- Hong Kong exports of fine jewellery and jewellery raw materials up in 2017

Benjamin Chau, Acting Executive Director of the HKTDC, said: "As global economic conditions improved in 2017, sales of fine jewellery rebounded with the rise in purchasing power. Last year, Hong Kong's exports of precious jewellery grew 3.6 per cent. At the same time, Hong Kong's total exports of pearls, precious and semi-precious stones and raw materials increased by nearly 14 per cent in value."

Mr Chau added: "Although inflation, the US interest rate hike and volatility in the global stock markets during the past two weeks created uncertainties, the strong participation of exhibitors and buying missions at the shows reflects that the industry remains cautiously optimistic about business prospects, and continues to view Hong Kong as an important sourcing platform for jewellery and raw materials." The HKTDC will organise 115 buying missions comprising over 8,000 companies from 75 countries and regions to visit the shows.

The two shows also continue to attract industry organisations and associations across the world, which will set up 34 group pavilions representing such countries and regions as Australia, the Chinese mainland, France, Germany, Italy, Myanmar, India, Thailand and the United States.

The Japan Pearl Exporters' Association, apart from returning to the Diamond, Gem and Pearl Show, will debut a pavilion at the Jewellery Show to showcase an assortment of finished pearl jewellery. Other pavilions include Colombia's ACODES, the Antwerp World Diamond Centre, the International Coloured Gemstone Association, the Israel Diamond Institute, the Tanzanite Foundation, and the Gems & Jewelry Trade Association of Liaoning from the Chinese mainland, a first-time participant.

- Extraordinary gems and pearls at Asia-World Expo

For the fifth consecutive year, the HKTDC is adopting the "two shows, two venues" format and organising the Diamond, Gem and Pearl Show at AsiaWorld-Expo to meet the jewellery industry's needs for raw materials. Special product zones include the Hall of Fine Diamonds, which gathers the world's top diamond suppliers; the Treasures of Nature, a zone that is dedicated to precious and semi-precious coloured gems; and the Treasures of Ocean, which displays quality pearls.

Highlight exhibits include a handmade platinum ring set with a 28-carat fancy vivid yellow diamond, presented by US exhibitor Scarselli Diamonds Inc (Booth: AWE 2CON-25), which is valued at more than HK$33.2 million; a set of Colombian emerald jewellery valued at more than HK$23.4 million from Hong Kong exhibitor Hatta New World Company Limited (Booth: AWE 1-B05); a two-carat rare green diamond showcased by US exhibitor Rio Diamond MFG Corp (Booth: AWE 2CON-21); and a 1.37-carat Australian Argyle pink diamond valued at more than HK$7 million from Hong Kong exhibitor Rachminov Diamonds 1891 Asia Ltd (Booth: AWE 2Q17).

- "IT Solutions for Jewellery" zone debuts at Jewellery Show

The Hong Kong International Jewellery Show, which will open next Thursday, gathers local and international renowned jewellery brands and designer brands. The rapid advancement of technology is having an impact on the jewellery industry and the application of Internet of Things (IoT) technology is set to become a major trend, as industry practitioners are already conducting research and development programmes in this area.

This year's Jewellery Show will feature an all-new IT Solutions for Jewellery zone. The zone will showcase the latest technology and solutions for inventory management, design, production and e-commerce advancement, including an array of IoT devices for the jewellery industry. Exhibits include the mTray, a smart jewellery tray presented by Hong Kong's Megasoft Ltd (Booth: CEC 5B-D32). The product can monitor stock status and track stock location in real time and it can transmit product information to the customer's smartphone through NFC. Another Hong Kong exhibitor, SSIWO Technologies Limited (Booth: CEC 5B-D44), will display its Augmented Reality solution that lets customers try on different jewellery pieces through a smartphone app.

On day two (2 March), the HKTDC will organise a seminar on jewellery technology to examine such themes as cloud technology and big data applications. A Hong Kong Science Park company, Master Dynamic, will be present to share its latest innovation, the world's smallest diamond marking technology.

Other enthralling theme zones include the Hall of Fame, which will gather about 40 jewellery brands including Italy's Giorgio Visconti, Japan's Kuwayama, Thailand's Pranda Group, the Chinese mainland's jewellery chain store Lao Feng Xiang, India's Love Cuts, Spain's Magerit and Hong Kong's S.K.S.M and Lady Heart.

The Hall of Extraordinary will display exquisite, valuable and unique jewellery pieces from nearly a hundred exhibitors. A Hong Kong exhibitor, Jadmily Jewelry Corporation Limited (Booth: CEC GH-D17), will showcase a necklace worth HK$60 million with 109.04-carat sapphire and 151.39-carat diamonds. Another Hong Kong exhibitor, Foo Hang Jewellery Ltd. (Booth: CEC GH-D16), will present a set of diamond jewellery with a value of HK$37 million, including an 18K white gold diamond ring with a 26.86-carat round diamond with a value of HK$31.7 million. Other renowned jewellers such as Oriental Gemco, Crossfor, Novel Collection and Lili Jewelry will also return to the Show to feature an assortment of fine jewellery to enchant global buyers.

The Designer Galleria will feature jewellery pieces from 58 local and overseas designers, including Sarah Zhuang, who has recently won the Hong Kong Jewellery Design Competition Open Group Best of Show Award with her East-meets-West diamond collection that captures Hong Kong's distinctive vibrancy.

- Ample networking activities

The HKTDC will host an array of events during the two shows for industry practitioners to gather market intelligence and product trends. Events include jewellery parades, buyer and exhibitor forums, thematic seminars, designer sharing sessions and networking receptions. Highlight events include the cocktail reception and gala dinner sponsored by the Tanzanite Foundation on the first night (1 March) of the Show. Under the theme "Roman Constellation", the dinner will feature a menu prepared by Chef Gianni Favro, an award-winning chef of the Virtual Group of Italian Chefs (GVCI).

For seminars, a representative of the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) will share the laboratory's latest breakthroughs in diamond research and recent discoveries on the formation of natural type IIb diamonds. Other seminar will cover such topics as jewellery trend forecasts, identification technologies and marketing strategies. Designers from the UK and Romania will also discuss a contemporary jewellery design approach that integrates traditional hand craftsmanship and digital craftsmanship.

In addition, the HKTDC has joined hands with four major jewellery associations and organised the 19th Hong Kong Jewellery Design Competition. The competition aims to spur local jewellery design and enhance the design quality of the local jewellery industry. The theme of this year's competition was "The Vibrant Hong Kong". A total of 166 entries were received and the winners have been announced. The winning pieces will be displayed at the Hall 1D Concourse during the Jewellery Show to showcase Hong Kong's creative jewellery designs to global jewellers and buyers.

During the Diamond, Gem and Pearl Show, a complimentary shuttle bus service will run between AsiaWorld-Expo and downtown areas (including the HKCEC) to facilitate sourcing. Please visit the fair websites for details.

Fair Websites:Hong Kong International Diamond, Gem and Pearl Show: http://hkdgp.hktdc.com/^[1]Hong Kong International Jewellery Show: http://hkjewelleryshow.hktdc.com/^[2]Enhanced Security Measures for Buyers: http://bit.ly/2EIxhJa^[3]Photo download: http://bit.ly/2GwI4qg^[4]

About HKTDC

Established in 1966, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body dedicated to creating opportunities for Hong Kong's businesses. With more than 40 offices globally, including 13 on the Chinese mainland, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a platform for doing business with China, Asia and the world. With 50 years of experience, the HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to provide companies, particularly SMEs, with business opportunities on the mainland and in international markets, while providing information via trade publications, research reports and digital channels including the media room. For more information, please visit: www.hktdc.com/aboutus^[5]. Follow us on Google+, Twitter @hktdc, LinkedIn.- Google+: https://plus.google.com/+hktdc^[6]- Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/hktdc^[7]- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/hong-kong-trade-development-council^[8]

Contact:

HKTDC
Comms & Public Affairs
Agnes Wat, Tel: +852 2584 4554, Email: [email protected]

Copyright © 2018 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. A division of Asia Corporate News Network.

References

1. ^{^} http://hkdgp.hktdc.com/ (hkdgp.hktdc.com)
2. ^{^} http://hkjewelleryshow.hktdc.com/ (hkjewelleryshow.hktdc.com)
3. ^{^} http://bit.ly/2EIxhJa (bit.ly)
4. ^{^} http://bit.ly/2GwI4qg (bit.ly)
5. ^{^} www.hktdc.com/aboutus (www.hktdc.com)
6. ^{^} https://plus.google.com/+hktdc (plus.google.com)
7. ^{^} http://www.twitter.com/hktdc (www.twitter.com)
8. ^{^} http://www.linkedin.com/company/hong-kong-trade-development-council (www.linkedin.com)
9. ^{^} [email protected] (www.acnnewswire.com)
10. ^{^} [email protected] (www.acnnewswire.com)
11. ^{^} HKTDC (www.hktdc.com)
12. ^{^} Trade Shows (www.acnnewswire.com)
13. ^{^} Watches/Jewelry (www.acnnewswire.com)