International Jewellery London (IJL) is of course a key date in the industry’s diary. No less so this year, as the renowned tradeshow marked its 60th Diamond Jubilee Edition, with all the glitter and splendour you’d expect.
Showcasing the work of over 550 jewellers and designers from 38 countries (including a record breaking 155 new exhibitors), and measuring a rise in visitor figures, 2015 was widely reported to be the biggest and best event to date. We take a look at some of the highlights…
Celebrating in style
What better way to celebrate a diamond jubilee than with diamonds? As part of the anniversary celebrations, this year’s IJL Catwalk hosted an impressive ‘Diamond Blaze’ scene on its opening night, featuring a sparkling selection of diamond jewels. Things then took a more surprising turn the next day when a polar bear was spotted on the runway, as part of Arctic Circle Diamonds’ campaign to promote Fairtrade, trace ably sourced diamonds.
Editor’s choice
The Editor’s Choice award (now in its seventh year) is IJL’s annual exhibitor competition, which recognises the designers and suppliers who exhibit the most creative and cutting edge jewellery.
Judges Claire Adler (Financial Times contributor) and Sam Willoughby (Event Director) selected this year’s winners. Among those recognised were: Sarah Ho of Sarah Ho London, who received the ‘Diamonds in Design’ category award for two ‘6’ and ‘0’ ring designs, inspired by her Numerati Collection; and Fei Liu of Fei Liu Fine Jewellery who received the ‘Visual Impact’ award for his stunning bespoke necklace, featuring 45 varying sizes of spherical green tourmaline beads, with a combined weight of 509 carats.
Other winners included Andrew Geoghegan for the ‘Technical Excellence’ of his Renaissance Ring, and Mirka Janeckova Jewellery, for the ‘Most Innovative New Collection’. See the full list here.
Hot off the runway
IJL is also the place where many of the year’s Autumn/Winter season design trends are revealed. This year, ‘Victoriana Punk’ emerged as a key look, described as a mix of ‘Victorian governess, vampish goth and punk’, represented for example by Sif Jackobs’ black zirconia Pecetto earrings and Leather collection. Other important upcoming styles included a throw back to the swinging seventies with designs such as Mark Milton’s chunky Spotlight Fringe Necklace in yellow gold vermeil, and Alexis Dove’s Helios Ring.
Each to their own
While you may or may not be one for the bold looks of the catwalk, IJL2015 had more than enough on show to excite the tastes and interests of any fine jewellery lover. We all have our unique tastes and preferences; the important thing is, once you found the piece for you – make sure it’s fully protected with one of Assetsure’s equally unique jewellery insurance policies.
