The following individuals and companies have been selected for the honoree list of the inaugural JNA Awards 2012:

Three Decades of Excellence Award:

* Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Co Ltd from Hong Kong
* Dharmanandan Diamonds Pvt Ltd from India
* Kashi Jewellers from India
* Nelson Jewellery Arts Co Ltd from Hong Kong

Brand of the Year:

* Cartier from Switzerland
* Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Co Ltd from Hong Kong
* TTF from mainland China

Employer of the Year:

* Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Co Ltd from Hong Kong
* Dharmanandan Diamonds Pvt Ltd from India

Industry Innovation of the Year -- Manufacturing:

* K.S. Jewelry International Co Ltd from Thailand
* Kiran Exports Hong Kong Ltd from Hong Kong
* Nelson Jewellery Arts Co Ltd from Hong Kong
* TTF from mainland China

Industry Innovation of the Year -- Retail:

* Plukka (HK) Ltd from Hong Kong

Manufacturer of the Year:

* Dharmanandan Diamonds Pvt Ltd from India
* KGK Jewellery Manufacturing Limited from Hong Kong
* Kiran Exports Hong Kong Ltd from Hong Kong
* Pranda Group from Thailand

Retailer of the Year:

* Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Co, Ltd from Hong Kong
* Luk Fook Holdings (International) Limited from Hong Kong
* Sterling Jewelers Inc from the USA

Sustainability Initiative of the Year:

* Jewelmer International Corporation from the Philippines

Young Leader of the Year (Age 30 or below):

* L' Dezen Jewellery Co Ltd from Hong Kong
* Leibish & Co Ltd from Israel
* The Inspired Collection from New Zealand

The Wonder of the World category, which is open only to AsiaWorld-Expo exhibitors during the September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair 2012, will be accepting entries until July 27. The recipient of the award will be announced during the JNA Awards ceremony on September 20.

The recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award will be selected by the main organizers and will be announced at a later date.

Rio Tinto, Chow Tai Fook, Robert Wan Tahiti, Israel Diamond Institute and the Shanghai Diamond Exchange are leading the event as JNA Awards 2012 (www.JNAawards.com) partners.

The JNA Awards is an industry-wide event that honors and recognizes excellence and achievement in the global jewellery trade with an Asian focus. The Awards ceremony and gala dinner will be held on 20 September 2012, during the September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair, at The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong. The event, the first of its kind in Asia, is organized by Jewellery News Asia of UBM Asia in collaboration with the UBM Awards.