As previously reported, the International Jewellery Fair (Expertise Events) and the Jewellery Industry Fair (Jewellery Industry Network) competed for the loyalty of the local trade – and the results were intriguing.
Not only were the final results concerning exhibitors and visitors interesting - see here - the inevitable happened.
The Jewellery Industry Network's strategy to cause a clash of dates led to several issues that are symptomatic of a divided industry and are worthy of further detailed review.
Second apology accepted
Jeweller previously reported that Richard Morgan of Keda Konsulting made an extraordinary outburst on social media which targeted jewellery industry buying groups and the International Jewellery Fair.
Morgan’s comments on the Jewellers Co. Facebook page (formerly Young Jewellers Group) were eventually deleted.
Following a 22 August news report about the incident, Morgan tendered an apology to Nationwide Jewellers, which has supported the International Jewellery Fair at Darling Harbour for more than 30 years.
Keda Konsulting was an exhibitor at the Jeweller Industry Fair - the rival trade show - and he posted that Nationwide Jewellers had "bastardised the other fair". He also suggested possible misconduct with the shuttle bus service at, or around, the International Jewellery Fair venue.
This led to a number of other members making comments, including attacks on third parties.
A second news report on 27 August noted that Morgan had not contacted Expertise Events; however, Jeweller can now confirm that he has also apologised to managing director Gary Fitz-Roy.
Fitz-Roy told Jeweller on 5 September that he had accepted Morgan’s apology and he considers the matter concluded.
“The only comment I would make is that too often people jump on social media and make uninformed comments. They don’t fact-check and take a considered position, nor think about who else they may be harming,” he said.
He further explained, “My understanding is the Young Jewellers [Jewellers. Co Facebook page] has posted an announcement around defamatory comments. I am not part of the social media group.”
The post that Fitz-Roy references is ‘Important Admin Announcement - Comment policy and legal responsibility’. Ewen Ryley, one of the owners of Jewellers Co., explained the consequences to members making defamatory comments in social media posts.
Here we go again…
It’s not the first time that potentially defamatory comments have been made by members of Jewellers Co. Last year administrators were forced to remove potentially defamatory comments, including posts made by the group's moderators.
Additionally, several suppliers have previously complained to Jeweller that their businesses are unfairly targeted by unsubstantiated and false claims within the group.
Ryley’s latest warning to members to adhere to the group's rules and regulations was issued on 4 September.
“It is crucial to ensure that all interactions within our community remain respectful and constructive. Specifically, we need to address the issue of defamatory comments,” he wrote.
“Defamation refers to making false statements about someone that can harm their reputation as administrators.”
Ryley went on to explain that the administrators of a Facebook group can be held legally responsible for other people’s published material. He referenced a 2013 legal case (Sexton v McLaughlin) where a court ruled against administrators regarding libel.
He added: “We are aware that we can be held legally responsible for defamatory comments made by members in our group. We take this responsibility seriously and urge everyone to be mindful of the content they post.”
Further complexities
The history of Jewellers Co, which is owned by Ryley and Brett Low, makes this matter even more complex.
Ryley is the director of Ryley Jewellery Creations and Low is a director of Deer Honey Jewellery, with both retailers based in Queensland.
Ryley was a NSW-based jeweller when he started the Facebook group more than a decade ago. The group's first function was hosted by Jeweller at the 2011 International Jewellery Fair and sponsored by Expertise Events.
With 250 Facebook members achieved in just a few months, the Young Jewellers Group launched a dedicated website for apprentice and student jewellers.
At the time Ryley explained the site would be developed in association with the Facebook page, based on the same principles in a formally-managed environment.
The website, jewellerscollective.com, did not survive and the URL was later acquired by Joshua Zarb’s Independent Jewellers Collective when the buying group was launched in 2020.
Its membership continued to increase; however, within two years complaints emerged from members about a range of issues, leading to another jewellery Facebook group being formed.
Ryley and Low continued to champion their group, forming a private company in September 2019 called Young Jewellers Group.
They remain the only shareholders and directors. The name of the Facebook group was changed to Jewellers Co.
In 2020 Ryley and Low, along with Laura Moore and Angkham Phanthapangna, formed another private company, Jewellery Industry Network. This company owns the Jewellery Industry Fair.
This is where contentious and potentially defamatory comments such as those made by Morgan and others, become a complex legal matter for Ryley and Low.
Due to existing links Ryley and Low have to the Jewellery Industry Network - and therefore the competing jewellery show - any legal case could extend to injurious falsehood, which is distinct from defamation.
A legal action for defamation is about protecting a person's reputation, while an action for injurious falsehood is about protecting a person's business.
While Ryley and Low are no longer directors or shareholders of Jewellery Industry Network - they resigned on 1 May 2023 - they actively promote their ongoing links to the company, and their photos remain on the Jewellery Industry Network 'About us' website as 'founders'.
Furthermore, Jewellers Co. is promoted as a member of the Jewellery Industry Network.
It is worth noting that the Jewellery Industry Network continues to make the unsubstantiated claim to being 'Australia’s largest network of jewellers'.
Despite quitting the Jewellery Industry Network, Ryley is still listed on the Jewellers Co. information page as ‘Admin - Director at Jewellery Industry Network’.
He is also listed as a ‘Group Expert - Director at Jewellery Industry Network’.
Intriguingly, despite owning the Jewellery Industry Network and the Jewellery Industry Fair, Moore is listed on the same information page as ‘Group Expert - The Marketing Mind’.
The Marketing Mind is another company owned by Moore and one of many that she operates in the jewellery industry.
Therefore, despite no longer being a director of Jewellery Industry Network, Ryley lists himself as a director, while the person who is director of Jewellery Industry Network - and the owner of Jewellery Industry Fair - lists herself as being a member representing an entirely different company.
This is also despite the photo of Moore showing her standing in front signage for the Jewellery Industry Fair.
More than meets the eye
It is unclear whether Morgan’s original post was deleted by the author or by Jewellers Co. administrators.
Jeweller contacted Ryley and Low to clarify this detail; however, at the time of publication, they had not responded.
Given that some of the deleted comments surrounded accusations that one fair supported - or disregarded - Australian businesses more than the other, it is also worth noting something that has not previously been reported.
During last year’s research for the 2024 State of The Industry Report, it was discovered that prior to 2017, Expertise Events financially supported, and made payments to, the Young Jewellers Group.
Over two years (2015 and 2016), the Young Jewellers Group was a financial beneficiary of Expertise Events and the International Jewellery Fair to the tune of more than $22,500, including more than $10,000 in cash.
This financial support, which included a large presence at the International Jewellery Fair, ended when Ryley and Low sided with the Jewellers Association of Australia (JAA) in 2017 when it attempted to launch a rival trade show.
As previously reported, Moore was JAA vice president at the time and was one of three people who spearheaded the association’s decision to end a 25-year sponsorship agreement from Expertise Events and, ultimately, the misguided 2016 decision to launch its own jewellery fair, which failed to gain industry support.
As detailed above, Ryley and Low - along with Moore and Phanthapangna - proceeded to launch their own event with the establishment of the private company Jewellery Industry Network in September 2020.
Ryley and Low’s departure from the Jewellery Industry Network coincided with a legal case in the Federal Court of Australia concerning misleading and deceptive conduct.
Their resignation came about 10 weeks before the matter was scheduled for the Federal Court hearing on 19 July 2023.
Division and disunity
This background surrounding Jewellers Co. may explain the need for a detailed warning to members concerning possible legal ramifications over potential defamatory statements.
Said another way, the multitude of connections between Jewellers Co., the Jewellery Industry Network, and the Jewellery Industry Fair may result in claims of injurious falsehoods when disparaging comments are made about competitors.
As Ryley himself explained, Jewellers Co. is aware that it can be held legally responsible for defamatory comments made by members of the group.
Perhaps more importantly, this series of events is a timely reminder that the deliberate clash of dates for the two jewellery trade shows caused a great deal of industry confusion and division.
This led to public attacks on various parties, some of which were entirely uninvolved in any perceived ‘dispute’ between the events.
Why Nationwide Jewellers and Independent Jewellers Collective were targeted in a discussion about poor shuttle bus services is not clear.
What is clear it is an example of the division and disunity caused by forcing suppliers to choose one show over another, for no seemingly good reason.
Given that Australia had never before experienced two simultaneous jewellery trade shows running in the same city on the same days, this series of articles has asked: Who really benefits from this arrangement?
As previously reported, Expertise Events has confirmed that the International Jewellery Fair will return to Darling Harbour on 23-25 August next year.
Conversely, the Jewellery Industry Fair has not yet announced its 2025 dates.
Having declared that their 2024 Jewellery Industry Fair was a ‘resounding success', it will be intriguing to see whether Moore and Phanthapangna schedule another date clash next year.
At which point the same question will arise: Who really benefits from two events at the same time in the same city?
With a number of people and organisations walking a ‘fine line’ legally in recent weeks - along with the ongoing interconnections and links between as many as 10 director-related companies - issues relating to industry division will undoubtedly prompt further deliberation.
Perhaps, Ryley’s warning to members was a first step in the right direction; however, only time will tell.
Editor’s Note: As a matter of transparency, when the Jewellery Industry Fair announces its dates for the Sydney trade show in 2025, this series will be updated to include this information.
More reading
Jewellery Trade Shows V: Measure twice, cut once
Jewellery Trade Shows IV: Sydney’s confused jewellery commuters
Jewellery Trade Shows III: More facts and figures without ‘spin’
Jewellery Trade Shows II: Is all ‘fair’ in love and war?
Jewellery Trade Shows I: The facts and figures without puffery