Collection Pan Arab Luxury Magazine
Related Articles
Jewellery & Gem World Hong Kong (JGW) has just wrapped its September 2026 edition, and the numbers alone tell a story of an industry very much in motion. Having just returned from the fair ourselves, COLLECTION can confirm what the figures suggest this was a week where Hong Kong’s status as the world’s foremost jewellery sourcing hub was not just maintained, but reinforced.
Organised by Informa Markets Jewellery across two venues, AsiaWorld-Expo (AWE) from 14 to 18 September and the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) from 16 to 20 September, the fair welcomed 57,632 unique buyers, a 4.5% increase on the previous edition. Around 3,000 exhibitors from 46 countries and regions filled more than 40 pavilions, presenting everything from loose diamonds, coloured gemstones and pearls to high jewellery, fine jewellery, and the machinery and technology that powers the trade behind the scenes.
What struck us most walking the halls was the sheer geographic spread of the buyers themselves, representatives from 149 countries and regions, with Hong Kong, mainland China and international markets each contributing roughly a third of total attendance. Mainland China led growth at 4.5% year on year, with Guangdong, Shanghai and Beijing anchoring the numbers, while emerging provincial markets such as Shaanxi, Jilin, Hebei and Hunan signalled where the next wave of Chinese demand may be building.
Equally notable was the return of buyers from further afield. North America posted a 24.2% jump, Europe grew 13.4%, and Central Asia surged by an impressive 42.2%. Informa Markets’ Celine Lau, Director of Jewellery Fairs, described this year’s Chinese buyers as arriving with unusual clarity of purpose, sourcing with precision rather than browsing. Allen Xiang, General Manager for Jewellery, pointed to something we heard echoed across the show floor too, exhibitors reconnecting with international clients they hadn’t seen in five or six years, alongside a broader industry shift toward leaner, more responsive inventory strategies.
The strength of JGW September has always extended past the trading floor, and this edition’s programming reflected that. The week opened with a celebration honouring emerging coloured gemstone talent through the NextGen Coloured Gem Excellence Awards, recognising 18 young professionals shaping the industry’s future around ethical sourcing and transparency. The accompanying Gender-Fluid Coloured Gem Jewellery Design Challenge brought a refreshing, boundary-pushing energy to the showcase, with student concepts realised as finished pieces.
At GEM+, conversations turned to the forces reshaping the trade, Gen Z consumption habits, social commerce, sustainability and succession planning within family-run jewellery houses. Elsewhere, the Sublime Shine 2.0 showcase offered live metalsmithing demonstrations, while De Beers Group hosted sessions on provenance and transparency in the natural diamond pipeline. The Stage at HKCEC, meanwhile, hosted a dense schedule of expert seminars, including a keynote panel on Hong Kong’s role as a global gold exchange centre, featuring leading voices from Chow Tai Fook and the Hong Kong Gold & Silver Ornament Workers & Merchants General Union.
Running alongside JGW in Hall 5BC, SEASONS | Autumn, Asia’s fashion jewellery and accessories fair, delivered its own strong showing, drawing 13,729 buyers, up 11.9%, from more than 120 countries and regions, with its MODE by SEASONS platform continuing to champion design-led, contemporary pieces.
With both fairs confirming their dual-venue formats for 2027, JGW September returning 14 to 18 September at AsiaWorld-Expo and 16 to 20 September at HKCEC, alongside SEASONS | Autumn in the same window. Despite tariff pressures, high gold prices and ongoing geopolitical headwinds, the global jewellery trade continues to find its way back to the table, and increasingly, back to Hong Kong.
