The Jewellery Design Awards will return to the International Jewellery Fair (IJF) next year, following a three-year COVID-enforced hiatus.
The biennial Jewellery Design Awards (JDA) were launched in 2017 and enthusiasm was high with 105 entries across 12 categories. The Awards recognise Australian and New Zealand jewellery design and manufacture across jewellers, apprentices and students.
The last JDA event took place in 2019 and saw 44 finalists across 10 categories, however; the 2021 edition was cancelled because of the global pandemic
Gary Fitz-Roy, managing director Expertise Events, said, “As we have done in previous years, an expert panel will review all entries in a blind judging process to establish a finalists list. Entries are marked on theme, use of materials, retail presentation and commercial viability.
"The finalists will then have the opportunity to showcase their work with an interactive display at the 2023 International Jewellery Fair in August.”
The winners will be announced on Sunday 20 August with a canapé reception on the fair floor at Sydney’s ICC Exhibition Centre.
» Background: See 2019 JDA Award winners
Fitz-Roy explained that the JDA format is unique for Australian jewellery awards.
“Unlike other awards, our format showcases the finalists on the main exhibition floor for two days before the actual Awards presentation. Each piece can be viewed by the thousands of retailers and suppliers at the fair who can also vote in the People’s Choice Award, and this brings people to the show and is another way we hope to unite the industry,” Fitz-Roy said.
He added that the categories and prizes for the 2023 JDA are still being finalised because “we are waiting on decisions from two or three international organisations who we hope will give the Awards an even bigger boost than in previous years.”
Melbourne Jewellery Expo
Meanwhile, Expertise Events has added a third event to the 2023 industry calendar – the Melbourne Jewellery Expo – which was fully booked in one day.
Fitz-Roy admitted he undertook a ‘soft announcement’ to suppliers to gauge support before formally advertising the event to the wider industry.
“I was quite surprised at the feedback. Admittedly, we committed limited space to the Expo but we received more requests for bookings on the first day than we have stands. We are now reviewing how we can create more space to accommodate the current waiting list and the expected additional interest.”
In March 2021 Expertise Events introduced the Australian Jewellery Fair – a small-scale show in Sydney – as a way for suppliers to reconnect with customers face-to-face after the 2020 lockdowns. The boutique style event was promoted as a way to help stimulate sales and ordering after the Christmas and New Year sales periods and following Valentine's Day sales.
The 2021 event was successful and it ran again in March this year with the aim to also capture the pre Mother's Day sales cycle.
Fitz-Roy explained that following the success of both Sydney jewellery fairs this year (March and August) he received exhibitor feedback and requests to see if “we could deliver something to help stimulate the Melbourne and Victorian jewellery market. Many of our exhibitors had suggested a small, boutique-style event in Melbourne as that state continues to rebuild as the hardest lockdown state.
“So we took it to market in late September and by the end of the day we had more people wanting to exhibit than we had stands. That forced us to review our plans, which we are currently doing so we can go back to the suppliers and advise on space allocation, presentation and promotion.”
Fitz-Roy added, “The Expo is designed to serve Melbourne and country retailers and has the support of the major buying groups - Nationwide Jewellers, Independent Jeweller's Collective and Leading Edge Jewellers.
"And as Nationwide’s Colin Pocklington told me when we decided that it would proceed: ‘After two years of limited ability to visit stores we want to make the most of every opportunity to connect with our members, so we are very happy with the outcome to date.”
Melbourne Jewellery Expo will take place from 4-6 February and will be co-located with the 2023 Gift Fair and Frontline Retail stores events.
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