CARAT+, the world’s premier diamond event which covers the full spectrum of the diamond and diamond jewellery trades, held its sparkling second edition on May 6th-8th 2018, at Hall 1 and Hall 4 of the Antwerp Expo in Antwerp, Belgium, with positive three days of buying, networking, glamour and evening entertainment.
The trade event surpassed its attendance goal with a total of 3,829 visitors across all three days, up from 2,927 last year. Among those exclusive visitors were industry professionals, including diamond and jewellery wholesalers and manufacturers from around the world, jewellery retailers from across Europe and the wider world, as well as buyers and members of the press from 50 countries, including India, Hong Kong, Japan, China, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, the United States and the United Kingdom.
The show saw more than 90% of exhibitors from 2017 return for 2018, highlighting the industry demand for wellpresented, professional and niche events that suit specific trade interests. Returning exhibitors included Roberto Coin, Rosy Blue, Shapiro Gems and Dali Diamond to name a few. The exhibitors specialise in loose diamonds, unbranded and branded diamond jewellery, diamond technologies, and coloured gemstones and fine pearls.
Moreover, many companies joined CARAT+ for the first time, including Hong Kong-based colour diamond specialist Kunming Diamonds and diamond and gemstone supplier Iskkon, India-based round and fancy-cut diamond manufacturer Venus Jewel International, finished diamond jewellery and oneof-a-kind high jewellery manufacturer Wondercuts Jewels and round diamond manufacturer M. Tarun, German coloured gemstone specialist Paul Wild and precious and semi-precious gemstone supplier Singhania & Sohn, Japan-based Tahitian and South Seal pearl experts Anmol Gems, and Antwerp-based diamond manufacturer Carbon 6 Diamonds, luxury jewellery and watch business Kapriss and diamond manufacturer and supplier Supergems. New service providers too joined CARAT+ this year including diamond grading specialist HRD Antwerp, and multi-banking fintech company, Ebury, which provides diamond merchants with a platform to perform transactions across the globe.
Sachiv Mehta, managing director of Supergems, said, “We enjoyed participating in a high-quality show with a support team that’s always finding new ideas to keep visitors and exhibitors engaged.” Similarly, Mahiar Borhanjoo, managing director of Venus Jewel International, said, “The passion behind the organisers to make something great has been noticed. We appreciate the hard work and efforts the CARAT+ team put in to make this show happen.” HRD Antwerp marketing and communications manager, Laurence Vadenborre, added, “The first experience for HRD Antwerp at CARAT+ was very positive. The organisation of the fair was of a top level, as well as the communication around it. We enjoyed success at our booth, both for our grading service and for the demos of our new equipment. We felt supported by the CARAT+ team throughout this exciting journey and we will be very happy to take part in the next edition.”
Returning exhibitors noticed a clear difference in the number of visitors and the overall atmosphere of the second edition, with eponymous exhibitor, Roberto Coin, commenting, “I have strongly enjoyed being a promoter of the second edition of CARAT+. Today fairs are very difficult, but they are a precious chance to meet international clientele and bring [them] inside your world. I consider Antwerp a beautiful city and its diamonds are even better. I think CARAT+ could be the platform for [the city’s] future.”
The trade event wowed audiences at the highly-anticipated CARAT+ Night evening event on May 6th, welcoming its special guest British model and actress Elizabeth Hurley. More than 2,400 visitors attended the inaugural day of CARAT+ 2018 and CARAT+ Night alone, signalling this as a new, not-to-be-missed social event for Antwerp’s diamond sector and professionals from the international diamond and diamond jewellery markets.
But despite the year-on-year growth from the inaugural edition in 2017, CARAT+ understands the need to widen its scope and will now introduce further initiatives to encourage more retailers, designers, brands and buyers to attend in 2019. Sharing his opinions on the show, Rapaport publisher, John Costello, said, “This show is a beacon of light for the diamond industry in Europe. To have such a stunning platform for diamonds and a show dedicated to the beauty of diamonds is very important to the trade, and it is something that Rapaport is very proud to be associated with. We will do all we can to help promote and develop the show, and this year we have seen a step-up from last year – it is still a very young show and it has years to develop, but this is an excellent start.” He added, “The show has done amazingly well in a short period. It needs the support of the industry to succeed, so please come and join a wonderful, innovative show in 2019.”
A series of talks were held across all three days, which aided visitor engagement and drew healthy crowds. Jonathan Chippindale, co-founder and chief executive of Holition, kick-started proceedings on the inaugural day, followed by Edward Johnson, director of business development at the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC); Avi Krawitz, senior analyst and news editor at Rapaport; chief officer of HRD Antwerp’s Diamond Lab & Research, Ans Anthonis and HRD Antwerp’s chief officer of education & industry, Katrien de Corte.
AWDC presented the results of its inaugural diamond hackathon, Hack4Diamonds, on May 6th. Hosted in collaboration with Junction, the event finale drew a packed crowd to the CARAT+ conference room where teams presented their innovative ideas to tackle challenges in the diamond sector. The winning team presented fresh ideas on blockchain technology, while second place was awarded to a team proposing co-working spaces in the diamond sector.