My wife and I went into darling harbour today to have a look at the annual jewellery trade fair.
Having spent pretty much the whole day there, i thought it would be good to be able to tell you about it.
Like any fair, essentially, we did a quick skim of the 3 halls that it took up at the convention centre, then as we got to places of interest we made some notes so we would know what we are doing when we come back to these people. I like to do this so that i don’t waste either my time or the persons in the stall, i find it actually does save time in the end as i don’t have to keep meandering through all the other stalls that are not of keen interest to me.
This year we were lucky enough to have a display of the worlds most important diamonds! they were replica stones of some of the largest and most well know diamonds, ranging from the blue hope diamond in the crown jewels, to the yellow Tiffany diamond. These beautiful pieces of rock, are just that! some of them were as big as my fist! and some of the colours were incredible!
My favourite stone would have to be the “GREAT TABLE” it is a pink diamond which weighs 242.31cts! unbelievable. this stone was found in the early 1600′s and unfortunately, during the 1800′s it was cut into 2, still stunning diamonds, but personally i would have preferred the single larger stone!
the 2 diamonds it was cut into are called the “DARYA-I-NOOR” which now lies in the Iranian crown jewels, and the “NUR-UL-AIN” again, now in the Iranian crown jewels. A great display to have seen, and if you are really into diamonds then I’m sure you would have loved the sparkle and the dazzle even these replicas were giving off!
Some other highlights from the jewellery fair, was seeing the international exhibitors and what direction they are taking their jewellery. Some of the jewellers from the Asian region had alot of almost ART DECO style inspirations, lots of pave set diamonds and gemstones, with a bit of a dangle in earrings and pendants. Their rings, were again an ART DECO inspired look, with concentric shapes, a little on the geometrical side, but again with lots of pave set diamonds.
A big trend out of the Italian exhibitors (of the 2 that were there anyway) was, fashion styled jewellery but made out of real gold and diamonds and precious gems. these pieces have that big bold kind of look and feel about them, were fairly light and very wearable. Especially the pendants and bracelets, which were made to go over a standard gold chain at either a necklet or bracelet length. Quite a good concept and with the success of the glass beads that we are starting to see alot more of, I’m sure this kind of jewellery will be accepted in time.
What was the highlight for me though?
Simple: New, unusual and daring diamond cuts. IE; different diamond shapes.
To me this really opens up the possibility of more exceptional quality in design. There was a dealer there, who sources his rough diamonds and then cuts them in Israel, he was doing some very groundbreaking things! For example he had cut a perfectly proportioned cross out of 4 beautiful diamonds all with a great colour and cutting perfection. he had taken the trouble to even make the bottom diamond about twice the length of the other 3 so that it really gave the most perfect shape.
The same guy had also cut 2 matching black diamonds each one weighing about 4cts! as a pair of cufflinks. they were very simply set, but the cutting design was certainly the feature. he had cut a completely faceted top, so there was no table (the big flat part on top of the diamond) but about 100 facets right across the top in a slight domed shape. if you have never seen a black diamond, it is like looking at the reverse of a whit diamond! instead of the light being refracted out of the stone, it looks like it is being sucked into the black stone, a truly unique looking stone.
The amount of difference you could add to your designs with a different shaped diamond is almost incomparable. Diamonds are not just a round brilliant cut or a princess cut or a cushion or pear. there is a HUGE variety of different shapes and sizes available to us to use in creating a masterpiece for you. Even if you don’t want to go too out there, you can incorporate these shapes with a more traditional shaped diamond, and just by adding the new and exciting shape you will have a new and certainly very different looking ring or pendant or earring! just think about the contrast you will have between your friends jewellery and your jewellery. YOU will be the stand out!
Jewellery does not have to be as traditional as what it has been for so long. there is absolutely no reason for anyone to have just another ring off the tray or another one of those. this is about personal expression and what you want to achieve with your pieces, and maybe a little bit of indulgence thrown in there to boot! with these different shapes we can break new ground ourselves with our designs and ideas about where we want to go, and how we go about getting there.
Unfortunately these shapes depend largely on what the make up of the natural crystal is, so there is no real way of getting you some images to see, but if this is something that may interest you, i can certainly get a hold of some of the diamonds for you.
Eskae Jeweller.
P.S. speaking of cool and different things, check out this website: http://www.thecoolhunter.com.au/ you will find things on here that will blow you away! and possibly even spark that great idea about your next piece of jewellery.
Wonderful insight