he premiere edition of Carat+, the international trade show dedicated exclusively to the loose

diamond and diamond jewellery trades, ended on a high note, with the organisers and participants describing it as an unqualified success.

From May 7th to 9th, some 2,927 industry professionals from 29 countries visited the event at the Antwerp Expo, with entry being restricted only to members of the trade. Some 116 companies from 13 countries exhibited loose diamonds, branded and non-branded diamond jewellery, as well as their range of diamond and diamond jewellery industry-related services. The Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) had

organised an India pavilion at the show consisting of five leading Indian companies – Arihant Star, Core Jewellery Pvt. Ltd., Janam Corporation Pvt. Ltd., P. Hirani and Veer Gems.

Declaring that the Carat+ debut has surpassed its originally set targets, the show’s organiser, Artexis Easyfairs, announced that preparations will begin immediately for a second edition, with the dates being May 6th-8th 2018.

“Our intention in 2017 was to create a strong template for a show that will become a fixture on the world industry’s calendar,” said Filip Van Laere, the Carat+ event director. “Based on what we have learned over the past few days, as well as during the long months of preparation,

64 SOLITAIRE INTERNATIONAL JUNE 2017

TRADE FAIR

SOLITAIRE INTERNATIONAL JUNE 2017 65

Entitling her presentation “The Future of Diamonds: How Social Changes and the New Consumers are Impacting the Diamond Sector”, De Luca pinpointed key strategies that she said needed to be taken on board by companies active in the market today.

we will continue to position Carat+ as the undisputed annual reference point for the world diamond and diamond jewellery industry, and as such an event at which traders, industry leaders and opinion makers gather year after year.”

While most of its schedule was dedicated to the trading of diamond and diamond jewellery, the exhibition space at the Antwerp Expo was structured with comfortable eating and seating areas, to provide ample opportunity for networking. Participants were also afforded time to relax and enjoy themselves, such as during Carat+ Night on May 7th, an evening of music and fine cuisine that took place among the company booths, where the highlight was a tour through the exhibition hall by Caterina Murino, star of the James Bond thriller, Casino Royale.

Carat+ also provided an educational programme, with a seminar taking place on May 8th, led by Paola De Luca, the world-recognised expert on trends in the luxury jewellery and gemstone markets.

TRADE FAIR

As the founder and creative director of The Futurist, which is a trend-forecasting and creative intelligence firm specialising in the luxury and jewellery sectors, De Luca co-founded Trendvision Jewellery + Forecasting, an independent observatory focusing on trend forecasting for the jewellery industry, in partnership with Italy’s Italian Exhibition Group. She earlier established the groundbreaking TJF Group, which for a decade focused on research and forecasting for the jewellery industry, and launched the “TJF Trend book,” which became the world’s first and most authoritative jewellery trends publication.

Noting that consumer demographics have instigated massive change in the diamond markets, De Luca urged showgoers to become more acutely attuned to what is developing on the social networks, which among Millennial consumers indicate product directions, tastes and habits, and make it easy to read what the market is looking for.

One of the industry’s most reliable mainstays, bridal jewellery, is being inexorably altered, largely due to changing perceptions of partnership and marriage. “New sets of values are transforming conventional rituals,” De Luca stated. “Millennials are breaking the rules and reassessing conventional weddings.

Reinterpreting bridal jewellery and how to sell it is the next challenge.”

Diamond culture inevitably must follow changes in society, she stated, and to be relevant it is crucial that the industry plays a key role online as part of its consumers’ everyday life. “Online editorial content should follow and embrace personal values, tastes, purchasing habits, product preferences and styling,” she said.

Carat+ supported the Graff charitable foundation, Facet, through the purchase of multiple copies of the Graff coffee-table book, which was presented as a gift to VIP guests visiting the show. The magnificently designed 272-page book recounts the history of the famed diamond manufacturer and retailer, which over the years has cut and sold several of the world’s largest and most celebrated gem diamonds. All proceeds from the book are earmarked for the Facet Foundation.

“Carat+ is committed to the principle that the diamond and jewellery industry must be seen as an interdependent community stretching from the mines all the way through to jewellery retailers. The health of the entire system is reliant on the well-being of all participants and stakeholders along the entire chain of distribution,” added Van Laere. n

66 SOLITAIRE INTERNATIONAL JUNE 2017

Carat+ is committed to the principle that the diamond and jewellery industry must be seen as an interdependent community stretching from the mines all the way through to jewellery retailers.”