The Jewellery and Gem World Singapore (JGW Singapore) experiment has been considered a success by organisers, exhibitors and visitors alike after a historic debut.
Following two years of cancellations for the Hong Kong International Jewellery Show (HKIJS) and the Hong Kong International Diamond, Gem and Pearl Show, organisers at Informa Markets made the difficult decision to shift the event to Singapore for a one-off event in 2022 – praising the new location for its ability to provide an accessible and secure in-person experience, even against the backdrop of the pandemic.
Beginning on 27 September and concluding 30 September, JGW Singapore welcomed just shy of 1000 exhibitors from more than 30 countries and organisers reportedly increased the total reserved floor area to 35,000 square metres to accommodate increased demand.
In total, 11,125 buyers visited JGW Singapore from 97 countries.
Singapore’s beautifully clean and modern and easy to navigate cityscape provided an excellent backdrop to the international trade’s largest gathering since the beginning of the pandemic – with the roar of the Formula 1 trials in the background of the show provoking plenty of conversation about the potential for a return to Singapore in 2023.
JGW Singapore’s final figures pale in comparison to that of past Hong Kong events of course – which regularly boasted of in excess of 30,000 visitors.
Celine Lau Informa Markets director of jewellery fairs, previously assured stakeholders that the move to Singapore should not be viewed as a replacement for Hong Kong: “Our community can rest assured that Hong Kong will be ready to deliver the full JGW experience in 2023 when conditions allow for safe and responsible in-person interactions, and international travel restrictions are lifted.”
Indeed, Hong Kong remained the looming shadow over many discussions in Singapore – particularly as the Hong Kong government announced the elimination of hotel quarantine conditions on 26 September – the day before JGW Singapore began.
Previously, travellers to Hong Kong had to undergo a mandatory one week quarantine upon arrival and return in a bid to prevent the spread of COVID to the city of 7.4 million.
Under the new guidelines, visitors who test negative upon arrival are free to enter the city without quarantine, with the only remaining conditions being three days of self-monitoring – with COVID test results to be reported to government officials.
Still, these new – less stringent – conditions offer circumstances which open the door to a return for the world’s largest international jewellery show in 2023 – with the 2019 editions of the twin shows bringing more than 4,500 exhibitors from 52 countries and 90,000 registered buyers from 145 countries together.
Diamonds
Naturally, diamonds dominated the landscape with major stands and exhibitions from the likes of De Beers, Shree Ramkrishna Exports and Venus Jewel standing out in the skyline.
Venus Jewel’s special presentation of The Royal Oval – a 52-carat flawless Type IIA diamond – turned plenty of heads. “It took us 105 days to produce this stunning piece of nature from a rough weighing 144 carats,” Rajesh Shah told JNA’s Show Daily.
Among the smaller-scale diamond exhibitors was Ketan Brothers. Partner Jay Parikh said it had been a rewarding experience.
“We came to Singapore with zero expectations because it’s a first time show and we knew there was going to be no presence from mainland [Chinese] buyers – and yet still we are very pleased,” he said.
“The buyers we’ve met with have all had a positive attitude and are eager to make orders. Day one and day two both had busy periods which of course was what we hope to see.”
Parikh added: “One of the most interesting things has been the amount of Australian buyers. I was not anticipating that I would see and hear from as many Australians as I have.”
Australian voices
While Parikh was referring to buyers and not exhibitors, there were plenty of local faces to be found hosting stands too.
Based in Los Angeles and originally from Sydney, Joel Price Opals is a wholesaler of Australian opal specializing in Lightning Ridge black and light opal.
Director Joel Price said, “It’s been a little rough around the edges but largely I would say it’s been a good experience. Those little road bumps are exactly what you’d expect from a show the first time it’s hosted, first show jitters.
“I’ve done Hong Kong many, many times before and although this show is obviously smaller and is missing the buyers from mainland China, I’d say that the buyers I’ve spoken to have the kind of attitude you hope to see.”
Price comes from a long heritage of gemstone trade – learning the craft from his father, Chris Price, who has been involved in the mining, cutting, and selling of Australian opal since 1974.
Price explained some of the many factors that needed to be weighed before exhibiting for the first time at a new location.
“As a business owner, coming to a trade show is a big investment first and foremost. It costs tens of thousands of dollars to prepare for the show itself and you need to weigh that cost against what you hope and ask if it’s going to be worth the investment,” he advises.
“When it’s a first time show you know it’s a risky proposition because at trade shows, you get results from consistency – it’s about being visible and present to buyers. It’s very rare for someone to do well at their first trade show – you build a client base over the first few years and then once you’re established, you just hope to add a few more each year from then.
“With that said, I’ve seen a lot of people I’m familiar with from Hong Kong here today and with close to 1,000 exhibitors at a first time show, there’s clearly been buy-in from the suppliers too, which is what the event needs to be a success.”
What’s next?
As a part of a special presentation on the second day of JGW Singapore the particulars of two significant upcoming international jewellery shows were outlined.
From 12-14 February, Jewellery, Gem and Technology Dubai (JGT Dubai) will take place at the Dubai World Trade Centre.
The JGT Dubai marketplace debuted this year with 300 exhibitors from 25 countries and regions. More than 4,000 visitors took part – 46 per cent of whom were international visitors.
JGT Dubai event director Mohamad Mehieddine said that following the inaugural edition of the meeting organisers reviewed many positive indicators.
“Despite the economic challenges we faced it was a great success which left us feeling optimistic for the future,” he said.
“We had an attendance of 49 per cent level C executives which we took as a great sign. That shows us that the decision makers of the industry are viewing Dubai as an event of great importance.”
Another event new to the international jewellery calendar is Jewellery and Gem Asean Bangkok (JGAB) – expected to take place 26-29 April next year.
The fair provides a B2B cash-and-carry platform for retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers and designers from southeast Asia – a market of more than 600 million consumers.
Director of jewellery fairs at Informa Markets, Celine Lau, said supporting events such as JGT Dubai and JGAB would prove crucial moving forward.
“Over the past two years we’ve all discovered that we experience the same diversity and moving forward we must become more of a community in order to deal with whatever challenges lie ahead,” she said.
“We have a shared future and it’s up to us to come together as one to overcome whatever may come next.”
Jewellery and Gem Asia Hong Kong – the world’s number one mid-year fine jewellery and gemstone sourcing marketplace – is scheduled to take place 22-25 June with more than 2,000 exhibitors and 25,000 visitors expected to participate.
* The author attended Jewellery and Gem World Singapore courtesy of the event organiser.
More reading
Singapore jewellery show to make history
Jewellery & Gem World moves to Singapore in historic move
Hong Kong’s ‘twin jewellery shows’ rescheduled
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For the full range of photos from the event, please click here.
