9th China International Gold, Jewellery & Gem Fair – Shanghai opens Nov. 8

The key fine jewelry trade fair in Eastern China, the 9th edition of the China International Gold, Jewellery & Gem Fair – Shanghai, will be held from Nov. 8 – 11 at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center.

More than 300 exhibitors from 17 countries and regions will showcase contemporary jewelry, classic bestsellers and up-and-coming trends in 17,000 square meters of exhibition space.

“The trickle-down effect from China’s booming economy has contributed to the robust growth in jewelry consumption in China,” said officials representing UBM Asia, which owns and operates the tradeshow.

Retail sales of consumer goods in Shanghai totaled RMB388 billion ($63.63 billion) in the first half of 2013, according to the Shanghai government, and sales during that period increased by 60 percent.

With its November schedule, the Shanghai fair provides a last-minute opportunity for buyers to replenish inventories for the Christmas and Chinese New Year seasons.

The fair will have several pavilions and special product displays. They include:

* Premier Pavilion, which features world-renowned high-end jewelry retailers;

* Taiwan Pavilion with 30 exhibitors, featuring with its translucent jade and jadeite jewelry;

* Sri Lanka and Thailand Pavilions with 40 exhibitors featuring colored gemstones;

* The Australia Pavilion will make its debut at the Fair featuring its national gem: opal. It will include the National Opal Collection with its display of rare opal fossils and specimens from the dinosaur age.

Translation services will be provided on site for free, upon request. An on-site professional product testing service to examine the quality of products. In addition, a free shuttle bus service will be provided to take visitors from Exit 4 of “Yaohua Road” Metro Station to the fair venue.

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Shanghai Fair Provides Buying Opportunities for Upcoming Holidays

Jewelry retailers in Asia will have a final opportunity to stock their shelves for the upcoming Christmas holidays and Chinese New Year festivities during the China International Gold, Jewellery & Gem Fair – Shanghai (Shanghai Fair), from November 9 – 12 at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Convention Center.

More than 300 exhibitors from 18 countries and regions will showcase the latest contemporary jewelry, classic bestsellers and trends during the eighth edition of the annual trade fair, organized by UBM Asia.

In 2011, retail sales of consumer goods in Shanghai exceeded RMB677 billions, up 12.3 percent from 2010. Retail sales of gold and jewelry alone grew roughly 25 percent, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics of China.

Given its November schedule, the Shanghai Fair provides the last-minute opportunity for buyers wanting to add to their inventory for the busy Christmas and Chinese New Year festivities.

Pavilions dedicated to luxury jewelry manufacturers, jadeite manufacturers from Taiwan and gems from Sri Lanka are among the features of the fair.

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Luxury Brands Still Bet on China

Hublot Shanghai boutique.

Despite the recent reports of an economic slowdown in China, luxury companies continue to build their extravagant retail spaces for the growing mass of wealthy and middle class shoppers.

The latest example of this is Swiss luxury watch brand, Hublot, which opened its second boutique in Shanghai Tuesday. Located on Nanjing West Road, an area renowned for its concentration of top luxury brands, the boutique features the black that defines the Hublot brand along with leather furnishings, glass and metal fixtures, and high-tech details that create a contemporary space.

The boutique is the fourth in China for Hublot along with four other points of sale in Beijing, Shanghai, Dalian, Shenyang and Wuhan. The brand said it plans to have 15 outlets in China “within a short time frame.”

A month earlier, the German luxury brand, Montblanc, opened a four-story flagship in Beijing to house its luxury writing instruments, timepieces, fine jewelry and leather goods with an extravagant party attended by 1,000 persons, including Jessica Alba, Naomi Watts, Nicolas Cage and Amber Heard.

It is the largest store by the brand and includes interactive displays throughout the store that focuses on the company’s heritage.

So while investors take a pause, luxury brands continue to bet that China will continue on its road to prosperity.

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