While Anita and Kathleen are exhibiting at Charlotte’s Southern Women’s Show another group is halfway around the world attending another show. Our President and Chief Marketing Officer, Dennis Reed along with our International Business Development Manager, Shaun Bateman and the C&C Marketing Director, Michelle Brister are gearing up for a busy weekend of activity in Hong Kong. They have been out of the office all week, attending the Hong Kong Jewellery Show as Charles & Colvard is exhibiting at this annual fall jewelry trade show.

You have read about my coverage of the largest U.S. trade show held each summer in Las Vegas as well as details from the world’s largest jewelry and watch (BaselWorld) show held annually in the spring. Though, I haven’t written about the Hong Kong show in the past. While each trade show has its own personality, the Hong Kong Show seems uniquely distinct from all the others.

Aside from being in the ever-fascinating Hong Kong (which some liken to New York on steroids) a city beyond compare–where the people make up an interesting population from European, British and Asian cultures. Plus the entire city vibe is a combination of Chinese tradition, contemporary architecture (I.M. Pei’s building–World Bank of China, for example) and cutting edge technology. And, that is not to say anything about the magnificent shopping from company brand stores such as Chanel, Ferragamo and Coach to the famous discount shopper’s delight, known as “the night market”.

 I know that our team in Hong Kong spends their days and evenings meeting with the Charles & Colvard distributors. Hong Kong is such a convenient place for our distributors, world manufacturers and retailers to exchange sales and marketing ideas as well as conduct meetings with the home team. We haven’t heard much from them thus far…but no doubt they will come back with great stories of what went on at the show!

 And, it is always fun to hear about what’s happening with moissanite around the world…whether the news is from the Paragon department store in Thailand or activity surrounding moissanite–the “hottest new rock” in the UK or what the Moi Moi sisters are doing in Australia.

 Have a great weekend!

Barbara

 P.S. If you are in the Charlotte area of North Carolina, check the Belk/Charles & Colvard created Moissanite booth at the Southern Women’s Show.

The first comment Dennis mentioned about his trip to Dubai, was that the UAE’s national bird should really be the crane, not the falcon as it is. He wasn’t referring to the great bird revered by some Japanese and Chinese as symbolic of longevity and immortality but rather the industrial crane commonly seen at a construction site. As you have seen on the news and through newspapers, Dubai is exploding with development and quickly becoming an important world business center. From the engineering of the Burj Dubai (designed to become the world’s tallest structure) to the countless number of yachts docked at its shoreline, Dubai is an international scene of luxury.

I understand key discussions at the CIBJO conference focused on the acceptance of a worldwide standardization of precious metals (i.e. tolerances, alloys, weights); the development of a corporate social responsibility foundation, and creating a worldwide retailer’s guide on gemstones and precious metals. Charles & Colvard is not only an active and sponsoring member of CIBJO but we are very involved in the U.S. jewelry industry as a champion of disclosure and supporting consumer education.

One such project we underwrote and worked on with the Jeweler’s Vigilance Committee (another CIBJO member) is the “Buying Gemstones and Jewels with Confidence”. This is an informative brochure written to dispel the confusion consumers oftentimes encounter when some products aren’t identified clearly in their marketing. If you would like to request a copy of this brochure, simply visit www.jvc.org.

And with that said, please keep in mind, there is only one moissanite—Moissanite created by Charles & Colvard!