Showcase

Around Town - The New Zealand Jewellery Show

The New Zealand Jewellery Show, supported by the REAL New Zealand Festival Lottery Fund, intends to showcase New Zealand arts and cultural identity to our international visitors.

What will visitors see at this year’s show?

Over 100 contemporary and fine jewellery designers will be coming to Wellington, bringing their best work to exhibit and sell in New Zealand’s premier jewellery showcase. Visitors will have the opportunity to meet designers, talk about ideas behind their pieces and purchase from an outstanding array of work. The range and diversity of designers distinguishes the show from a visit to an individual jewellery store. Designers are coming from as far away as Dunedin and Whangarei, prices range from $40 to $100,000 and pieces vary from the finest set diamonds to edgy student creations – this is a show that stands out from the crowd.

The show is now in its sixth year. What has it achieved in that time?

New Zealanders are exceptional jewellery designers, and they now have a nationwide forum to showcase their work. The event is a chance for both emerging and established designers to present their work to the public. Many of the designers who have been with the show since the beginning have built valuable networks, not only with new customers but with other designers.

In 2007, The New Zealand Jewellery Design Awards in fine and contemporary jewellery design were launched. The awards seek to raise design standards and give jewellers the chance to take risks and push design boundaries. The response has been overwhelming, with entries increasing every year. The 2011 award entrants, finalists and winners will be on display and for sale at the show.

How does it work, business-wise?

Sales of jewellery go directly to the designers and there is no commission payable on direct sales (participating designers pay an exhibition fee to cover running costs). For jewellers who don’t have a retail outlet, this event is the best opportunity they have to present their work to the public.

How do the visitors buy work at the show?

Jewellery designers staff their own cabinets and sell direct to the public. They take credit cards and EFTPOS.

How do you keep the show fresh each year?

Each year new designers join the line-up, along with returning exhibitors. The show organisers also present special shows within the show. This year’s curated contemporary exhibition, HandShake, will present work created in a collaboration between recent New Zealand jewellery graduates and the heroes that inspire them. The invited graduates have been given the opportunity to select and make work as the apprentice of an established maker.

What advice do you give people buying jewellery?

Jewellery is intensely personal. It is often an investment in a relationship or a mark of a special occasion or anniversary. Our advice is to meet the designer, discuss the ideas behind the piece and, above all, if you really love it, buy it! A special piece of New Zealand jewellery is something to cherish and pass on to your family or gift to a dear friend. If you’re a visitor to New Zealand, a special piece from one of the country’s leading designers will be an everlasting reminder of your trip.