Professional trade buyers are discovering new suppliers, products and trends at Jewellery & Gem ASIA Hong Kong (JGA) 2024.

Kang Sunghyuk, CEO of South Korean retail jewellery brand ALOD, has an extensive shopping list for his JGA visit. His KDT Diamond Co imports and wholesales natural diamonds. In 2023, it ventured into the lab-grown diamond (LGD) market with its ALOD jewellery brand that has eight stores across the country.

At JGA, Kang is sourcing for natural diamonds as well as quality, customised packaging for his company’s LGD jewellery.

“In South Korea, there is strong demand for LGD due to its affordability and availability in fancy cuts. Customers favour fancy cuts such as emerald cut and princess cut. Natural diamonds with fancy cuts tend to be much more expensive, which is why many people opt for LGD as a more affordable alternative,” he shared.

Other products have also caught Kang’s eye. “I found the Turkish mountings to be really impressive. They make exceptional tennis bracelet mounts. Fancy colour diamonds are also gaining popularity in the market. I plan to source these at the September show,” he said.

Buyers from the Middle East are likewise pleased with the arrangements and selections at JGA. 

According to Arty Iskandarian of Lebanon’s Edward Iskandarian Jewelry, the show is easy to navigate, offers everything under a single roof and provides plenty of sourcing options.

“I found a lot of interesting suppliers and products at the show. For instance, we usually buy mountings from Turkiye but I found Korean manufacturers who have meticulously and finely made rivets and mountings. There are also extensive options of coloured gemstones, pearls, machines and packaging at the show,” he said. “The show pretty much covered everything we needed.”

Tamara Al Shamari, founder and designer of Dubai-based Taiia Jewelry, is sourcing for fine jewellery and materials for her collections.

“Back in the day, we used to go to Italy to find the most beautiful gold jewellery. Nowadays, you can find this here in the Hong Kong fair – beautiful, intricate gold jewellery that is made in China. The finishing is impeccable and every year, the standards are getting better and better,” she noted.

According to Al Shamari, stackable multi-colour gold jewellery is currently in high demand in her market. “Mixing yellow gold with rose and white gold is on-trend. You can even have stackable gold jewellery that is easy to mix and match for morning to night looks,” she revealed.

Click here for JNA’s coverage of JGA 2024.