IJD Show Draws New Crowd

The 10th annual International Jewellery Dubai Show opened Monday with a refocused image and some 454 exhibitors from the Gulf region and Europe.

In tune with the new profile, show management is focusing on attracting trade visitors as opposed to the jewelry loving public of the region who used to be the show’s main audience. This is why it decided to hold the five day event in December and not April.

2004 has been a boom year for the jewelry industry in Dubai. Retail sales for the first half of the year increased by more than 41 percent, driven in large part by the influx of tourists. According to research, some 90 percent of tourists buy jewelry while vacationing in the Gulf's holiday Mecca.

Branded jewelry is receiving a high profile with a unique dedicated Branded Jewelry Pavilion featuring some 50 leading jewelry brands including Graff, Pasquale Bruni, Scavia, Tiffany and Adler.

Style wise, big is simply an understatement for many of the pieces on display. Cocktail rings they may be, but many of the bestsellers at the show are simply super-sized rocks surrounded by intricate diamond detailing.

One piece drawing attention from several interested participants during the opening day was a diamond necklace by Chatila featuring a 120 carat diamond.