Synchronizing Watches and Jewelry Fashion by Basel

From April 3 to April 10 in Basel, Switzerland, there came the main event of the year in the world of watch and jewelry manufacturers – the “BASELWOLD 2008” Exhibition, the most grandiose and prestigious international show of watches and jewelry. As it was emphasized by BASELWOLD Show Director Sylvie Ritter in her press-conference speech, “in the Show period, small Basel is turning into a capital of luxury."  The main action was taking place on 160,000 square meters of six show halls hosting precious products presented by 2087 exhibitors from 45 countries. The exhibition was covered by 2500 journalists from all parts of the world representing the industry press and magazines dedicated to beautiful and luxurious life inseparable from the theme of this grand show in Basel. The BASELWOLD organizers pay great attention to covering various aspects of this show by the world mass media, since this is greatly adding to the popularity and prestige of this large-scale event, which is visited by over 100,000 people every year.

Hall No. 1 displaying the world-famous watch brands was the center of everyone's attention and that of the highest business activity. Switzerland is a country of high art in watch making and it has successfully been proving its priority in this field of business, so the first place in the title of the BASELWOLD Exhibition - The Watch and Jewellery Show – was given to watches. Watch manufacturing occupies the third place in the country’s economy with watch export reaching 16 billion Swiss franks in 2007. Hall No. 1 featured the most luxurious stands boggling one’s imagination by vast exhibition areas and splendour of design. This hall saw the most impressive presentations of new collections and receptions for the press and invited guests on the general background of exclusive courtliness. If women have a much wider range of means to make visual their society standing, the men’s status, as is known, is often confirmed by the watch brand they are wearing, and the BASELWOLD exposition gave unlimited opportunities to evaluate the latest achievements in this field. 

All the three levels of neighbouring Hall No. 2 were occupied by expositions of jewelry brands. It should be at once said, that those, who bear the names of “grand jewelry brands” each of them having more than a century-long history, like Сartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Chaumet and Tiffany do not take part in the BASELWOLD Show and in other similar jewelry exhibitions, since they are using other and more refined ways of promoting their new collections. Bvlgari, a no less famous Italian jewelry brand, having a separate exposition in Hall No.4 in a deep-seated area, to which people were descending as if going down an Egyptian pyramid, brings to Basel only watch collections and displays some jewelry pieces pleasantly complementing the exhibited exposition. The absence of names well known in the jewelry world is somewhat downgrading what is called Haute Joaillerie, but the main bulk of companies represented in Basel including some very famous names gives sufficient notion of trends in the world jewelry industry development. The BASELWOLD Show is largely an exhibition of prestige and to be part of its exhibitors means a certain grade of recognition in this elite field of business. This is of special importance for such countries as India, Hong Kong and other East-Asian nations, where the jewelry industry is just picking up steam as a priority production segment. The stands of these companies at the exhibition were mainly located at National Hall No. 6, the so-called Hall of Universe. Although the growing number of large regional exhibitions is playing an ever-greater role in promoting jewelry produced by these countries to the world market, the BASELWOLD significance remains unchanged as Show No. 1 in the world ranking.

Numerous visitors of the Basel Show are attracted not only by an opportunity of business negotiations, getting acquainted with new collections and monitoring fashion trends, but also by the reality of on-the-scene professional communication at the highest level. As a rule, chief executives of various companies come to stay at the Basel Show.   For instance, Неnry Duneу, the famous U.S. jeweler heading the namesake company, despite his venerable age was permanently beside his numerous jewelry works displayed as his personal authorship exhibition. He was eagerly communicating with his stand visitors and was attentively following public response. In Russia, Неnry Duneу’s jewelry is virtually absent, though his name as that of an unsurpassed maestro making unique jewelry and interior design pieces of rare materials, is well known to collectors, connoisseurs and amateurs of modern jewelry art.

Among the European jewelry brands, many of which are widely known in Russia due to their active presence in the Russian market, the Basel Show was dominated by the Italians, who continued to remain jewelry fashion legislators, although notably rivalled by such famous Swiss companies as Chopard and de Grisogono, which soared to the top standing in producing luxury jewelry, or by the resurging vogue for the Leon Hatot trademark. Spanish Company Carrera y Carrera is among those who produce the greatest impact onto the European jewelry design. Brazilian jewelry companies are turning to be more and more striking in their presentations as maestros of Haute Joaillerie. South-Asian stands were astonishing people by their abundance of gems, pearls and East-style rich brightness of jewelry colour range.

Natalia Korovina, from Basel.