The 12th annual Shenzhen international jewelry exhibition, which organizers have deemed the largest and most important jewelry and fashion accessories show in China, closed Sunday.



A great deal of three-dimensional gold jewelry was on display, as was silver and platinum jewelry, pearls, and gemstones. This year’s exhibition was bigger than last year’s, and diamonds seemed to be gaining ground. In fact, a central area in Hall 1 was devoted to diamond jewelry. Loose, round-cut, high-quality diamonds of up to 1.5 carats in size were shown, as was jewelry set with colored diamonds and fancy-cut diamonds ranging from 0.5 to 2 carats in size with F-I color grades and clarity between VVS2 to VS1.



The exhibition spread over more than 52,500 meters in three halls, and over 1,000 exhibitors from 25 countries took part. Nevertheless it seemed that exhibitors from across China were the majority, and Chinese was the most common language. A large number of exhibitors were jewelry manufacturers and retailers - mainly from Shenzhen – and most of the buyers appeared to be Chinese retailers and end consumers from across China (Shezhuan, Shanghai, Beijing, and other cities.)



The exhibition served to showcase the products before Chinese jewelers, only some of whom will attend the Hong Kong show that opens Monday.



Exhibitors used many tactics to attract customers to their booths, including models and jewelry displays. A couple of knights stood at the entrance to one booth, and at another an artist painted a model’s body. The exhibitors reports sales, although some said that they were taking part to gain market exposure and build new contacts and were not expecting strong sales.