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Tuskc stall at Brisbane Jewellery Fair last year
Brisbane Jewellery Fair promises fresh and best
 2.6 k views | Posted March 20, 2012 |
Australian jewellery suppliers say they will have exciting new products and collections ready for the Brisbane Jewellery Fair.
The message coming from exhibitors is retailers making the annual pilgrimage to the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre this weekend for the jewellery fair should expect to see many freshly launched collections, a lot of silver and some very affordable offerings.
In fact, some suppliers are launching new products that weren’t available just two weeks ago at the Melbourne fair.
Exhibitors are hoping Queensland retailers will have a more positive outlook than 12 months ago, when much of the region was recovering from devastating flooding.
Expertise Events managing director Gary Fitz-Roy says positive external factors have hopefully shifted the spirit of retailers.
“The mood in Queensland this year compared with 2011 is different,” Fitz-Roy told Jeweller. “Last year, they were recovering from flooding and now there is a pending change in [State] government and a renewed energy because of that.”
Fitz-Roy also said there had been a spike in new registrations, meaning a lot of fair-goers will be attending their first jewellery fair this weekend.
Newest products
Worth & Douglas is launching a Tweety Bird range of jewellery, kicking off their Looney Tunes collection after acquiring the licensing rights from Warner Bros. late last year.
“It was still all being pieced together while we were Melbourne, so we’re going to launch it in Brisbane,” Worth & Douglas head of sales and marketing Chris Worth told Jeweller.
Worth said the range uses the eternally popular children’s cartoon character to reach young adult females under 30, adding a touch of elegance to take it away from being a children’s market.
“For an older touch, we use fine precious metals, available in sterling silver and 9ct gold,” he said.
Melissa Gibson, general manager of Tuskc, believes her brand has both genders covered with their stainless steal products that actually intend to age quickly.
“We will have the Entwine collection on display, which is very delicate, with finely woven bangles, earrings and pendants for women,” Gibson said.
“For the men, we’ve got a collection that is antique gray. They are very classic pieces, like ID bracelets, dog tags and rings. It is finished with a special application called an IP application, and over time the pieces become worn like your favourite pair of jeans, they take on an antique look. It’s a pretty cool look,” she added.
Gibson says that she and fellow staff had to test the pieces themselves to make sure they showed wear and tear in a fashionable way.
“I know it sounds stressful but we had to treat them really badly to see how they would wear,” she said, adding they were happy with the results. “It just wears down in all the right spots.”
Jewellers who want to get their hands dirty should have a lot to look at the fair as well, with many tools, equipment and casting stalls showcasing their newest concepts.
“We’ll have examples of our CAD created pieces on show and some examples of our finished products like tennis bracelets and lockets,” Apecs Investment Casting director Christine Lunt says. “We’ll have some samples of all the alloys we cast, because we cast in quite a large range of alloys.”
RJ Scanlan & Co. general manager Stephen Brown has two stands at the fair, giving his newest acquisition, charm bracelet juggernaut Trollbeads, its own space to showcase a slew of colourful new collections.
“Trollbeads has a new range with the spring collection, it was launched in the European spring,” Brown said. “There is the Australia collection too, which is only available from Australian retailers. We’re also releasing some new Easter beads, which can be worn as pendants or on bracelets.”
Brown explained that the company will make its TeNo men’s fashion brand a focus at the fair. The new Ukon range of leather, rubber and steel bracelets were designed and made in Germany and would be worth a look as men’s jewellery continues its rise in popularity.
“You can see the growth by the number of brands that have jumped on board [men’s jewellery] and the number of companies that now have men’s ranges within their brands,” Brown said.
He believes the ubiquitous jewellery associated with male celebrity culture has led the trend.
“You just have to look at the footy players, rugby players and rock stars,” Brown explained to Jeweller. “They’ve got tats and jewellery, and they’re emulated by the followers, who want wear the same sorts of things.”
View 34 hot, new products at BrisbaneTrendsAn increase in male jewellery options probably won’t be the most only trend retailers will notice at the Brisbane fair though, expect to see a lot of suppliers going after a lower-end market. The worst of the global financial crisis might be behind us, but consumers and retailers are still showing caution at the higher end of the jewellery market. “I would have thought that there is going to be a good lot of marketable products at good prices,” Brown predicted of the fair. “It’s no secret that retail isn’t firing along out there.” “Not everybody wants to spend a thousand dollars on a ring,” Brown added. “We want to create a lower end market, and that’s a reflection of the price of gold and the economy in general.” Worth agrees that cheaper metals will be popular at the fair and with retailers and consumers in the near future. “Of course silver will continue to be big,” Worth said. “I put that down to the price of gold, although it’s coming down. People are being cautious with their spending but still want to find that high-end piece of jewellery, so silver and diamonds and silver mixed with gold will be quite popular this year.” Laura Maddison, jewellery designer at Tuskc, believes there are some strong jewellery fashions at the moment that look like they will hang around a little while longer. “I’ve seen a lot of very delicate jewellery coming through,” she said. “Layering necklaces and the stacking trend on rings is still quite strong. Mixing colours is big too, mixing gold metals and darker colours. Pearls are pretty big, I think they’re big every year. Baubles seem to be pretty popular as well, clustered ball necklaces and chunky ball bracelets.” Come one, Come allThe whole east coast of Australia is now accounted for, with three jewellery fairs running annually, and Gary Fitz-Roy says the Brisbane fair is a great opportunity for jewellery retailers from the top end of New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory in particular to catch up with the industry. “It’s important whether they’re buying or not to come along,” he said. “Buying is important, but even if you don’t buy on the spot, you need to be aware of what’s out there.” Chris Worth agrees, and believes he always gets something out of the fair. “We’re always really happy with the fairs,” Worth said. “It’s good to catch up with existing customers and potential new accounts, and it’s a good opportunity to show them what is new.” There will be plenty of chances for catching up on Sunday night, with an hour dedicated to networking drinks.
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