Luxury Megayacht to Host Contemporary Jewelry Fair During Art Basel Miami Beach

An event onboard the SeaFair

A new jewelry exhibition will be held on a 228-foot megayacht as part of America’s largest art fair.

The inaugural International Contemporary Jewelry Fair will be held December 4 - 9 onboard the SeaFair, a $40 million, luxury yacht built for the purpose of hosting mobile art and jewelry exhibitions. It will be part of Art Basel Miami Beach (December 6 - 9), the most prestigious art fair in the Americas.

While the exhibitors haven’t been announced yet, the organizers, International Fine Art Expositions, promise that the event “will present unique jewelry created by designers and artists from around the world as another segment of collectible contemporary art.”

For the exhibition, SeaFair will be docked at its winter season location at Chopin Plaza at Noguchi Bayfront Park in downtown Miami. In addition to the shipboard exhibition, SeaFair will play host to educational events and exclusive VIP parties, including a private “first view” event on December 4. 

The fair will be open December 5 – 8, 12 p.m. – 10 p.m.; and December 9 from 12 p.m. – 7 p.m. There will be cocktails, champagne and caviar served on the vessel’s sky deck. The ship’s glass walled VIP lounge and Luxe Lounge will offer additional gathering places for collectors.

Tickets can be purchased at the door, $20 for a one-day ticket and $30 for a “Priority Boarding” ticket, which allows immediate priority boarding. Advance ticketing is available online for $15 for a one-day ticket and $25 for a Priority Boarding ticket at www.expoships.com.

SeaFair is owned and operated by Expoships, LLLP, David and Lee Ann Lester, who have organized over 70 international art fairs in art capitals around the world for more than 20 years.

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UBM to Launch Jewelry Fair in Germany during Baselworld 2014

Does Baselworld have competition? Hong Kong-based tradeshow and publishing company, UBM Asia, has been coy about this but its new jewelry show in Europe will butt heads with Baselworld in 2014.

This new tradeshow called, “Jewellery & Gem Fair – Europe,” will be held April 1 – 4, 2014, in Freiburg, Germany. The dates and location line up nicely with Baselworld 2014, which will be held March 27 – April 3, 2014. Freiburg is less than an hour away from Basel, Switzerland. In fact, it’s so close that when I attended Baselworld two years ago, I stayed in Freiburg

This announcement of a new tradeshow comes after the world’s largest watch and jewelry tradeshow finished a $454.5-million upgrade to the Messe Basel complex that came with several upset vendors. In fact, the 1,460 companies who exhibited at the recently concluded Baselworld 2013 was 355 fewer than those who exhibited the prior year.

The biggest player to exit Baselworld this year was David Yurman, after what was described as “‘exasperating’ back-and-forth with the powers that be at Baselworld.” People from several companies expressed their dissatisfaction to me with their booth placement, the substantial increase in the cost of participating this year, and the pressure to construct newer, larger and more expensive booths for the show. One company, which was one of the few companies to both remain in the same space and not expand their booth, told me they still had to pay 30 percent more than the prior year.

UBM Asia is refusing to acknowledge that they are creating a competing show, calling this new fair “a comprehensive sourcing fair offering a wide range of jewelry products.” It is being positioned “as a high-efficiency, high-level face-to-face jewelry business platform to create real business value for international suppliers and buyers.”

UBM says that more than 260 exhibitors from 25 countries and regions have reserved exhibition space a year ahead of its launch. “This figure represents more than 50 percent of the expected number of exhibitors and represents 60 percent of the total exhibition space which indicates the market’s enthusiasm for this new fair in Europe,” UBM said.

Exhibitors that have signed up are from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, China, Colombia, France, Germany, Hong Kong region, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and Zambia.

The fair is open to the jewelry trade, business professionals and members of the media. Free admission to save €30 will be granted to preregistered visitors and online preregistration opens in June 2013. 

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More Activity During Second Day of Las Vegas Jewelry Week

29-Carat Vivid Yellow Beryl Ring by Miiori

There was a lot more activity during the second day of the JCK Luxury jewelry tradeshow Wednesday as more buyers and exhibitors are making their way to Las Vegas for the start of several other jewelry shows.

Two bracelets by Amrapali. The top one is covered in light-colored opals and the the lower piece features slices of light-blue sapphires.

Exhibitors are very positive about the overall economy and the jewelry industry outlook saying that consumers are coming back and are buying, although some say that consumers still looking for value.

The Serendipity Collection by Yael Designs features sliced rose-cut emeralds.

“I think people are much more positive than they were two years ago and they have the dollars to back it up,” said Brian Watkins, president of Ritani, a jewelry manufacturer that is developing a consumer e-Commerce website with independent retailers.

The "Pop of Color" engagement jewelry line by Danhov. At the far right end is the Tubetto men's wedding band.

Among the highlights of the second day were:

* Bridal jewelry designer Danhov introduced color its engagement rings with its “Pop Of Color” collection based on birthstones.

* Yael Designs unveiled an emerald jewelry collection centered high-quality sliced emeralds with a rose cut finish.

* Jewelry designer Miiori presented several new pieces using high-quality gems and diamonds in a number of creative ways.

* Indian jewelry designer Amrapali introduced several big colorful lines using a variety of gemstones.

Thursday (today), the Couture Show, which features some of the world’s best known luxury jewelry brands, opens at the Wynn Resort.

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