The Jewellery Show helped to launch the first ever trade day at London Jewellery Week 2011, a unique event that took place during the opening of Treasure (formerly a consumer-only event) on Thursday June 9.
For just one day the city-wide jewellery festival brought together trade buyers and designers in an intimate exhibition held at Victoria House in London’s Bloomsbury Square.
Some highlights of the show included the inaugural Goldsmiths’ Pavilion – featuring over 30 of London’s best fine jewellers – and the Essence ethical pavillion, showcasing the work of jewellers with the shared vision that sustainable jewellery does not have to sacrifice design or quality. Today (Friday June 10), the Fairtrade & Fairmined Gold initiative will hold an evening reception at Treasure to highlight the great work being done by the sector to ensure the ethical provenance of jewellery.
The British Jewellers’ Association (BJA) held its AGM at The Jewellery Show Salon following a series of presentations from Retail Jeweller and WGSN. BJA chief Lindsey Straughton (left) said that: “It’s been a buzzy and informative event, a good mixture of retailers and other trade visitors”.
The British jewellery trade was out in force throughout the exhibition, demonstrating the powerful collaborative spirit of the industry.
Exhibitors were also happy, with the multiple award-winning Sarah Ho saying: “We’ve been really busy, we haven’t stopped, and it’s been all the big buyers. They’re interested in the silver and the precious, gold is definitely picking up. I’m expanding my precious collection as retailers love it! This will be a full precious collection to mark my fifth anniversary.”It was also a great day for ethical jewellers, with the Essence pavillion given pride of place at the heart of the exhibition. The queen of ethical jewellery Ute Decker, for whom the inaugural Treasure at London Jewellery Week (three years ago) was her first ever exhibition, held court at the front of the pavillion. Ute has been an ethically-focused jewellery since this 2009 debut, working exclusively in recycled silver, fairtrade gold and other materials of ethically sound provenance.
“This has been a good show for me,” said Ute. Describing her dramatic silver and gold jewellery, she said: “Each piece is a one-off and I sell directly to consumers, private collectors and galleries. The public care more and more about ethical, fairtrade, fairmined jewellery, but they have to like the design first and foremost, jewellery has to stand out on its own design merits, then the ethical aspect can only make it more desirable. “
Jewellery Connections, funded by the European Regional Development Fund via support from the London Development Agency and Camden Council, had a large group stand area at the show. The Jewellery Connections project is designed to encourage collaboration and innovation in the London jewellery sector, helping to bring together designers, makers and other skilled jewellery industry professionals to support the world-class London trade.
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