On October 2, 2015, Moscow will host the third edition of the International Economic Jewelry Forum to be held at the Congress Centre of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Ilyinka Street under the headline "New Realities, New Challenges, New Strategy in a Changing Global Market" with the support of Russia’s Finance Ministry, Gokhran, Assay Chamber, ALROSA, Russian Jewellery Trade Club and RESTEC JUNWEX media holding.
This year, the Forum will be dedicated to the problems of the Russian economy and evaluation of new economic challenges and opportunities of doing jewelry business, as well as to the search for ways out of the crisis to ensure dynamic stability of the jewelry industry in the prevailing economic realities.
The Forum will host an exhibition headlined "Jewelry Art in Russia: Traditions and Contemporaneity", as well as an international jewelry show, “JUNWEX. Moscow” to be run at the All-Russia Exhibition Centre and the traditional Jewelry Charity Ball, which will take place in the Hall of Celebrations of Russian Jewelers Guild.
On the eve of these events important for the Russian jewelry industry, Galina Ananyina, President of the Foundation for Development of Jewelry Art in Russia and Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Third International Economic Jewelry Forum answered the questions from Rough & Polished.
What is the Foundation for Development of Jewelry Art in Russia you are currently chairing? What are its missions, objectives and specific features?
In contrast to the Russian Jewelers Guild, which has a record of more than 15 years, the Foundation for Development of Jewelry Art in Russia is a young association created two years ago. As its name suggests, the Foundation is entrusted with a duty to develop and support the Russian jewelry art and raise its prestige in this country and abroad maintaining its traditions and helping young talents. Over the past 20-plus years, the jewelry art has undergone great changes for the better – embracing both individual artists and designers, as well as the handicraft industry. There have been created a number of jewelry art works that can rightly be included in museum collections. They are demanded and purchased by the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, the Museum of Decorative and Applied Arts and Historical Museum in Moscow, as well as by other major museums in the Russian Federation. At the same time, the younger generation of artists and jewelers need help, and we help them giving our assistance to the Faberge College and Ovchinnikov College, where we together organize contests, exhibitions and other events. It is our best wish to make it possible for gifted young boys and girls improve their skills and move on. Meanwhile, the current goal of our Foundation is to support both the accomplished contemporary art and the younger generation, which is moving in its wake.
The Third International Economic Jewelry Forum is to be held by the Russian Jewelers Guild in team with your Foundation. How are the preparations going on?
In close cooperation - and this was since the very beginning. This is already the third forum, so we call it traditional. It is dedicated to the jewelry community and jewelry art, as well as to the problems in the industry and its contribution to the culture and economy of Russia. Also, it has become a good tradition to have this event at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation. Last year, the Forum was devoted to the problems and development of the jewelry art in this country, because, as we remember, it was the Year of Culture in Russia. This year, the Forum is associated with the challenges now facing industry members and with remedies mainly offered to solve economic problems. Therefore, its theme is "NEW REALITIES, NEW CHALLENGES, NEW STRATEGY IN A CHANGING GLOBAL MARKET."
What is happening in the global economy, particularly in Russia, has an impact on the jewelry industry, which is its integral part. The crisis affects all market players, and the Forum is intended not only to discuss the situation, but to create a good discussion platform, to listen to the representatives of state agencies, i.e. to those people who control and supervise the jewelry industry in one form or another and are responsible for the tax and legal regulation. This is a great opportunity for a dialogue to discuss mechanisms to overcome the crisis and ways to respond effectively to the changing situation in the domestic and foreign markets.
The Forum organizers invited officials from the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Economy, as well as people from the associated committees on economic affairs of the State Duma and Federation Council.
An important aspect of the past and present Forum is the participation of representatives from the Eurasian Union – the organizers invited jewelers from Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and, of course, from Russia. They will make presentations and participate in discussions.
How effective are such events to solve real problems in the industry?
If global public forums, which take place in Sochi, St. Petersburg, etc., discuss general issues with regard to the entire economy of Russia, such industry forums permit to have a more objective approach to the issues facing this or that professional community. Industry forums are necessary and effective. In fact, only jewelers know what problems are the most relevant for them at the moment, and many are willing to offer their own solutions, including at the legislative level.
It is important that this Forum is held in Moscow at a time when the largest trade event, the Junwex Jewelry Show is being held at the All-Russia Exhibition Center, hosting exponents from all regions of this country, including both large industrial enterprises, as well as small and medium firms and individual jewelers. Representatives of these regions will also attend the Forum.
What would you call among the main achievements of the previous forums?
First of all, it is the establishment of a direct dialogue between the jewelry industry and the authorities in fact resulting in joint development of specific solutions. The past Forum was attended by many members of the State Duma committees - both on economy and on culture – and by representatives of the Presidential Administration, and of course, by our current partners who are taking part in all events: Russia’s Gokhran, Assay Chamber and Ministry of Finance. For the first time in many years, jewelers have returned into the global economic community of the country - which is impossible without the structures that I have named - to address not only their own business issues, but also the issues pertaining to culture, promotion of jewelry and access to foreign markets.
The first Forum took place on the eve of the World Jewelry Congress of CIBJO in Moscow. I think it was a project platform, which gave an opportunity to host one of the world’s major jewelry organizations here, in the capital of Russia. And the issues that were raised in the course of the first Forum allowed us to share the results of such discussions with our foreign colleagues, which was very important for us. As for the second Forum, where the emphasis was placed on culture, we were able to initiate a broad dialogue with the Ministry of Culture, which until then, as we know, was alien to the concept of "jewelry art." Today this dialogue is going on.
The Forum gives an opportunity to show those masterpieces that are created by modern jewelers in the form of a special exhibition held every year, which is also important. This is what the country can truly be proud of at the international level. Many Russian provinces are represented at this exhibition.
Probably one of the merits of the Forum is the fact that one of its sections was devoted to arts education. We were happy to see how wide this section was and how broad the Russian Federation subjects, including Yakutia, were represented at this jewelry show. This is very important.
For the third year running, the Forum will hold the Jewelry Charity Ball, which will take place in the Hall of Celebrations of the Russian Jewelers Guild. How much different will it be this year?
The Ball has really become a tradition. It is not a one-of-a-kind experiment, and this is very important. It corresponds to the concept of charity. At one time, back in 1998, I headed the Russian Jewelers Guild and later leaving this job, I worried all the time that jewelry production was not involved in charity. The Jewelry Ball gives you that opportunity. The first Jewelry Ball helped to raise funds to establish a multimedia classroom for hard-hearing children at the Jewelry College named after Pavel Ovchinnikov. We saw then children taking lessons in this classroom and, of course, it was very nice to see that. This year, in accordance with the general decision of the Organizing Committee, we will be collecting money for scholarships to be granted to the best pupils studying at the Peter Carl Fabergé Jewelry College, Pavel Ovchinnikov Jewelry College and Polytechnic College No. 11, which is teaching how to cut precious stones.
This year, by giving this Ball we will celebrate some important anniversaries: 185 years since the birth of Pavel Ovchinnikov, an outstanding Russian jeweler; 130 years since the release of the first Easter egg by Faberge - that famous first egg, which marked the beginning of the collection, now known to the whole world. And we will celebrate this event at the ball with a gala catwalk show of Easter eggs (in the tradition of Faberge) created by students of the Faberge and Ovchinnikov jewelry colleges. We plan to celebrate yet another date: 45 years since the establishment of a pilot group of jewelers at Gokhran of Russia. It was established in the Soviet Union, and this is important, because for our time the jewelry traditions of both Imperial and Soviet Russia are equally important. It is these periods that yielded jewelry masterpieces now preserved in the Diamond Fund. And, of course, we celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the Victory won by the Soviet People in the Great Patriotic War and the Year of Literature in Russia. These events will take up a whole block in the program of the Jewelry Forum.
Will the Jewelry Ball be a historical dress function this year?
Yes. For two years in a row, we held this event with the participation of Viennese Ball. This year, we have a new partner, which is Gold Club, and this ball will feature the historical costumes and traditions of Russian balls, not Viennese. We hope that this approach will make the Jewelry Charity Ball even more interesting and striking and it will be remembered by our guests.
Galina Semyonova for Rough&Polished
