The pulse of the jewelry industry and its relationship with the constantly changing world is reflected each year at Jewellery & Gem World Hong Kong (JGWHK).
This year the annual jewelry trade show attracted more than 3,300 exhibitors, a 5% decline from 2023, according to Informa Markets, which owns and operates the fair. Although final buyer numbers aren’t available, walking the floors on the first four days, it’s easy to see that foot traffic was down as well. Still the show is expected to attract about 50,000 visitors.
Buyers in the Fine Design Pavilion of Jewellery & Gem World Hong Kong
More important than the numbers themselves is what they represent. A major typhoon in the Shanghai area a few days before the show began meant many exhibitors and buyers from the area could not immediately make the trip to Hong Kong. Obviously, war in Ukraine and in Gaza has kept people in these regions from attending. After years of exponential growth, the U.S. jewelry market has softened, partly due to the upcoming presidential election. The China market has softened as well, reflecting the country’s overall economic challenges. These are the two largest markets in the world for jewelry. Then for the first time in memory, the fair coincided with the Mid-Autumn Festival on September 18, which further reduced overall attendance, at least temporarily.
For a fair that has been held during trade wars, citywide political protests and a once-in-a-century typhoon, these distractions were mild by comparison. Through it all JGWHK remains, by far, the largest jewelry trade fair in the world, and for good reason.
Petra Diamonds reported increased sales for FY 2024, despite weak market conditions.
The UK based miner said it had saved $75m by deferring capital expansion programs and sustainably reducing its cost base.
Revenue for the year was $367m, an increase of 13 per cent on FY 2023, according to its Audited Full Year 2024 Results, published on Tuesday (24 September).
“Petra demonstrated its agility in responding to a weaker pricing environment by building greater business resilience,” said CEO Richard Duffy.
“We acknowledge the difficult market conditions through FY 2024 and believe that prices will stabilise through to the end of CY 2024 with some improvement expected in CY 2025.”
Petra sold 3.2m carats of rough during the year an increase of 36 per cent but achieved lower average prices per carat, down 17 per cent to $116, attributable to a 12.4 per cent decline in like for like prices, as well as product mix movements.
Last month Petra today Petra canceled its August/September tender to restrict supply amid ongoing weak demand.
Goods from its Cullinan and Finsch mines, in South Africa, will be sold instead at its next tender, which is expected to close in mid-October.
India’s exports of polished diamonds fell by 23.8 per cent year-on-year in August, according to the latest figures from the GJEPC (Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council).
Total foreign sales were $1.04bn, compared to $1.36bn last August. Exports in July were $908m, down 22.7 per cent.
Polished diamond exports have fallen every month this year, down 20 per cent in January, 28 per cent in February, 27 per cent in March, 17 per cent in April, 15 per cent in May and 26 per cent in June. All figures are for US dollars.
Gross exports of all gems and jewelry fell by 18.8 per cent during August – a slower rate of decline than diamonds – to $2.01bn.
Rough imports for the April to August period were down 22.6 per cent to $4.98bn.
Africa focused miner Gem Diamonds has found yet another big precious stone at its prolific Letšeng mine in Lesotho, the third greater than 100 carat diamond mined in September.
The 212.91 carat Type II white diamond was recovered on September 19th, the company said on Monday. It is the thirteenth diamond over 100-carat unearthed this year at the operation, it noted.
Type IIa diamonds are the most valued and collectable precious gemstones, as they contain either very little or no nitrogen atoms in their crystal structure.
The Letšeng mine, owned 70% by Gem Diamonds, is one of the world’s ten largest diamond operations by revenue. At 3,100 metres (10,000 feet) above sea level, it is also one of the world’s most elevated diamond mines.
The operation has a track record of producing large, exceptional white diamonds, which makes it the highest-dollar-per-carat kimberlite diamond mine in the world.
A flawless 16.92 carat vivid yellow diamond was unveiled last week at Jewellery & Gem World Hong Kong.
Mumbai based Venus Jewel says the radiant shaped natural diamond is one of the “most coveted diamonds” it has released in its 55 year history.
It was cut from a 28.78 carat rough stone. Natural vivid yellow colored diamonds are extremely rare. One out of approximately 10,000 carats mined is a natural fancy color diamond. Of those only a small percentage are fancy vivid, the highest grading for color saturation and brilliance.
“We are delighted to present the Yellow Lava, a true testament to our craftsmanship, energy and dynamism,” said Rajesh Shah, a partner in the company.
“The name Yellow Lava is derived from its evenly distributed vivid yellow color and flawless clarity.”
Since ancient times, jewelled collars, saddles and bridles have ensured that animal companions were as finely jewelled as their owners. Animal bling seems to have been particularly popular from the mid-19th century. Vogue’s 1896 article “Swagger Dogs” told its readers that “Dog jewelry forms an interesting exhibit, is marvelously fine and valuable, if absurdly extravagant”. These dogs sported jewelled collars, leg bracelets and bangles galore.
Lord Berners, the model for Nancy Mitford’s Lord Merlin in The Pursuit of Love, was well known for decorating his pet dalmatians with diamond necklaces, while the poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning made a collar for her dog Flush from a mosaic bead necklace. When Frances Work (Mrs Aurel Batonyi), the great-grandmother of Diana, Princess of Wales, visited the casino with her dog, she matched her jewels with its own diamond collar. The Daily Express of 1903 even recommended “diamond studded dog-collars with receptacles for scent” for smartly dressed dogs. According to early 20th-century newspapers, some dogs even wore bracelets around their paws and gem-set earrings. One of the gifts given to Jenny and Rosie Dolly, the fabulously glamorous cabaret dancers of the 1930s, was a pair of tortoises. These came from the besotted retail magnate Harry Selfridge, their shells set by Cartier with 4-carat blue diamonds.
The Dolly Sisters in the 1920s
The modern dog with a generous budget could choose from the famously expensive Amour Amour collars, the top-of-the-range set with 52 carats of diamonds, to elegant options from Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany and Christian Louboutin (with signature red lining). Sadly cats haven’t attracted the same attention from jewellers, although they might not have the same patience for dressing up as their dog counterparts.
The size M Loubicollar dog collar from Christian Louboutin
Animal lives are shorter than human ones and bereaved owners often wanted a record of their animal companions, often through paintings and photographs but also via memorial jewellery set with their images and sometimes even hair.
The brooch with a portrait of Nero made for Jane Carlyle
Jane Carlyle’s little dog Nero was a great comfort to her through the ups and downs of her marriage to the author Thomas Carlyle. Nero, painted as “large as a sheep” to Jane’s dismay, can be seen lying comfortably on the sofa in Robert Tait’s painting of the Carlyles at home. When Nero died in February 1860, Jane turned to the painter to help her create a memorial. Writing to Tait, she asked him to send her a photograph of the detail of Nero from the painting to make into a brooch.
Queen Victoria’s collie Gipsy, painted by Friedrich Wilhelm Keyl
Jane Carlyle wasn’t the only bereaved owner to want a lasting memory of her pet. Queen Victoria extended her appetite for sentimental jewellery to her animals. As well as a photograph album recording all the dogs in the Windsor kennels, one of her favourite dogs was immortalised in a jewel. In 1863 the Prince of Wales ordered a crystal brooch with the image of the Queen’s recently deceased collie Gipsy from the royal jewellers, Garrards. Some years later, as Edward VII, he kept strands of his favourite terrier Jack’s hair in a locket on his desk.
Amour Amour is the world’s most expensive dog collar with the price tag of $3.2 million
And although in general cats have not been lucky enough to be gifted jewels during their seven lifetimes, they have also been turned into a glittery accessory.
Mary Russell, Duchess of Bedford, was well known for her passion for Siamese cats. According to Boudoir Magazine in 1904, she wore a locket holding the portrait of Goblin, her favourite cat. Goblin’s thoughts on the matter are not recorded.
Canada’s Lucara Diamond has dug up a 1,094 carat diamond from its Karowe mine in Botswana.
This is the sixth diamond weighing more than 1,000 carats to be recovered at the mine, and it comes only weeks after the recovery of a 2,492 carat diamond the second-largest diamond ever recovered.
“This remarkable stone bears striking similarities to the 692 carat diamond announced in August 2023, which was polished by HB Antwerp and yielded polished diamonds that sold for in excess of $13 million,” the company said in a press release.
“This newly recovered 1,094 carat stone will also be polished by HB Antwerp, as part of the ongoing partnership between the two companies,” Lucara said.
The Karowe mine has produced several large diamonds in recent years, including the 1,758-carat Sewelô in 2019, the 1,109 carat Lesedi La Rona in 2015, and the 813 carat Constellation, also in 2015. The mine is also credited for having yielded Botswana’s largest fancy pink diamond to date, the Boitumelo.
Botswana is the world’s largest producer of diamonds, and the trade has transformed it into a middle-income nation.
Karowe remains one of the highest margin diamond mines in the world, producing an average of 300,000 high value carats each year.
Shares of Lucara rose 8% by 11:40 a.m EDT in Toronto. The miner has a market capitalization of C$221 million ($162 million).
The American Gem Society (AGS) will present panel discussions on lab grown diamond pricing and supply, advances in lab grown identification and the art of natural diamond storytelling.
The three-hour Confluence is an online-only event, featuring three pre-recorded sessions, designed to allow the speakers to take part in a live chat Q&A.
The event is scheduled for 25 September and will be accessible to non-AGS members for a $150 fee. The sessions will remain available, on demand, until 31 December.
The Importance of Diamond Screening: Challenges, Techniques, and Resources covers the latest screening technologies and their limitations, providing guidance on using gemological instruments for verification.
Laboratory-Grown Diamonds: Pricing, Supply, and Disclosure explores the complexities of the lab grown diamond market, including pricing dynamics and the importance of transparency.
And The Incredible Story of Natural Diamonds delves into the geological history and mining processes of natural diamonds, featuring insights from experts at GIA , which is sponsoring the event.
AGS is a nonprofit trade association representing a select group of jewelers, independent appraisers, and suppliers in the jewelry industry.
Africa focused miner Gem Diamonds has unearthed yet another large white diamond at its prolific Letšeng mine in Lesotho.
The 126.21 carat Type II white diamond is the twelfth greater than 100 carat precious stone mined this year at the operation, the company said.
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Type IIa diamonds are the most valued and collectable precious gemstones, as they contain either very little or no nitrogen atoms in their crystal structure.
The Letšeng mine, owned 70% by Gem Diamonds, is one of the world’s ten largest diamond operations by revenue. At 3,100 metres (10,000 feet) above sea level, it is also one of the world’s most elevated diamond mines.
The operation has a track record of producing large, exceptional white diamonds, which makes it the highest dollar per carat kimberlite diamond mine in the world.
Shanghai,China-Oct.7th 2022: large Tiffany Co. flagship store at Huaihai Road with many walking people
Tiffany & Co. is reportedly vacating half of its 12,000 sq ft flagship store in Shanghai as luxury sales plummet in China.
The two-floor store (pictured), at the city’s Hong Kong Plaza, opened in 2019, with a bold design featuring almost 7,000 handcrafted glass diamonds.
But LVMH, the luxury conglomerate that owns Tiffany, has been hit by the economic slowdown globally and by government restrictions in China on ostentatious consumption.
In Q2 of this year LVMH posted a 14 per cent drop in sales for Asia (excluding Japan), which includes China. Profits globally for its watch and jewelry operations fell by 19 per cent during the quarter.
Tiffany will give up half the space at its Shanghai store later this month, according to a Bloomberg news report, and the landlord is in talks with potential new tenants.
It said Tiffany had asked property development and investment Lai Fung to reduce its rent.
