Philippine fine jewelry makers to shine, glitter in HK Jewelry Trade Show

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), in its pursuit to expand the market for Philippine fine jewelry in Asia, flies to Hong Kong with the country’s top jewelers showcasing their fine works of art in the Hong Kong International Jewellery Show 2007, 6th–10th of March at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center.

Mia Faustmann (third from L) president of the Guild of Philippine Jewellers and Benjamin Aragon, CEO of Sanara (fourth from L) together with Tricia Libongco, CITEM project manager for the Hong Kong Fine Jewellery Show and Happy David, fashion accessories designer/owner of Get Happy discussed prospects of fine jewelry in the global market at the recent Good News Pilipinas forum at Figaro, Greenbelt.

Six local jewelers will showcase the Philippines’ Finest in sterling silver jewelry (A. Suarez Sterling Corporation, Michelis, Inc, Sanara, Inc, Sterling Gifts, Inc), gold jewelry and precious and semi-precious stones (JMA Jewelry Center, Inc), and South Sea pearls (Jewelmer International).

The Philippine participation is part of the export promotion activities of the DTI to expand the local fine jewelry market and generate business leads, said Trade Assistant Secretary Fe Agoncillo-Reyes, executive director of the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), the export promotion arm of the DTI.

This project is also a strategic venture for DTI as Hong Kong—where fine jewelry market is expanding rapidly with their exports surging by 23% in 2005, reaching HK$25.5 billion—is one of the Philippines’ top export destinations along with the United States and Japan. The fair expects to draw about 30, 000 foreign buyers from 41countries like the US, Japan, China, and Australia.

The Philippine fine jewelry export industry is very young. Most of the companies are small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which have been operating for just over 20 years. Since fine jewelry is a high-end product, it mainly caters to mid-range and high-end markets.

The sector primarily manufactures, produces, and sells jewelry made of precious metals or base metals clad with pearls, precious or semi-precious stones. Pearls and silver are most widely used in the country. There are about 250 manufacturing and exporting fine jewelry nationwide employing 100,000 workers.

“Our local companies engaged in fine jewelry manufacturing have excellent design capabilities and they can offer a wider range of contemporary designs composed of hand and machine-held pieces. The Philippine participation is an opportunity for our local jewelers to strengthen their foothold in established international trade events,” added Agoncillo-Reyes.

For information on the Hong Kong International Jewellery Show, please check out the website:
www.citem.com/hkjewellery or contact CITEM’s Softgoods Division at (632) 831-1265 or (632) 831-2201 loc. 203 / 226 or email at softgoods@citem.com.ph