BERLIN – I visited the 35th Mineralis Exhibition in Berlin, Germany, over the weekend, as the Israeli Diamond Institute's blogger. The show took place alongside celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the historic Berlin Wall, which divided the city for 28 year, tangibly representing the iron curtain separating the West from the communist bloc.
Mineralis 2009 was held in Messe Berlin, one of Germany's largest convention centers. Over 160 representatives from 16 countries took part in the show, with Germany, India, China and Brazil dominating it.
Beautiful, colorful gems from the United States, Mexico, Peru and China were on display, with sample prices ranging from a single euro for a white crystal (low-grade clarity) to €400 for a 1.5-carat diamond ring, which would sell for twice as much then the retail market.
The exhibition serves as an annual industry meeting for the purpose of buying, selling and trading in rare stones. Alongside the luxurious goods on display, presenters used the opportunity to sell simpler jewelry, necklaces and gems which can be used for jewelry making on the premises, as well as for wholesale sales of gems and simple, pre-drilled stones ready for use.
Booths filled with magazines and professional literature awaited visitors entering the compound, alongside suppliers of minerals and diamonds' appraisal, processing, cutting and polishing equipment.
Antique-looking, yellow-brown marble sculptures from Pakistan, usually marketed for ethic stores, were also a hit, but the main floor was dedicated to minerals used in jewelry. Precious stones' necklaces and rings were sold for relatively low prices.
Katherine Lee, an independent jeweler from Copenhagen told us about her work and the local market: "We focus mainly on the German market and right now we're accelerating European development. These kinds of exhibitions allow us to meet a lot of clients. This is our flag jewelry." Below is a photo of one of the show's employees, wearing an agate
necklace designed by Lee.
Many businesses have local, German-speaking representatives in Germany or in Europe and the show catered to local buyers and end consumers in central Europe and German-speaking countries.
One of the things that immediately caught my eye was a beautiful black quartz from Nigeria. The Geo-Expert stand presented minerals and precious stones from South America and Asia, which were sold as raw material to consumers and manufacturers.
A ruby-studded ring by the Retchsitzegger-Edelsteine company from Munich sold for €5,000 and a similar sapphire ring sold for €3,500. The company also supplies simple raw materials throughout Europe.
The next stand, from a precious minerals and diamond jewelry importer and distributor featured Pyromorphite – a yellow-green mineral which is found in China. Pyromorphite has deep hues and a high market value. The smallest samples are priced at €350, but the strong, dark tones of this rare mineral are worth the price.
I must say that the stones which fascinated me – and other visitors – the most were mixed minerals: such stones are created when two or more minerals are created within each other (a phenomenon also common in diamonds) and the result is a colorful puzzle of colors, shapes and textures. These minerals are used for decorative purposes, since processing them into jewelry makes them lose their hybrid singularity.
Diamonds did not take center stage at the exhibition, although rough diamonds and diamond jewelry were found with the bigger traders. Prabhat Singh, who owns an Indian company with European representatives showed me a diamond-encrusted ring, as well as other precious stones in Princess and Baguette cuts, but simpler gems' necklaces made up the majority of his merchandise.
A Peruvian trader boasted a magnificent stone he sells and distributes – Ankash – which can be found in Peru's Piriz Mine. The mineral is mixed black and white colors, and since the Piriz Mine is closed and no longer produces raw materials, he is one of the few that sells it and it is extremely valuable.
The jewelers and traders who flocked to Mineralis 2009 certainly benefited from it. Besides the buyers and jewelers who came to Berlin especially for the exhibition, three days of private clients rushing to buy either a piece of jewelry or a memento in the form of a unique stone, were more than worth the trip.
Also, exposure to a massive market of buyers and consumers in reach countries with pronounced consumption for luxury goods assists in introducing brands and products. It was a great opportunity for jewelers and diamond merchants to get acquainted with thousand of buyers who are in the market for luxury goods, as well as reach chain stores.
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