Basel World 2007/Imaginative use of gems and techniques of the past at the Basel fair

摘要

It is a useful and always enlightening pursuit to wander around the many exhibitions halls and booths of BaselWorld. This is the largest European international jewellery show and one that retailers and others in the industry attend regularly, if not annually, to keep abreast of forms and fashions, and to gain ideas for their own businesses. This year the comeback of the delicate diamond-set jewellery reminiscent of La Belle Epoque was still noteworthy - an increase on that seen last year and, again, a reflection not so much on fashion influencing the jewellery industry as intelligent exploitation of workforce and technical changes. Jewellery set with copious amounts of small diamonds is again an economic viability due to the manufacture in countries with low labour costs (and increasing manufacturing skills) and the growing use of jewellery with the diamonds cast in situ in the mount.