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With 800 companies taking up 2,500 booths spread over 60,000 sq metres, Bangkok Gems & Jewelry Fair is not meant for high heels! Unless you intend to stand/sit in one spot all day, a pair of walking shoes is a must!
Of the 30,000 visitors, 35% are foreign with over one third from India alone. Malaysia is nowhere in the top ten countries of overseas visitors so I was a very sad minority!
Gems featured only 27% while diamonds ocupy 32% with 26% devoted to gold jewellery and 36% to silver jewellery.
Of special note was the Design Zone devoted to Thailand's up and coming designers who are young and exciting with unusual products including bling embellished with Thai silk, 3D prints and bone.
Bangkok Gems & Jewelry Fair is Se Asia's biggest and best as Thailand is the world's 10th largest producer/exporter of jewels. Unlike Malaysia, Singapore and Philippines, Thailand has a long history of jewellery making for the royal court. Thailand was already an established, rich and glittering nation in the 17th century when Malaysia and Singapore were in the doldrums and its inhabitants were living in wooden huts and mud houses.
In the 17th century, Thailand was SE Asia's great power, straddled between India and China. Thailand was the only country to send ambassadors to France under King Louis XIV the Sun King whose Versailles palace was considered the greatest and biggest and most lavish in the world.
The second ambassadorial expedition sent by King Narai the Great (1657-1688) which was lavishly received by King Louis XIV was a massive success which is recorded today when you visit Versailles!
The 3 envoys were led by Kosa Pan in 1686 caused a sensation in Versailles which later spread all over Europe. The Siam delegation arrived in June 1686 and were presented to King Louis XIV on 1 September 1686 in Versailles in the Hall of Mirrors. Mirrors back then were rare, difficult to make and very expensive so decking a long hall with mirrors was the last word in extravagance.
In turn, the Siamese delegation duly admired the magnificent mirrors and simply ordered 4,264 large mirrors to ship back to Thailand to decorate King Narai's palace!
In addition, Kosa Pan presented 1,500 pieces of porcelain and assortment of jewels, textiles, shells, carpets and gold ornaments to the Sun King who reciprocated in turn.
The Siamese delegation landed at Brest, France and its journey to Paris and later Versailles were recorded in all the journals. The costumes worn by the Thais are still entrenched in French historical records---the robe worn by the main envoy Kosa Pan was meant to impress the French and it did its job on an epic scale.
The Thai robe was laden with embroidery embellished with diamonds, pearls, colored gems plus rubies and sapphires mined in Thailand that it weighed over 15 kg and the ambassador had to be escorted by two servants to hold both arms and two more behind to lift the train!
The Sun King was similarly extravagantly dressed but his garments were eclipsed by the Siamese costumes.
By custom, envoys were not allowed to look at the face of the King of France but Louis XIV gave permission to the Siamese delegation to stare at his royal countenance so they could accurately describe his features and jewels to King Narai! A big honour!
it is often said Thailand caused the downfall of the French Revolution in 1789 a century later! How is this possible? Siam never interfered and obviously would not send its army to attack King Louis XVI who would be considered semi-divine by the Thais.
Among the gifts from King Narai were 2 silver cannons which were seized by the French revolutionaries to attack Bastille. It was this initial, small storming of the Bastille which held political prisoners that escalated into the French Revolution which overthrew the monarchy and led to the beheading of Queen Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI!
Today, Thai artistry and mastery of jewellery making is to be seen at the twice yearly Bangkok Gems and Jewelry Fair.
But these fairs only last 5 days so another venue is the Throne Hall in a western style huge palace which exhibits the incredible treasures and works of art made by Thai goldsmiths to honour the 60th anniversary of ascension to the throne in 2006. Thai jewellers and craftsmen started work in 2003 as some ornate works took 3 years to complete!
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The 59th Bangkok
Gems & Jewelry Fair Dazzles 23,000 Global Buyers
Over 730 Leading Enterprises
Showcase Finest Creations
The 59th Bangkok
Gems & Jewelry Fair (BGJF) was held at
Challenger Hall 1-3, IMPACT Muang Thong
Thani. Being
staged under “The World’s
Gems and Jewelry Destination” concept, it reaffirmed its leading
position as Asia-Pacific’s important
platform of gems and jewelry sourcing by bringing together 730 leading
enterprises from 18 countries to showcase latest
innovations and finest gems and jewelry.
The fair
organizer, the Commerce Ministry’s Department of International Trade
Promotion (DITP), drew in more than 23,000 buyers and traders
from around the world during the five show days, February 22-26, 2017 targeting over 17 billion baht in sales and purchase
orders.
BGJF also
set a grand showcase to kick off a publicity campaign for “World
Ruby Forum 2017”, an initiative project coming
up later this year to promote “Ruby”, the King of Gems.
Mrs. Apiradi
Tantraporn, Minister of Commerce, disclosed during an official opening ceremony on Wednesday, 22 February 2017 at the
Royal Jubilee Ballroom, IMPACT Muang Thong Thani, that: “Thailand’s gems and jewelry
industry is considered one of the country’s
major industries.
"As the Indigenous Globally Competitive industry,
it is the lifeline of 15,800 entrepreneurs and over 900,000 workers. To date, Thailand stands proud as the world’s Number 10 largest gems and jewelry exporting
country. In 2016,
the industry fetched more than 7 billion US dollars in export value; and for
this year, it is expected to earn for the country some 7.32 billion US dollars, a 5% increase
against that of the previous year’s."
She further added “Through
the Ministry of Commerce, the Government has been propelling the industry
forward as well as accelerating competitiveness enhancement among the local
enterprises. Recently, the Government issued a set of policy
and roadmap to drive this industry towards the sustainable growth.
"The
Cabinet Resolution on January 17, 2017, on gems and jewelry product import, has
stipulated duty exemption on 32 additional items of gems and jewelry in
category 71, with result of zero tax, taking effect from January 28, 2017
onwards.
"In addition, the Cabinet also
agreed on tax incentives and competitiveness enhancement measures where
business owners can deduct from payable tax two times the cost of salary and
wage.
"Also, they
are to be given access to low-interest loans for
upgrades
of product standard, machinery replacement, and public relations activities promoting tourist attractions in the country’s gems & jewelry trade communities.
of product standard, machinery replacement, and public relations activities promoting tourist attractions in the country’s gems & jewelry trade communities.
“The tax exemption scheme for the imports of gems
and jewelry products is indeed a piece of good news for our gems and jewelry
industry. It is
considered a huge trade advantage – helping
to reduce production cost, supporting innovative product development, and
improving Thai entrepreneurs’ overall competitiveness.
"The tax
exemption scheme is expected to help alleviate the intensity of trade obstacles
and help support Thailand in its effort to firmly establish as the world’s jewelry hub. And
the Department of International Trade Promotion together with The Gem and
Jewelry Institute of Thailand (Public Organization) have
already been entrusted to implement the jewelry hub plan,” reiterated
Mrs Apiradi.
Thailand is now ranked world’s
number 10 largest gems and jewelry exporter and one of the world’s leading exporters
of silver jewelry and gemstones. Bangkok Gems and Jewelry Fair is
set as an effective marketing tool for exhibitors seeking to expand exports or
build business network with importers from around the world.
More
importantly, it is the center stage for potential Thai SMEs as well as
competitive designers to showcase their creativity and innovative designs to
international audiences.
Mrs. Malee
Choklumlerd, Director General of DITP, meanwhile revealed that with the
concept of The World’s Gems and Jewelry
Destination, BGJF has proudly strengthened Thailand’s position as the world’s gems and jewelry hub.
“The 59th Bangkok
Gems & Jewelry Fair brings many companies from throughout Thailand and the world, namely, Hong Kong, Singapore, Turkey,
Poland, and Japan to showcase the vast array of gems and jewelry as well as
related products booths. The fair is expected to generate some 17 billion
baht in revenue.”
The
five-day trade show also provided update on global
market trends and knowledge through a series of insightful seminars. Among
exciting activities are the Gem ID Rendezvous being organized by the DITP in
collaboration with the Gems and Jewelry Institute of
Thailand (GIT) and Asian
Institute of Gemological Sciences (AIGS); Ruby Contest in quest of the most
beautiful Thai rubies to put on display, and the
Ruby Heart of Love, a charity fund-raising to benefit Thai
Medical Device Development Foundation (TMDD) Under Royal Patronage of King Rama IX – both
aiming to create greater awareness on World Ruby Forum 2017 scheduled later
this year. Others include Trends of Gems & Jewelry 2017 seminar, the
Export Clinic led by Counsellor Commercial from 58 cities, the Discovery
Gemmiferous Nations, and many more
The five-day trade show does
not only provide global market trends, but also put spotlight on emerging
market sectors across the globe through “The Showcases” featuring
jewelry for senior citizen in ‘60+’, jewelry for
wedding in ‘The Moment’, jewelry for men in
‘Metro Men’, jewelry for opulence and horoscope in ‘Spiritual Power’, art and craft jewelry in ‘Culture Club’, and jewelry for pet in ‘Pet Parade’ zone.
‘Metro Men’, jewelry for opulence and horoscope in ‘Spiritual Power’, art and craft jewelry in ‘Culture Club’, and jewelry for pet in ‘Pet Parade’ zone.
The 59th Bangkok
Gems & Jewelry Fair took place from February 22-26, 2017 at the Challenger Hall 1-3, IMPACT Muang Thong Thani. Trade
visitors were welcome on February 22-24,
2017 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. And the fair was open for general public on
February 25, 2017 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on February 26, 2017 from 10 a.m. to
5 p.m.
5 p.m.
Visit www.bkkgems.com for more
information, or dial DITP Call Center 1169.
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