22nd International Jewelry Expo Razzle-Dazzles Kyiv

Kyiv, November 19, 2011. An endless sea of glimmering lights and a flutter of excitement filled the gigantic pavilion as the biggest event in Ukrainian jewelry industry took place in Kyiv. Jewelry Expo, the biggest international jewelry exhibition in the country, gathered over 300 Ukrainian jewelers and guests from Italy, China, India, Greece, Turkey, Russia, Belgium, and Poland. This exhibition is the only one in Ukraine that has been accredited by the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry.

The ampleness of this year’s Jewelry Expo presented a variety of mini-exhibitions. Among them were watchmakers from Kyiv that flaunted and flashed their latest achievements in the watchmaking industry. Unique and extremely exclusive collections from the finest jewelers could be found in the V.I.P. section, and as for luxurious and shiny wedding jewelry, those collections could be found in the Wedding Expo section. All of the collections were new and beautifully decorated, offering any buyer or investor the ideas and color to fulfill their imagination.

The event was attended by the multitude of Ukrainian as well as foreign buyers and investors. "Every year, Ukraine catches the eye of more and more foreign investors whereas jewelry may be the first intrigue; although it comes down to more than that. They [investors] have a pretty big interest in Ukraine. Here, at the expo, they can demonstrate their products, find their future representatives and find a way to supply their goods to Ukrainian jewelry stores,” said Olena Sydorenko, the director of Jewelry Expo.

“It was my dream to sell something here. It was a wonderful dream, so I came here and I got some good responses. I think there is a potential market in Ukraine. It is growing like India,” said Bharat Shah, the director of Naice Jewels Pvt. Ltd. Mr. Shah’s company has offices in the United States and London. “If they see something new they get very excited. Then they look at the price – the same way as the Indian customers. We feel here like in India a bit,” he said.

The Ukrainian jewelry industry utilized new standards of quality, sophisticated design, and ties to closer European jewelry producers. “We might not outrun Italy but our products are already popular among Italian customers,” said Tetyana Dovgan, market manager for the Ukrainian jewelry company Saga.

Other newcomers at Jewelry Expo were Italians. The jewelry refining company Safimet saw a significant potential in the Ukrainian market. “We believe that there is some business in Ukraine for us because there are so many plants that produce jewelry, so we are quite happy with our visit here,” said Tomaso Sasdelli, Import-Export manager at Safimet. When it comes to jewelry style, Italians prefer white gold and silver, while yellow colored products are no longer fashionable. Ukrainian jewelers seem to follow the same tendency, explains Tomaso Sasdelli.

Jewelry Expo, the biggest jewelry exposition in Ukraine, took place in Kyiv for the 22^nd time. The main purpose of the exhibition is to provide better connection between the jewelry producers and their current and potential costumers. It also serves as a stimulus for developing jewelry production in Ukraine.