Online Trade Fair Database (J-messe) IJT 2017

Japan’s Largest Jewellery Trade Show

Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo, Japan

January 23-26, 2017

Jewellery has a way of so enchanting people that they just have to buy it. “We have a cute bracelet that says, ‘Tacos saved my life!’ on them,” said Ms. Sakine Gulec, Creative Director of Amorium LLC (USA), “and one lady came in and bought five of them!” Mr. Tom King, Director of Opal Pacific Ltd. (New Zealand), a dealer in opals, related an even more amazing story. “This hasn’t happened lately, but once at this show,” he said, “some buyer came in and bought out the inventory of an entire booth!”

Many exhibitors have similarly breathtaking stories to tell. Another opal dealer, Mr. Damien Cody, Director of Cody Opal (Australia) Pty. Ltd., recounted a story of one particularly well-heeled customer. “The Japanese have a love affair with the opal, because it’s valued as a good luck charm,” he said. “I recall a Japanese lady who, on the spot, purchased an opal valued at probably over one hundred thousand dollars, and only wore it as an amulet, hidden inside her kimono.”

The stones in themselves fascinate, but part of the allure is the artistry that goes into turning them into fine jewellery, each piece reflective of a unique culture. Mr. Cristiano Scognamiglio, of M+M Scognamiglio SRL (Italy), was offering exotic cameo brooches carved from coral. “For cameos, eighty per cent of them are made in one small town, Torre del Greco, just ten kilometers from Naples, Italy,” he explained. “In the old days many sailors would bring back corals and shells from their travels, so a local trade in cameos grew up there.” Mr. Scognamiglio added that his firm regularly exhibits at IJT “because this is the best jewellery show in Japan, known for the high quality of the visitors.”

Shoppers and buyers were able to compare products across a wide spectrum of cultures. A booth attendant at Houseki no Shiki [Four Seasons of Jewelry] (Japan), a Tokyo-based publication focused on the jewellery industry, compared Western and Japanese design styles, saying “overseas jewellery design often creates a 3-dimensional effect by raising up parts of the design, but traditionally in Japan jewellery tends to be flat, because the items are worn as decorations on the wide obi sash of the Japanese kimono.”

One firm engaged in serving the general industry was the Gemmological Association of Great Britain. Ms. Samantha Lloyd, Gem-A Instruments Manager, and Ms. Julia Griffith, Gemmology and Diamond Tutor, explained their services. “We are here to do seminars and advertise our education courses in gemology,” they said. Ms. Lloyd added, “not only specialists but hobbyists and people looking to get into the business show up as well. This is a friendly show with great opportunities, and we’re happy to meet some of our Japanese students here as well.”

Once purchased, jewellery and precious stones, like any fine items, need care and maintenance. The Pearl Science Laboratory (Japan) provides training and education for the proper preservation of pearls, a natural product which can dull and discolor with age. Ms. Sachiko Sakamoto, working in the Pearl Cleaning Section of the Laboratory as an expert in pearl cleaning, mentioned that the Laboratory’s aim was “to broaden knowledge of long-term pearl care. Pearls are at their peak of value and beauty when first purchased, but if you know how to properly clean and store them, they will keep their lustre for a very long time.” As part of their service, the Laboratory teaches not only this, but also how to evaluate pearl quality, and find the best pearls to fit your budget.