市场情报 JNA November/December 2022 | 55 14-karat gold tracery enamel Victorian bangle 维多利亚时期的14K金花饰珐琅手镯 Photo credit 照片来源: Dana Kiyomura Defined within the context of jewellery, connoisseurs are buyers who have a more profound understanding of the details, techniques and principles behind jewellery design and craftsmanship. Having developed an eye for critical evaluation, they are often considered as knowledgeable critics whose opinions are highly valued. Whether this expertise lies in historical jewels or contemporary creations, it takes decades to build such professional experience. According to Joanna Gong, private sales director and jewellery specialist at Sotheby’s, true connoisseurship is fuelled by passion and is a continuously evolving process as the person’s preferences develop. Being a connoisseur also involves more than just being adept in the financial aspects of jewellery sales or auctions. Taiwanese jewellery designer Anna Hu, for her part, describes connoisseurship as an enriching journey into the world of jewellery as a form of art – from enjoying the beauty of gems and appreciating design inspirations and symbolic meanings to understanding a jewellery piece’s investment value. And while the market’s love for jewellery is universal, connoisseurship is steadily rising in Asia. Data from Sotheby’s showed that jewellery auction participants in the first half of 2022 hailed from over 70 countries. Gong explained, “While we see strong participation from the US, Europe and the Middle East, Asian collectors have acquired 50 per cent of the value of all jewellery sales in the first half of the year, including that of The De Beers Blue, a 15.10-carat step-cut fancy vivid blue diamond, which sold for US$57.5 million – one of the highest prices ever achieved for diamonds. It is also the most valuable gemstone sold so far this year.” Chinese consumers, for instance, are increasingly becoming interested in acquiring unique antique jewels, added Gong. These include wearable, everyday pieces as well as historically important jewels with noble provenance. Jadeite Jadeite has traditionally been a perennial favourite in China, thanks to its cultural significance. The market however is seeing a tremendous change. A recent Sotheby’s research published in 2022 suggested that China is no longer the main consumer of jadeite globally. Wenhao Yu, chairman of Jewellery and Watches at Sotheby’s Asia, explained that global interest in jadeite is on the rise, with Hong Kong’s jadeite market now standing at HK$88 million (around US$11.21 million), followed by Singapore at HK$83 million (around US$10.57 million), Taiwan at HK$26 million (around US$3.31 million), China at HK$20 million (around US$2.54 million) and the UK at HK$3 million (around US$382,189). While the collector base for jadeite remains diversified, majority of bidding on jadeite pieces come from Hong Kong, he said. Yu talked about the gemmological and cultural valuation of jadeite during the Swiss Gemmological Institute SSEF’s 50th anniversary in Switzerland in September 2022. The Sotheby’s official noted that jadeite sales rose as a result of the pandemic. He continued, “Online auctions, touchpoints and experiences grew, in turn leading to an increase in the number of digitally savvy young collectors dealing with Sotheby’s. The introduction of the multicamera livestream format in 2020 has contributed to international expansion.” To help global collectors understand the nature and rarity of jadeite, Sotheby’s earlier introduced a grading system for setting industry standards. For instance, “Imperial Green” refers to gems with a Grade A superior quality. Mainland Chinese collectors are now training their sights on white and fancy colour diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds, according to Yu. Tastemakers There are also more Asians working as auction specialists, antique jewellers or bespoke designers across the US, the UK and Hong Kong. The role of a so-called “tastemaker” has also come to the fore. Defined as someone who has prior knowledge of what is going to be trendy, tastemakers have influence, knowledge and networks that can shape the way jewellery is worn and styled. An example is Instagram personality Christine Cheng, who is also gallery director at jewellery dealer Simon Teakle. She constantly posts about antique and vintage jewellery on her account, inspiring a new generation of collectors. At press time, she had 33,000 followers. Dana Kiyomura, another Instagram personality with over 14,000 followers, specialises in antique jewellery from the Georgian and Victorian eras. She explained that jewellery trade exhibitions have also opened up the market to smaller dealers. “Many collectors are finding new venues to see the latest styles and products and meet potential vendors on
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