Jewellery & Gem ASIA Hong Kong Fair 2021

The Jewellery & Gem ASIA Hong Kong (JGA) fair for 2021 concluded on a high note, with some exhibitors calling the event a highly anticipated opportunity to reconnect with buyers and industry players, and conduct in-person business transactions.

Some vendors also said the show exceeded expectations, with a great deal of buyers visiting the fair.

JGA 2021, held from June 24 to 27 at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, was the first physical jewellery show to be held in Hong Kong this year.  

The trade fair, organised by Informa Markets Jewellery, was the physical component to JGA’s first omnichannel edition, which brings together the benefits of face-to-face engagements with virtual experiences through its digital element, JGA Virtual, from June 17 to July 7. 

JGA welcomed pre-registered individual attendees, including social buyers, for the first time while still retaining its focus on the core B2B visitor group. This was a one-off arrangement only. In 2022, JGA will revert to its original format. 

Some exhibitors were upbeat about prospects at the fair, saying that it was an effective way to stimulate the jewellery and gemstone business.

Ashish Dangayach, director of Hong Kong-based Gems Trading Co, said the first day of the fair was better than expected, adding it was imperative for the industry to start doing physical shows once again. 

Sankalp Nigam of fine jewellery manufacturer Oriental Gemco meanwhile commented that consumers who are unable to travel and spend on luxury trips abroad are redirecting their income to valuable gems and jewellery.

Occupying Halls 1BCDE of the HKCEC, the fair featured more than 150 exhibitors representing key product categories, from finished jewellery and loose diamonds to coloured gemstones and pearls. 

Visitors also benefited from limited-time offers and special rates. They were also given access to a slew of activities and original programming spread out over four days, including nearly 20 engaging talks and presentations by influencers and experts from the world of jewellery, gemstones and fashion. 

There was also a daily Diamond Lucky Draw sponsored by diamond manufacturer R A Gem. 

Bonhams Honours Women and Pearls at Online Auction

A curated selection of pearl jewellery pieces from the 20th and 21st centuries takes centre stage at Bonhams’ upcoming online auction in celebration of International Women's Day.

The sale, Powerful & Pretty: Pearls Online, is scheduled for March 8 to 12 and features 60 pearl jewellery pieces, including earrings, necklaces, bangles, rings and brooches in styles ranging from classic to contemporary. The collection offers pieces that can be paired with anything from black-tie attire to casual, according to the auction house.

Emily Waterfall, head of Jewelry, Bonhams Los Angeles, commented, “Pearls have been valued for millennia for their beauty and lustre, but also for the fantastic stories associated with the gem. They are symbols of Aphrodite, Eve and Cleopatra. Historically, they were dangerous to acquire, needing to be brought up by hand from the depths of the sea.”

Rare and costly, pearls remained in the domain of the wealthiest royalty until the 20th century, added Waterfall.

Highlights of the auction include a necklace in 18-karat white gold adorned with cultured pearls and pavé-set blue, pink and yellow sapphires; and a bracelet in platinum and 14-karat white gold embellished with cultured pearls and diamonds.

“Throughout history, pearls have been important symbols of grace and power, worn by iconic women figures from Vermeer's elusive Girl with a Pearl Earring to Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany's to Vice President Kamala Harris at the recent inauguration,” noted Bonhams. “Coco Chanel and Marie Antoinette famously viewed pearls as the embodiment of sophistication, and Jackie Kennedy once said, ‘Pearls are always appropriate.”’ The gem is an absolute essential in a powerful woman's wardrobe.”

Robert Wan Holds Online Auction of Tahitian Pearls

Tahiti Perles – A Robert Wan Company is conducting its third online auction of the year from May 20 to 26, 2021. The sale offers a wide range of Robert Wan’s loose pearls and layouts, mostly from its 2020 harvests.

The pearl producer held three online auctions last year on its dedicated platform. It described this new channel as "a necessity in that tumultuous year of lockdown perhaps, but something that had been in the planning stages for some time beforehand."

Pearl wholesalers, retailers, traders and enthusiasts can register on the platform and place their bids on the items on offer during the auction period.

A detailed list is made available for download at the start of each sale, with each lot presented alongside two clear pictures and a video.

Participants are notified by email of higher bids placed on the items they had selected. An option for automatic bids enables participants to set their maximum price, and then the platform places the bids on their behalf.

Moving forward, Tahiti Perles – A Robert Wan Company intends to organise one online auction per month this year.

"Our online auctions have done well, with good feedback from participants. This is the best channel to reach the largest number of buyers at the same time without having to travel," it noted.

Lombok Private Auction Provides Good Selection of Baroque Pearls

The recent private South Sea Pearl auction held in Lombok last month had a nice selection of golden and white colour pearls of various grades and quality. Interestingly the 4.5kg assortment of pearls also included some eye catching large and very unique shaped Baroque Pearls.    

Baroque Pearls appear to be rapidly becoming as fashionable as Natural Colour Diamonds and the increased popularity of Baroque Pearls is sending prices upwards. Similar to what happened with Natural Colour Diamonds in the 1990's where colour diamonds were previously seen to be an unwanted by-product and sold off cheaply to now collecting huge prices per carat for pink, blue and red diamonds.

No two Baroque Pearls were the same with each Pearl being extremely unique in shape and character, almost making the traditional round pearls look boring when put alongside. A number of the Baroque Pearls were much larger than traditional round pearls with several exceeding 25mm in length.

The wholesale price achieved at the auction for the 25mm Baroque Pearls was around approximately $800 per piece with the smaller 15mm Baroque Pearl is achieving around for $300 per piece. .    

Pearl Auction Guide 2014

This coming year has a full calendar of international pearl auctions bringing many opportunities to the those lucky enough to be on the invite list to acquire some of the highest quality pearls being produced. No less than 24 international pearl auctions are planned for 2014 with the preferred location now moving from Japan, the once pearl capital of the world, to Hong Kong.

With busiest months being March, June and September it does not give a lot of time for site seeing in Tahiti after attending the GIE Poe O Rikitea auction before heading north to enjoy an authentic Okonomiyaki lunch while in Japan attending the Cooperated South Sea Pearl auction. It appears though that most of my time will be spent in Hong Kong enjoying Yum Cha between Paspaley and Robert Wan pearl auctions.

The below list of international pearls auctions for 2014 has been established through drawing on several industry sources. As details of more pearl auctions come through the below list will be updated as I am still waiting on details from 2 more pearling companies for their 2014 pearl auction schedule.

Pearl Auction	Date	Location
Tahiti Pearl Private Auction	Jan	Hong Kong
GIE Poe Rava Nui Tahiti Pearl Auction	Feb	Hong Kong
GIE Poe O Rikitea Tahiti Pearl Auction	Mar	Tahiti
60th Robert Wan Tahiti Perles Auction	Mar	Hong Kong
Paspaley South Sea Pearl Auction	Mar	Hong Kong
Tahiti Pearl Private Auction	Mar	Hong Kong
48th Cooperated South Sea Pearl Auction	Mar	Japan
Indonesian Pearls South Sea Pearl Auction	Apr	Japan
49th Cooperated South Sea Pearl Auction	May	Japan
61th Robert Wan Tahiti Perles Auction	Jun	Hong Kong
GIE Poe Rava Nui Tahiti Pearl Auction	Jun	Hong Kong
Gerdau South Sea Pearl Auction	Jun	Hong Kong
Indonesian Pearls South Sea Pearl Auction	Jun	Japan
Tahiti Pearl Private Auction	Jun	Hong Kong
GIE Poe O Rikitea Tahiti Pearl Auction	Jul	Tahiti
50th Cooperated South Sea Pearl Auction	Aug	Japan
GIE Poe Rava Nui Tahiti Pearl Auction	Sep	Hong Kong
62th Robert Wan Tahiti Perles Auction	Sep	Hong Kong
Paspaley South Sea Pearl Auction	Sep	Hong Kong
Tahiti Pearl Private Auction	Sep	Hong Kong
51th Cooperated South Sea Pearl Auction	Oct	Japan
Indonesian Pearls South Sea Pearl Auction	Oct	Japan
GIE Poe O Rikitea Tahiti Pearl Auction	Nov	Tahiti
South Sea Pearl Auction	Nov	Japan
Indonesian Pearls South Sea Pearl Auction	Nov	Japan
GIE Poe Rava Nui Tahiti Pearl Auction	Dec	Hong Kong
52th Cooperated South Sea Pearl Auction	Dec	Japan
Tahiti Pearl Private Auction	Dec	Hong Kong

For those of you who are not lucky enough to be on the invite list or are not able to find time to attend the international pearl auctions, we offer a service whereby we collect a down payment from our customers and bid on their behalf for acquiring pearl parcels at competitive wholesale auction prices.

If you are interested in finding out further about this service you are welcome to contact me directly.

I am looking forward to a 2014 filled with many beautiful pearls.   

Hong Kong Jewellery Fair - June 2013

One of the top three trade events of its kind in Asia, the JUNE HONG KONG JEWELLERY AND GEM FAIR attracted thousands of exhibitors and buyers from around the world. The event ran from 20 to 23 June at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) and offered international visitors unmatched opportunities to tap into the world’s most robust jewellery markets.  

 

The theme Pavilions included: 

• Hong Kong Premier Pavilion
• Fine Design Pavilion & Fine Gem Pavilion
• Jadeite Gallery
• Fine Jewellery
• Antique & Vintage Jewellery
• Silver Jewellery
• Diamonds
• Pearls
• Gemstones
• Mounting Jewellery
• Jewellery Accessories, Packaging, Tools & Equipment

The June Hong Kong Fair was also held in conjunction with two well-known pearl auctions: the 7th Gerdau Pearl Auction (June 17 to 19) and the 58th Robert Wan Tahiti Perles Auction (June 20 to 21).

Buyers queue up to secure their badges at the registration area of the June Hong Kong Fair.

Tahiti Pearl Museum 40th Anniversary Celebration

We are very excited to announce the up coming Tahiti Perles 40th Anniversary celebration being held at the Robert Wan Pearl Museum in Tahiti, French Polynesia, July 18th,2013. The event is by invite only.

 

The lucky guests will be immersed in the 40 year history of the world famous dark Tahitian Pearls cultured and distributed around the world by Mr Robert Wan's company Tahiti Perles. All guest are assured an elaborate viewing of the some of the most magnificent examples of Tahitian pearls with the opportunity to purchase select Pearls.

58th Robert Wan Tahiti Perles (Tahitian Pearls) Auction

The next international pearl auction to grace the pearling world is presented Mr. Robert Wan. He is pleased to invite attendees to the 58th Robert Wan Tahiti Perles auction being held in Hong Kong from June 20 to 21, 2013. 

If the pearls on auction are in line with previous Robert Wan auctions then we are all in for a treat. In previous Robert Wan auctions that I have attended the pearl quality was far superior than other Tahitian pearl producers that we have observed and the shear volume and selection will ensure varieties to suit all buyers.

Tai Hai Yang Ltd Pearl Aution Hong Kong

Another world class Tahitian Pearl auction is being held in Hong Kong by THY. The two day event is scheduled for the 14th to 15th of May 2013 and will be held in the Sino Plaza on Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. Result will be announced at around 5pm on May 16, 2013

A sample of the goods on auction is as follows:

17th International Jewellery Trade Fair in Kobe - Japan's leading trade fair

The leading international trade fair in Japan is having its 17th annual show being held as normal in the fabulous International Exhibition Hall in the beautiful city of Kobe. The show is promoted as a jewellery fair but in reality it is the best attended event by Pearl traders anywhere in the world. Kobe being the unofficial Pearl capitol of the world and the location of many international Pearl auctions.

The 2 day trade fair will commence on 22nd of May 2013 and last day on 24th May 2013.

The pearl section of the show will take up 50% of the entire exhibition space and will include loose and mounted Pearls including varieties such as:

• Akoya
• Southsea
• Southsea black
• Tahitian
• Keshi
• Freshwater
• Mabe
• Conch

57th Robert Wan Tahiti Perles Auction

The 57th Robert Wan Tahiti Perles Auction has been announced. The 2 day auction of a superb selection of Tahitian pearls will commence on March 6 and finish on March 7, 2013.

If previous Robert Wan Tahitian pearl auctions are anything to go by attendees will be in for a huge array of beautiful pearls going under the hammer. The location for the auction is the HKCEC building No. 1 Expo Drive, Wanchai, Hong Kong.

Hong Kong International Pearl Auction 17 Jan 2013

THY (Tai Hai Yang Ltd) have announced there latest international Pearl auction being held in Hong Kong between 17 - 18 Jan 2013. the auction is by invite only and will be held in Sino Plaza on Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay, H.K. 

Results will be announced at around 5pm on Jan 19, 2013 THY will be auctioning a good selection of Tahitian cultured pearls in all shapes and sizes 10-14mm.

 

Hong Kong Jewellery Fair & Pearl Auctions 2009

The 27th Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair was held from 21 - 27 of September 2009 in the AsiaWorld-Expo building and the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre building. The fair's increase in popularity required the use of these two colossal exhibitions venues and is the only exhibition in Hong Kong that uses both venues. This year the total exhibition space was expanded to 120,000 square metres, which is a 25% increase compared with last year. The exhibitors at AsiaWorld-Expo building showcased raw materials including diamonds, pearls, coloured gemstones, equipment and packaging, while the exhibitors at Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre building showcased only finished jewellery.

Over 3,000 exhibitors from 44 countries participated this year, making the Fair the largest jewellery event in the world and the largest fair ever organised in Hong Kong. Companies from Hong Kong account for over 40% of the Fair exhibitors but among overseas participants, Thailand was the largest contributor with 301 companies attending. Among the European countries, Italy had the biggest contingent of exhibitors while 150 exhibitors from the US joined the Fair this year. The number of Indian companies doubled from last year to 129 companies this year.

As a precursor to the Fair, Robert Wan Tahiti Perles in conjunction with Tahiti Perles Consortium held a joint pearl auction on 19 - 20 September 2009 on the second floor of the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre. The Tahitian pearls were from the southern Pacific Ocean Island’s of French Polynesia, which are famous for their large size and high lustre black, silver and peacock colours. The other major pearl event was the Fair curtain closer held on 26 – 28 September 2009 for the Paspaley Pearling Co pearl auction. Nick Paspaley is attributed for developing pearl farming in Australia into a multi million dollar industry for South Sea Pearl farms located in the northwest coastal areas of Australia. Along with these events there were also series of other special events organised during the Fair period including the opening ceremony, fair receptions, jewellery parade and several seminars.

Sales at the Fair reflect the current state of the global economy and indicated full recovery is still ahead of us. Almost all exhibitors at the show reported a decreased level of sales and expressed a certain amount of discontent with the show. Contrary to the spirit of optimism sensed in the weeks leading to the show, expectations had decreased by the end of the opening day. Even though the Fair had expanded in floor area and number of exhibitors, there were fewer visitors this year compared to last year. In comparison just over 36,000 visitors attended this year compared to last years total of 37,276 visitors.

Two trends that caught the eye were the increased use of pearls and yellow diamonds. The price of pearls has fallen dramatically in the past year and jewellery designers appear to have taken advantage of this. As a result, pearl jewellery has visibly increased its presence among other jewellery types and was seen in the display cases of almost all companies.

September Pearl Auction in Hong Kong

Being held in Hong Kong in September is the very anticipated largest pearl auction to be held this year. It will be very interesting to see how the global economic crisis, which appears to be continuing to push the Japanese economy further into recession while the rest of the world is verging on a recovery, will affect sales volumes and prices.

Commercial buyers are expected to come from all round the globe to attend the auction and will provide an excellent opportunity for networking and making industry contacts.

Bima South Sea Pearl Auction Bali

The very exotic location of Bali was where the recent Bima South Sea Pearl auction was held. A fantastic selection of 195 lots were open for bidding and despite the poor economic situation over 139 lots were sold.

The selection of pearls include round / semi round golden colour pearls from sizes 9mm to 17mm with avarage sale price US$17g along with beautiful white blue pearls, which achieved high prices averaging US$50g. A great range of keishi, Baroque, oval, drop and button shaped pearls were available with excellent luster and golden colour. Also a good selection of earrings and necklaces were on offer with a 31 pearl necklace size 13mm to 16mm selling for over US$9,000. The highlight of the auction was a single 6.4g keishi pearl selling for US$2,888

The highest prices achieved for white round pearls was US$82g. Highest price for golden round pearls was US$77g while several unique large baroque pearls sold for US$160g. The average sale price for the auction was US$8.88, medium price US$28g and total sales were 101.6kg for US$0.9m.

Robert Wan Tahitian Pearl Auction in Kobe

In May this year the Tahiti pearl entrepreneur Robert Wan held his annual Black Tahitian Pearl auction in Kobe, Japan, and the results were reflective of the current economic conditions where only 232 lots of the 808 lots sold. A great variety of dark colour pearls were available along with lighter shades, silver and the desirable peacock colour.

Pearls of all shapes, sizes, colour and quality were for offer. The high light of the auction was the "Mirror of Nature" lot consisting of 2 peacock colour gem quality 15mm and 16mm round pearls that sold for an amazing US$5,174 each (US$870g). Generally though the top quality large round pearls were selling for around US$30g and for baroque, keishi, button, and oval shapes were selling for as low as Us$2g for the lower quality. The average sale price was US$7.77g and medium sale price was US$16g with total sales of 207.31kg for US$1,61m.

The auction was held in the euro currency and once conversion to US$ was completed the prices being achieved were fairly reasonable. I myself was successful in biding on 3 small lots of AA1 medium quality pearls with a size of 12mm to 14mm and total weight almost 1kg.

1st TPJ Tahitian Pearl Collection Auction Kobe

In the last week of May 09 the 1st Tahitian Pearl Collection auction by TPJ was held in Kobe, Japan. The practice of not disclosing reserve prices of some lots by other auction houses was taken to the extreme at this auction with all reserve prices being undisclosed, which seemingly back fired on the auction organises. Although the auction was well attended the timing was a little bad as the Robert Wan Tahitian Pearl auction was held only a few days earlier and most attendees had already filled there requirements of Tahitian Pearls. Additionally the quality of the pearls was generally lower than those at the Robert Wan auction.

Even though the famous Kobe Jewellery Fair was being held over the following 3 days, drawing many people to Kobe, the TPJ auction was only successful in selling 45 out 133 lots. This disappointing result can be contributed to the fact that there was no reserve prices indicated to provide a measuring stick for bid amounts. 88 lots were withdrawn due to the bids received being below the undisclosed reserve price, which seamed to be a result caused by attendees submitting very low bids to try their luck to pick up a bargain.

Kobe 13th International Jewellery Exhibition

Staged in the International Exhibitions hall near the maritime terminal in the scenic bay of the famous pearl city of Kobe, the 13th International Jewellery Exhibition was held on May 14 to 16 2009. On the opening day, which I attended, the crowds were minimal seemingly due to the economic downturn but even so more than 400 exhibitors turned out to show their merchandise. Some great bargains for heavily discounted goods was available for purchase and many of the exhibitors that I spoke with were offering to slash displayed prices by up to 50% on items I was looking, at just to get a sale.

Exhibitors ranged from jewellery manufactures of all descriptions to suppliers and wholesalers of loose diamonds, gems and pearls. Together with costume jewellery, jewellery manufacturing tools and displays by big brand name companies. There were rings, necklaces, earrings, fashion jewellery of all description and price ranges.Some great gems court my eye and the two stand outs were a 9.9 carat square cut Kashmir Sapphire at US$500,000 and a Fancy Natural Deep Bluish Grey pear cut diamond of 1.05 carat at US$300,000. In all the colour diamonds I have seen this must be one of the rarest colours!

With so much variety to look at and bargains everywhere by the end of the day my head was spinning. I really needed to go back for a second day to give me time to digest it all and then begin to get a feel for the best buys.