The Jewellers’ Association of Australia’s Annual Fair Sydney 2006 – What’s Hot Around the World?

Thousands of visitors from the Australian jewellery trade, retailers, manufacturers, bench jewellers, goldsmiths, silversmiths attended the annual fair to see the latest products on show from hundreds of exhibitors from all over the world.

There is nothing new under the sun. Well perhaps there isn’t but there certainly can be new twists put on old themes and that is certainly evident in the jewellery fashion world.

The world economies are changing and China is playing a big part in jewellery manufacture and China equals cheap. In Australia sales have been dampened by rising fuel prices, rising interest rates and massively rising gold and silver prices. But it doesn’t mean that people have stopped buying jewellery.

As a response to these negative economic conditions new metals are looming as the popular choice. We are seeing titanium, tungsten, and stainless steel taking over some of the role of the precious metals gold and silver. These are exciting metals and a lot can be done with them that might not be done with other metals. Also, white gold is the most expensive of the gold varieties and with a huge surge in the gold price what can we do? Well palladium is the answer. It is a beautiful metal and is strong and a sparkling white. It doesn’t need to be rhodium plated and in my opinion it looks better than white gold or platinum and it is less expensive.

Big is the word of today. We are seeing huge mens’ watches. At first I have to laugh but then they grow on you. Of course you don’t have to agree with the fashions you just have to keep up with them!

Beads and all things beaded and big beads are popular. Well, that’s been happening for a while but it doesn’t show any signs of waning. Bright coloured beaded jewellery is looming large. The best part about beaded jewellery is that it is cheap. You can buy a lot of it for very little and you can even make it yourself. Beaded gemstone jewellery is raging. I like because you get beads like garnets, pearls, opalite, and so on all very inexpensively. They are the poorer quality pieces of the mining process but what a terrific way to use them.

Diamonds are still in flavour which is evidenced by the fact that one and a half million dollars worth were stolen from one exhibitor as his wears were being transported to the fair. Diamonds are coming in all colours now and this is making a resurgence in the desire for the timeless stone.

Other gemstones are being set in invisible settings and this is becoming very popular. All that glittering metal which traditionally holds the stones in place is cleverly being replaced by another form of setting which makes the setting method invisible. I like it.

Silver jewellery is surging as a response to the increased cost of white gold but it always had its loyal followers in any case.

I am pleased to see that amber and amber jewellery from the far Baltic shores is still very popular.

All in all, my view of what I have seen and talked about shows that all the old favourites like opals are still holding their ground but big, bright, glitzy jewellery is on the rise!