This year’s edition of Jewellery & Gem WORLD (JGW), scheduled for September 27 to 30 in Singapore, will play a pivotal role in Informa Markets Jewellery’s expansive events roadmap aimed at supporting solid and sustainable recovery of the gem and jewellery industry.

JGW Singapore will be held at the Singapore Expo in a one-off special arrangement to provide a much-awaited, face-to-face sourcing experience to bolster business after the pandemic-induced lockdowns of the last two years. The world’s biggest B2B jewellery event returns to Hong Kong in 2023.

“To make JGW’s global return possible, we have to temporarily relocate from our Hong Kong home base to an alternative venue, which has rationalised its border restrictions, resumed large-scale business events and successfully implemented safe-management measures. Singapore fulfils all these requirements and more,” explained David Bondi, senior vice president at Informa Markets in Asia.

A global business hub and gateway to Asia, Singapore has relaxed its travel and Covid restrictions, making the city more accessible to international buyers and sellers. Since April 1, quarantine-free entry is granted to fully vaccinated arrivals.

JGW Singapore however represents more than a change of venue, noted Bondi.

“This year’s fair may be smaller in scale compared with previous editions but it is among the most significant in its nearly four-decade history. JGW Singapore is widely viewed as a turning point for our industry – a chance for our community to regroup, plan and fine-tune return-to-growth strategies in a post-pandemic world,” he noted.

Industry response has been overwhelmingly positive, according to Celine Lau, director of Jewellery Fairs at Informa Markets Jewellery. She said, “Even against the background of a pandemic, Singapore has the capacity to securely and efficiently host the world’s most iconic jewellery show.”

Diverse product ranges

A global sourcing event, JGW Singapore will cover the entire jewellery supply chain, with product-specific pavilions for easy navigation.

Aside from the Diamond, Pearl and Coloured Gemstone Pavilions to cater to jewellers’ loose precious materials requirements, highlights include the Premier Pavilion, a section dedicated to jewellery masterpieces, design-focused fine collections and investment-quality gemstones for wholesalers, retailers, brands and high-net worth buyers.

Showcases on distinct finished jewellery collections spanning the Antique, Coloured Gemstone, Diamond, Fei Cui (Jadeite Jade), Pearl, Pre-owned, Silver and Lab-Grown Diamond categories likewise await visitors.

Industry associations from Germany, Italy, Turkey, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, South Africa, India and Sri Lanka also intend to amplify their presence at the show.

In-person trading

Suppliers said they are looking forward to meeting with buyers with clear sourcing intentions and are ready to present in-stock products for onsite order-writing.

Gold & Silver Italian Group, a consortium representing more than a hundred jewellery manufacturers producing “Made in Italy” collections, said around 30 of its member-companies are anticipated to impress international buyers with their product showcases at the Singapore event.

“It is important that our members participate in this show to rebuild relationships with their existing customers in the Far East – many of whom they have not seen since 2019 – and forge partnerships with new clients,” the Group said. “We are looking forward to engaging with buyers from all over world, especially wholesalers from Asia.”

The Antwerp World Diamond Center (AWDC), which represents Belgium’s diamond community, said “establishing contacts with new clients from across the globe is a critical factor” for Antwerp diamantaires who will participate in JGW Singapore, in addition to reconnecting face to face with their existing customers.

The global coloured gemstone trade is likewise gearing up for one of the industry’s most anticipated events of the year, said Gary Roskin, CEO of the International Colored Stone Association (ICA), which is fielding around 25 member-companies at the show.

“In-person trade shows are the lifeblood of the coloured gemstone industry,” he said. “It is difficult to show the exquisite details of such small works of art over a phone connection. It is at physical fairs where merchants and buyers meet to get a first-hand look and feel for the gems they are about to purchase.”

JGW Singapore is anticipated to attract international trade visitors with real buying authority, particularly from Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand, North America, Europe, South America and the Middle East. Solid buyer participation is likewise expected from Hong Kong, which is gradually easing anti-Covid measures.

Lau shared, “For many, JGW Singapore could just be the first event in nearly three years where they would get to see and touch fine diamonds, coloured gemstones, pearls and finished jewellery from the world’s biggest and best suppliers. This event also gives them the opportunity to reconnect with colleagues, meet new faces, and discover the latest trends either through planned or chance encounters – something that online events cannot fully replace."

Sourcing opportunities

JGW Singapore is a linchpin in Informa Markets Jewellery’s 2022 roadmap, which sees the event organiser seizing new opportunities to restore in-person marketplaces for the sustainable recovery of the gem and jewellery industry.

Complementing the Singapore wholesale buying event are special editions of Informa Markets Jewellery’s signature Jewellery & Gem fairs in Hong Kong in June and September. Both open to B2B buyers and jewellery lovers, the special-edition fairs are also expected to draw China-based visitors once cross-border travel resumes. 

In addition, Jewellery & Gem ASEAN Bangkok will launch at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center from November 2 to 5. The industry’s final B2B sourcing event of the year, the show offers cash-and-carry sourcing opportunities for buyers – more specifically, Southeast Asia-based manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers – who need to restock inventories quickly and efficiently for the Christmas and New Year selling season.

And JGW returns to Hong Kong next year. Bondi said the city’s free port status, absence of currency control and proximity to mainland China – the engine driving global luxury consumption – make it a unique and irreplaceable international event destination.

The way forward

The Singapore pivot also attests to Informa Markets Jewellery’s business agility in the face of pandemic-related upheavals. Bondi admitted that the last two years had tested the company’s resilience, ingenuity and creativity, requiring it to be flexible, nimble and open to exploring new ideas and possibilities to serve its community’s immediate and future needs.

“The fact that we were bold enough to launch a new show in Dubai in February, are temporarily relocating our flagship show from Hong Kong to Singapore, and are debuting a new fair in Bangkok when the world is still reeling from Omicron says a lot about how the pandemic has transformed us for the better,” he remarked.

Lau noted that buyers and suppliers are ready to return to in-person shows but have become more selective of what fairs to attend as more options become available. She asserted that Informa Markets Jewellery is committed to providing safe and enjoyable sourcing experiences that deliver the results the industry needs.

“Market uncertainties and challenges remain but pent-up demand and ‘revenge shopping’ are driving jewellery sales, especially in the wedding, celebration and self-gifting product categories. The opportunities are there, and we want to make sure our industry stakeholders are in the best position to capture those sales,” Lau said.