Get ready because a new jewelryfair will be held in 2024! So does it mean that the world needs another jewelry fair?
"That's a very, very good question," French real estate businessman and jewelry collector Richard Steeve Giraud said recently over the phone from his London home.
Pioneering A New Era In Jewelry Exhibitions
Mr. Giraud, 62, is the founder and CEO of ArtVendôme, which will open in Paris from January 31 to February 3. He explained that the name of the event is meant to connect jewelry art and Place Vendôme, an area in Paris that has been a focus of high jewelry since the 1800s.
And the sales event, he claims, is intended to fill a hole.
"The only jewelry show you have today is business-to-business, for the professionals," he explained. While a few jewelers have exhibited in arts and antique events such as the European Fine Art Fair (known as TEFAF) or the now-canceled Masterpiece, public jewelry fairs have gone from view.
Mr. Giraud stated that the fair already has signed exhibitors, but he declined to name them.
He plans to have 80 booths for heritage homes, vintagedealers, foreign designers, and modern artists, as well as 20 vitrine spaces for emerging producers who will be chosen by an advisory council and provided a discounted rate to participate. The fees are not made public.
The event will take place at the Grand Palais Éphémère, a temporary venue on the Champ de Mars near the Eiffel Tower that will be utilized while the Grand Palais is rebuilt and subsequently will host some 2024 Olympics competitions.
"The idea about the fair, for me, is a little bit like a Frieze" art fair, Mr. Giraud said, presenting a variety of styles and costs for consumers who are unsure whether or not they enjoy jewelry.
He also believes that it will attract young clientele to jewelry in the same way that Art Basel has attracted them to the art world: "When you see all that’s happening in art with Art Basel, these kinds of fairs bring people and people speak about them. Today, if you don’t collect something, you are a little bit has-been or old school."
According to Maria Doulton, editor in chief of The Jewellery Editorwebsite, "will partly depend on getting on board the big names such as Cartier, Bulgari, and Chanel, along with an interesting and well-chosen mix of smaller houses, and independent artist jewelers."
“However, what will make or break the show is whether the organizers and brands can attract enough public interested in buying jewelry.”
Ms. Doulton pointed out that the Biennale des Antiquaires in Paris was the last significant luxury consumer show that drew jewelers, but by the time it closed in 2021, most of them had dropped out. As luxury brands develop into self-contained entertainment and lifestyle vendors, she noted:
“„I doubt these types of brands are interested in the old formats of courting clients at jewelry shows.
Mr. Giraud's interest in jewelry and collecting began at a young age. "It’s a passion I have since I’m 16, 17, something like this." He added:
“„I collect everything I like — I love, I will say. My favorite period is belle epoque because you have the technique and you also have the craziness that I love: You know, the butterfly that moves and that kind of thing.- Mr. Giraud
“I did design at first,” he said, but compared to buying a stone and designing a jewel, “it’s better if I buy an antique piece from Cartier or a brand that is signed because the value is going up with time, and you don’t lose your money.”