Jewelry extravaganza comes to Jakarta
Jewelry extravaganza comes to Jakarta
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
It has been a while since Nicole Kidman danced and sang Diamonds
are a Girl's Best Friend in the exuberant 2001 flick Moulin
Rouge.
The song came to mind again, repeatedly and endlessly, while
strolling around the Indonesia international exhibition of fine
jewelry, timepieces, fine art and antiques, which began on Friday
and ended today.
Images of Kidman moved from one booth to another at the
Jakarta Convention Center, as the various dazzling diamonds
displayed all but blinded us with their different colors, shapes
and cutting.
"This is oval, 107.35 carats," said an exhibitor from South
Africa, pointing to a brownish-yellow diamond almost as large as
a golf ball.
The price? "Not less than US$1 million."
A quick stroll through the exhibition will provide even a
layman with knowledge of fancy-colored diamonds, and their sky-
high prices.
Moving on to other pricey displays, Tahiti, known for its huge
pearl oysters, is also home to the world's most exotic and
expensive pearls.
This year's event drew in 23 exhibitors, coming from Hong
Kong, Iran, Italy, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore,
South Africa, Switzerland and Thailand.
"Initially, there were 30 participants. But exhibitors from
the U.S. withdrew for security reasons," said Hesti M. Sudjana
from Mata Air marketing organizer.
Apart from diamonds, there were equally expensive displays of
jewelry made from gold, platinum and precious stones.
A hippo ring in rose gold with pink sapphires from a
Singaporean company provided a touch of the surreal.
And finally the Criss Cut, a patented 77 faceted beauty, which
adds new dimension to the traditional emerald or baguette step-
cut diamond by maximizing the brilliance and fire that any rough
diamond may possess.
Asian trademark jade also came in many colors and shapes.
The exhibition also sported a fashion show, models sauntering
down the runway presenting different kinds of jewelry.
US$8,000 got you into the buying game, but for the uninitiated
the price of admission was a bargain.