Archive for the ‘gems’ tag

Glittering array of gems for expo display

GLITTERING gems, fine jewellery and luxury watches will be showcased at a major exhibition opening in Bahrain next week.

Jewellery Arabia 2009 will be held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre (BIEC).

The event, now in its 18th series, runs from November 17 until November 21.

More than 600 companies from 30 countries will take part, occupying a total floor area of 18,000 square metres.

Collectively, they form the largest display of precious gems, finished jewellery and luxury watches in the Middle East, say organisers.

Two temporary halls have been commissioned to extend existing facilities at the BIEC for the fourth year in a row to meet high demand for space for the show, they said.

“Despite the current global economic climate, Jewellery Arabia 2009 has sold out to capacity,” said Arabian Exhibition Management sales and marketing director Fawzi Al Shehabi.

“The international watch and jewellery industry is looking to the Middle East for growth and the exhibition is a proven trade gateway to this important economic sector.”

Jewellery Arabia 2009 will feature a number of new companies looking to break into the region, including the first time participation of a pavilion of Malaysian jewellers co-ordinated by the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE).

Eminent jewellery houses and watch manufacturers making a comeback at the expo include Audemars Piguet, Cartier, Chopard, De Beers, Graff Diamonds, Harry Winston, Hublot, Patek Phillipe and Piaget amongst numerous others.

Country pavilions from Brazil, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia and Thailand, in addition to a strong GCC and Lebanese contingent complements the line up.

Among them are some of the kingdom’s leading jewellers, including Bahrain Jewellery Centre, Asia Jewellers, Al Mahmood Pearls and Al Zain, say organisers.

They will bring together collections of famous international brands in boutique formats, they said.

The designs of local jewellers will also be spotlighted by a pavilion of Bahrain jewellers, co-ordinated by the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Many of the exhibiting companies will once again have an exclusive presence at the expo, offering upwards of 40,000 visitors a unique preview of the global jewellery and watch market.

“Giant luxury goods firms exhibit alongside smaller designers of unique one-off pieces, an exotic mix of national pavilions and a vast selection of the finest non-branded products from all over the world.”

Last year’s exhibition attracted more than 42,000 visitors. Of the total, 26 per cent were drawn from Saudi Arabia, say organisers, adding there was also significant support from Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, the UAE and other neighbouring countries.

“The exhibition’s enthusiastic consumer following continues to reflect the region’s passion for fine jewellery, which has succeeded in creating one of the world’s largest and most dynamic markets,” said Mr Al Shehabi.

Meanwhile, Middle East Watches, Jewellery and Pen Awards will be held on the sidelines of Jewellery Arabia 2009 for the fourth consecutive year at the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain Hotel and Spa on November 17. The awards, hosted by MPPArabia, are the culmination of an online public voting system and the analysis of an elite committee comprising watch, jewellery and pen collectors, connoisseurs and aficionados with no direct commercial ties to the industry.

The opening ceremony will be a star-studded event with the expected presence of invited dignitaries, royalty, celebrities, leading socialites, top ranking officials and senior professionals representing the international watch, jewellery and pen industries, say organisers.

Jewellery Arabia will open from 4pm to 10pm daily. An exclusive ladies-only morning will be held on November 19 from 10am to 1pm.

Dazzling diamonds and glittering gems adorn the Field Museum

Beginning Friday, Chicago’s Field Museum may be every girl’s—or gemologist’s—best friend.

The permanent gem exhibit at Grainger Hall reopens Friday, Oct. 23, complemented by “The Nature of Diamonds,” a temporary exhibit running through March 28.

Together, the exhibits contain more than 1,000 gems, pieces of jewelry, and other bejeweled adornments, ranging from belt buckles to brooches.

The Grainger Hall of Gems, a Field Museum mainstay, has been anything but set in stone since it originally opened 88 years ago, in 1921. Now, after its third renovation, the hall boasts brighter lights and a setting more suited to the subject.

“We took the room down to the studs and rebuilt to give it more of a regal feel when you walk in,” said Lance Grande, senior vice president and head of collections and research for the Field Museum. Grande is also curator of the Grainger Hall of Gems.

The revamped Grainger Hall of Gems exhibit showcases more than 150 pieces of jewelry, dating from before Tutankhamen’s time to today’s Tiffany & Co.

According to Grande, some of the previous exhibit’s stones were “glass facsimiles” –fakes—which have now been replaced with the real thing.

World-famous jewelry designers were also enlisted to help create new pieces to host some the museum’s most precious gems.

“We had some really spectacular world-class pieces, but they were unset stones, and they were perhaps not well highlighted in the previous exhibit,” Grande said.

“This time around we wanted see if we could to get named designers across the country interested in setting these in designs that would emphasize the stone but still represent human artistry. “

Designers included local Chicago jewelers Ellie Thompson, Lester Lampert, Marc Scherer, and Oak Park Jewelers. The noted Mish Tworkowski of Mish New York and the late Jean Schlumburger for Tiffany & Co. were also enlisted to design settings.

Thompson was tasked with setting one of the museum’s golden beryls in the spirit of science and beauty.

“I wanted to create something that would evoke imagination and also help highlight the stone itself to work within the exhibition itself, having the gemstone in its natural form…” Thompson said.

Downstairs, the visiting Nature of Diamonds exhibit covers some 7,000 square feet of space.“The Vault” is its centerpiece.

Inside The Vault, visitors can ogle some of the largest diamonds ever found, including the flawless Incomparable Diamond, weighing in at 407 carats.

Other highlights include the 128-carat yellow Tiffany Diamond, worn by actress Audrey Hepburn in the movie “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”

Visitors are also treated to case after case of spectacular diamond settings in rings, necklaces, and pins, including some designed for the wealthiest of royalty, such as Catherine the Great, and Hollywood royalty, such as Elton John.

But diamonds don’t come out of the ground dazzling, and the museum has the proof—and the process—on display.

The Nature of Diamonds exhibit begins with an explanation of diamond mining and ends with a showcase of the way diamonds are cut to give them the brilliant light-reflecting qualities they’re so prized for.

Each of the gemstones in Grainger Hall is also shown in its natural state, embedded in rock (called a matrix by gemologists), right beside a cut and polished final product, so visitors can witness the transformation.

Visitors can also learn the science behind the stones. The exhibit also explains the differing chemical compositions which give gemstones their color and physical characteristics.

And for those looking for deeper implications, rather than purely decorative ones, The Nature of Diamonds exhibit also puts the stones to work in the medical and scientific fields. Visitors can learn about the use of diamond-edged blades for surgical purposes and the use of diamond drills for collecting rock samples on Mars.

But science aside, the beauty of the gems like the Tiffany Diamond may be what appeals to visitors, such as Ann Higby, who previewed the exhibit on Oct. 20.

“I’m just attracted to the color of it because I don’t think I’ve ever seen something that yellow and sparkly. It’s just beautiful. It is just beautiful,” Higby said.