2018 Product Trends: The HKTDC Hong Kong International Jewellery Show Survey

A poll of 1,269 buyers and exhibitors at the Hong Kong International Jewellery Show 2018 and the Hong Kong International Diamond, Gem and Pearl Show 2018 suggests that karat gold will remain the most popular precious metal in 2018, with rose and white gold as the favourite colours. Platinum is also expected to rise significantly in popularity.

Those who responded to our survey indicated that diamonds will continue to be the most sought-after gemstone this year. In terms of the 4Cs of diamond grading, the favourites are expected to be one carat, colourless, round-cut and high purity (flawless-VVS2). Other than diamonds, jade and aquamarine are also anticipated to do well in 2018.

Popular Precious Metals and Gemstones

Most respondents expect karat gold to remain the most popular precious metal in 2018. 45% believe rose gold will be consumers’ favourite choice, while 37% and 32% expect white gold and yellow gold to be the most popular. A rise in the popularity of platinum (with 37% of respondents in our survey suggesting it is likely to be consumers’ first choice) has seen it overtake karat yellow gold. Except for karat white gold, all precious metals saw a rise in their expected popularity this year compared to 2017.

Diamonds continue to be the most popular choice of gemstones in 2018, selected by 61% of survey respondents (a 20-percentage point increase on last year). The proportion of respondents opting for jade, aquamarine, pearls, citrines and amethysts as the most popular gemstone all increased in 2018; however, the numbers choosing rubies and amber dropped slightly.

A huge 75% of those surveyed said they believe “A” jade will continue to be the most popular type of jade in 2018. Pearl traders, however, were less unanimous in their choices. South Sea pearls are the most favoured, with 37% of respondents expecting them to top the popularity charts, while 30% plumped for Akoya pearls and 20% picked out freshwater pearls.

Diamond Trends

When it comes to diamond jewellery design, 47% of those asked said melee-cum-solitaire will be the most popular choice in 2018, elevating it above 2017’s favourite, solitaire, which attracted just 35% of the vote. In terms of diamond settings, prong remains the most favoured choice, and has seen its popularity among respondents rebound this year from 27% to 36%. Invisible, microsetting and channel are the next most favoured choices, even though the numbers in our survey opting for channel showed a significant decrease.

1 carat continues to be by far the most popular weight for diamonds this year, followed by 50-99 points. A marked decline in the popularity of other diamond weight classes points to a growing concentration in consumer preference this year towards the two main diamond carat weights.

This phenomenon also appears to be true as regards diamond colour, with large increases in preference for colourless diamonds and white diamonds, compared to last year.

As far as cut is concerned, traders continue to favour round-cut diamonds in 2018. But while heart and oval cuts are both expected to see increases in popularity from last year, all other cuts saw a fall in the proportion of respondents choosing them.

In terms of the clarity, 70% of respondents expect diamonds of high purity (flawless-VVS2) to be the most popular in 2018. The proportion of respondents opting for diamonds of medium purity (VS1-SI1) as the most popular dropped by nearly half.

Profile of Respondents

• 481 exhibitors – 38% from Hong Kong, 40% based in Asia (excluding Hong Kong), and 22% from the rest of the world

• 788 buyers – major markets in the Chinese mainland (57%), Hong Kong (44%), Asia excluding Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland (43%), Western Europe (21%), and North America (18%)

The Hong Kong International Jewellery Show 2018 and the Hong Kong International Diamond, Gem and Pearl Show 2018 took place from 27 February-3 March 2018 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and the AsiaWorld-Expo respectively.