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Jewellery London 2007
(05-09-2007)
So Jewellery London is over for another year! It is a bit like Christmas Day after you have opened all your presents - all that excitement and build up and then it is all gone!
This year seemed bigger to me than last. There was as always, the huge display of gorgeous fine jewellery and diamonds at the entrance. These are real show stoppers - stunning baubles - the kind that if you didn't know better you would think they were costume pieces. It was all I could do not to salivate over the displays. This seriously is the place to go to buy diamonds - they are still expensive, but no where near as dear as they are in the shops - we are talking a platinum 1ct diamond solitare for £700. Admittedly this is a trade show but you couldn't get that anywhere else.
Unfortunately I wasn't going for the diamonds - bit of a shame - but there was a fantastic selcetion of bead and gemstone merchants. I always go every year to see the fabulous Ceylon Gems from Tel Aviv - they have the most incredible selection and are fantastic value. The staff they had on the stall this year were amazingly helpful and friendly so they were a pleasure to spend money with. Also Itchydo - again a good selection and lovely staff.
In previous years there have been a limited number of bead and stone sellers but this year if anything there were too many (no pleasing me) the choice was a little overwhelming and you are unsure of who to go to for what. The strange and confusing ways many of them price their stock also makes it difficult to work out who you are getting the best deal from so I tended to stick to those I knew. As I mentioned the staff in general were lovely but at a few stalls they are a bit unapproachable.
I was disappointed to see virtually nothing in the way of gold filled - I know I bang on about this but it is growing in popularity and this wasn't reflected at the show which is a shame beacuse myself and a lot of my competitors are getting asked for it more and more frequently.
I didn't get time to go around all the stalls this year and would have like to have visited the tool section and the international section - it is such as shame that Jewelley London happens only once a year. I would have gone up again yesterday but as there was a tube strike it would have been really hard to get to Earls Court.
The next major show now is Top Drawer- this weekend. It is not jewellery specific and is more gift product based although a lot of exhibitors from IJL are going to be there - if you missed IJL it is worth a look, always register before you go www.topdrawerautumn.com it will save you the entry fee. Enjoy!
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