The September 2025 edition opened with busy aisles and purposeful buyers. Running across two world-class venues, the fair presented more than 3,000 exhibitors from 45 countries and regions and packaged the trade into six specialist shows: Gemstones, Diamonds & Fine Gems, and Pearls+ at AsiaWorld-Expo (AWE), with Hong Kong, International and Fine Design at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). The split format — materials at AWE, finished jewellery and design at HKCEC — made the week sharply navigable for trade buyers operating to tight appointment schedules.
The show reaffirmed its stature as a leading marketplace, with brisk activity in specific categories and a cautiously optimistic sentiment across product groups. On-the-ground observations included steady demand for premium gems, a mixed diamond picture by size, and an Indian pavilion that married traditional craft with modern finishing and contemporary design sensibilities.
The show in plain sight
At AWE, the emphasis was materials-first: loose diamonds, coloured gemstones, pearls, and raw supply-chain partners dominated conversation and transactions. The HKCEC halls focused on finished jewellery, design-led ateliers, packaging solutions, and industry technologies that support the trade. SEASONS | Autumn ran concurrently at HKCEC Halls 5BC, featuring fashion jewellery, accessories, and a Tomorrow Aisle gallery showcasing student and institute work.
Traffic felt practical rather than theatrical. Buyers and exhibitors described the atmosphere as purposeful: fewer impulse conversations than in boom years, but more targeted, selective meetings and a stronger emphasis on provenance and traceability.
On the floor: exhibitions, highlights, and learning spaces
Sublime Shine (Stand 3M260, HKCEC) — a Jewellery & Gem Knowledge Community exhibit supported by the World Gold Council (WGC) and Platinum Guild International (PGI), with Premium Sponsor Yuen Kee Bullion Company Limited and sponsors Osmium-Institut Germany and Hatta New World Company Limited — was an experiential exploration of metals. Ten stations mapped metals’ origin stories to contemporary craft; live goldsmithing and granulation demonstrations ran twice daily, keeping attention on technique and process rather than marketing gloss.
The Gold Jewellery Pavilion expanded this year with more than 40 exhibitors from China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Malaysia, and included the WGC’s Hard Pure Gold showcase. Across the HKCEC Grand Hall, JGW: Fine Design presented masterful high jewellery often set with investment-grade gems. The CORE Pavilion and Premier sections emphasised manufacturing prowess and atelier-level creativity. Newer showcases — notably the Men’s/Gender-Fluid Jewellery area — signalled how trade curation is responding to market shifts.
SEASONS | Autumn’s MODE by SEASONS Ι Autumn and the Tomorrow Aisle were useful discovery filters for buyers hunting high-margin, seasonal fashion lines and next-generation creative talent. The Tomorrow Aisle included Pro-Act Training and Development Centre (Jewellery) of Hong Kong, alongside Guangdong Polytechnic Normal University, Guangzhou Huashang College’s School of Jewelry, and the Jewellery Institute of Taiwan.
Market mood — measured optimism, selective appetite
The market displayed a mix of restraint and conviction. Smaller diamonds (under three carats) moved slowly; the three-to-five carat bracket sustained steady interest; appetite for stones above five carats strengthened among collectors and specialist buyers. Coloured gemstones were a bright spot where quality met buyer expectations: Colombian and Zambian emeralds attracted attention, Paraíba tourmalines drew strong demand, and rubies — particularly the paler tones favoured by some contemporary designers — reappeared on buying lists.
Geography mattered. China’s partial recovery nudged footfall upward, but other Asian markets showed growth as well: buyers from Vietnam, Australia, Cambodia, and Japan were notably active. Several exhibitors described the week as “better than expected” — transactions were fewer than in peak years but more considered, with selection driven by provenance and longer-term partnering.
Sustainability — a business criterion, not a headline
The Sustainability Awards 2025 by JWA (Jewellery World Awards) and the accompanying Sustainability Heroes Panel Series were focal points. The awards recognised environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and governance excellence; the 2025 edition covered five categories: Environmental Stewardship; Community Catalyst; Tech for A Sustainable Future; Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; and Sustainability Leadership.
A Recognition Ceremony honouring seven award recipients and thirteen finalists took place on 17 September at the Grand Foyer of the HKCEC. Complementing the awards night, winners and finalists shared practical lessons from their sustainability journeys during the panel series.
The Sustainability Award winners were:
Environmental Stewardship: Hari Krishna Exports Pvt Ltd.
Community Catalyst: Shop LC.
Tech for a Sustainable Future: Shenzhen Kinghood Jewelry Manufacturing Co Ltd.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: Nanjing Baojie Technology Co Ltd
Sustainability Leadership: Legor Group SpA; Phu Nhuan Jewelry Joint Stock Company (PNJ); Valentine Silver International.
Voices from the floor
Kerul Kiran Parikh, Partner, A.J. Mehta & Co
“We’ve been specialising in fancy shapes for around 60 years — step cuts, antique cuts and other unique forms. These beads, for example, are antique cuts. Our assortments are very consistent in colour and clarity, which makes them easy for jewellers to design with. Fancy and unique cuts remain our core strength.”
Tehmasp Printer, CEO, International Gemological Institute
“Despite the tariffs and other challenges, I can see healthy movement — especially during the Far East session, where sentiment feels positive. The show has been instrumental: we’ve made a lot of important appointments, and visitors from China and the wider Far East are coming to our booth. Being able to meet representatives from different countries in one venue is extremely valuable.”
Ankit Shah, Ankit Gems
“It’s always a pleasure to attend the September Hong Kong show. It’s changed from the busiest years and is a bit slower now, largely because of shifts in the Far East market, but we’re glad to be here. We arrived with lower expectations, yet the week has been decent — better than expected. Sizes we thought wouldn’t perform, like the 1-carat, have sold well, which points to market stability over the next six to twelve months. We’re pushing fancy shapes — while rounds still dominate in the Far East, fancies are gaining ground because they give designers more creative options. We’re also working with yellow diamonds, which have been slow recently; we hope that changes soon.”
Piyush Patel, Dharmanandan Diamonds
“Our main offering is 0.32-carat stones, producing about 100 carats, in both white and fancy colours. Lately, we’ve been launching special pieces — for example, an extraordinary 82-carat, faint pink we call ‘baby pink,’ which has been very well received and is being introduced at this show. We supply diamonds from 0.30 to 100 carats. Since COVID, the Chinese market has slowed. Still, new markets such as Vietnam, Australia, Cambodia, and Japan are opening up — buyers from those countries are attending and buying, which is encouraging.”
Pritesh Patel, President and CEO, GIA
“Foot traffic is strong and there’s an optimistic atmosphere. We’re seeing early signs of change in mainland China and growing confidence overall — hopefully that momentum continues.”
Seminars, associations and milestone gatherings
The fair hosted a busy slate of learning opportunities. The ASEAN Gems and Jewellery Trade Association (AGJA) Conference — the first such gathering in Hong Kong — convened alongside the Hong Kong Jewellery & Jade Manufacturers Association’s (HKJJA) 60th anniversary activities. JGW presented 17 other sessions and seminars on sustainability, metals, diamonds, coloured gemstones, design, and consumer trends, creating a substantial programme for trade visitors seeking market intelligence and practical takeaways.
Trends and takeaways for buyers and brands
Design trends that resonated at the fair included layering-friendly fashion jewellery, experimentation with organic and unconventional materials, and the growing commerciality of men’s and gender-fluid jewellery. Process innovation emerged alongside traditional craft, with new alloys, finishing techniques, and laser-enabled workflows showcased alongside live bench demonstrations, suggesting that reproducible production methods are increasingly complementing craft credentials.
Sustainability is now a procurement filter. Buyers repeatedly requested documented case studies and supply-chain traceability. The awards and panels underscored that credible, measurable initiatives are the ones that translate into commercial preference.
Practical advice for future visitors
If you are sourcing loose materials, schedule AWE. If you are evaluating finished jewellery, design partners, packaging, or tech, set appointments at HKCEC. Use curated sections such as Sublime Shine, the Gold Pavilion, and the Tomorrow Aisle to compress discovery time — they gather innovation, talent, and vetted manufacturers in a way that makes scouting efficient. If sustainability is part of your buying criteria, request documentation and impact metrics at the first meeting: the JGW jury and many buyers signalled that this materially affects commercial decisions.
JGW 2025 offered a pragmatic, highly navigable sourcing week. It was not a return to pre-pandemic frenzy, but it did provide targeted buyer traffic, credible innovation, and a sharpened conversation around sustainability that is already affecting procurement behaviour. For brands recalibrating across Asia, the fair served as a proper market audit and, for many exhibitors, a modestly encouraging barometer for the months ahead.