Jewellery show a huge success

The 8th edition of the Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition (DJWE) which concluded yesterday was a resounding success as the number of participants and visitors to the six-day event registered a record increase, industry sources said.

Spread over 15,000sq m at the Doha Exhibition Center, participation in the prestigious exhibition was worth the investment in time and money, retailers said.

During the exhibition, some of the biggest names in the industry staged global premieres, launched new brands and set new world records.

According to the organiser Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA), there were 37 newcomers among the 300 exhibitors this year.

“We have been thrilled to be a participant this year too,” said an official of Saudi Arabia-based House of Mouawad, which made a Guinness World Record at the exhibition for creating the world’s most expensive handbag, ‘1001 Nights Diamond Purse’, worth $3.8mn.

“It’s our fifth year here and judging by the success of the market, we are planning to open our first permanent store here,” the official added.

Scores of other regional and international jewellers also used the exhibition platform to announce their plans to be in Qatar all year round.

The Bahrain-based Al Zain Jewellery will open a store in April, while the Gulf region’s home-grown luxury retailer, Pari Gallery, said it too was set to open a store at the Lagoona Mall in two months’ time.

“We cut a large cake today to mark the end of the launch of our two more brands, Spectrum and Shenoy,” Pari Gallery Watches Division head Bechara Abou Rjeily said.

Also opening a store at The Pearl-Qatar will be world-renowned watchmaker Raymond Weil.

Global premieres at the exhibition included such names as Baume & Mercier, which delighted the visitors with the debut of its new 2011 collections, while Italian-luxury brand Bvlgari brought with it 80 exquisite jewels from the 2011 collection.

“We are so happy and feel very positive about the DJWE. The number of visitors matched our expectations and we experienced a growth of 25% in terms of transactions,” Qatar-based Marzooq Al Shamlan & Sons’ general manager KV Ramakrishnan said.

When asked if the company, which has been part of the event since its inception, would be back next year, Ramakrishnan said: “Absolutely! This is a fantastic event for a company like ours.”

Another retailer, Qatar-based Al Makki Jewellery & Watches showcased a unique jewel piece which looked like a football, as a tribute to Qatar’s successful bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022.

“We ordered this the day Qatar won the bid (December 3) and it arrived half an hour before the exhibition was officially inaugurated. At the moment we can’t disclose the material used or price of the article, but we will be creating a special showcase point for this precious tribute,” Al Makki branches supervisor, Rakan al-Khawam said.

Befitting an event of the DJWE’s stature, high-profile visitors included HH the Emir and HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, HE the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, who officially opened the event, HE the Deputy Premier and a number of VIPs.

Although the exact figures will be available later this week, an estimated 50,000 visitors were expected for the event – a huge increase over last year’s 20,000.

“The DJWE has also been good to us. But what is interesting to observe is the continued rise in quality of exhibitors and products year after year,” jewellery-maker Graff’s senior executive Clive Golanski said.

Graff showed perhaps the most expensive piece at the DJWE, a yellow diamond cut in emerald-square worth $43mn.

“The stands are more lavish, the products more stunning,” Golanski added.

Others said they would be interested to see if they could find a better and more publicly-accessible stand at next year’s show.

Visitors to the exhibition said they appreciated the event of such a scale and class in Doha.

“I wanted to know the latest fashion trend in jewellery. I familiarised myself with various brands exhibiting here for future reference. To be here was fun,” a visitor said.

Photocaption: A view of some of the stands at the 8th Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition