Organized by UBM Asia, a subsidiary of United Business Media, the 22nd edition of Asia’s largest and most important international mid-year jewellery event took up 40,000 square metres of exhibition space at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre with over 2,000 booths. National or group pavilions representing Antwerp, mainland China, Italy, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States and Malaysia all had a prominent presence at the Fair, alongside seven themed pavilions featuring fine jewellery, diamond, pearls, gemstones, silver jewellery, tools, equipment and packaging and the newly launched Hong Kong Premier Pavilion.

Exhibitors were pleased with the results at the Fair. Ardis Chan, international sales manager of TTF Studio in China said: “We’ve been taking part in the June Fair for three years now. This year, we met some of our existing buyers from Europe and new buyers from Asia.” Keisuke Nemoto of Royal Trading Co Ltd in Japan said: “We’ve been taking part in the June Fair for 10 years. We did pretty well at the fair. We met our target buyers and received new orders.” Deepak Sharma, general manager of Sterling Ornaments Pvt Ltd in India commented: “We made contacts with many potential buyers such as those from the US, Germany and Panama. We are satisfied with the results.” Addy Wong, managing director of Waddy Jewellery Group in Hong Kong said: “We’ve been taking part in this Fair for many years and we are glad to have joined the Hong Kong Premier Pavilion which helps us to better present our brand.” They all confirmed that they would return next year.

Indian jewellery is having a haute moment in the West. US First Lady Michelle Obama dazzles with her Nizam-inspired necklace which she wore for a White House dinner. The piece was made in Delhi, using fresh-water-pearls, Swarovski crystals and zari thread. British Prime Minister’s wife Sarah Brown too loves her Indian jewels made using white gold. Pop star Gwen Stefani picks up anklets and neckpieces with Sanskrit inscriptions in New York. Victoria Beckham too can’t do without her maang teeka!

Exotic jewellery from India is suddenly in demand. And it’s hip to wear chandelier earrings, Nizam-inspired neckpieces, Maharani anklets with dressy gowns on the red carpet. Pieter Erasmus, jewellery designer, who designed Michelle Obama’s neckpiece says, “Indian jewellery is inspired by history. The neckpiece for Michelle was inspired after reading William Dalrymple’s White Mughals. At present, I’m working on a line inspired by colonialism from the period ‘After Gandhi’. The West finds jewellery inspired by India exotic as it has oldworldly charm with a modern twist.”

Pippa Small recently created an entire Peacock collection inspired by designs in Orissa. “It was a sellout,” claims the designer who creates jewellery for Gucci, Nicole Farhi, and Chloe. “Indian jewellery has lost its over-the-top, gaudy image. The jewelled look is royal, bold and distinctive,” says Rajiv Arora of Amrapali jewels, makers of jewellery for actresses Freida Pinto, Sandra Bullock, Megan Fox and Angelina Jolie.

Rohini Bedi, US-based jewellery designer says, “At Bollywood parties, lots of foreign celebs don heavy Indian jewellery. There’s a great demand for heavy jewellery from India in kundan and meenakari.”

Hollywood A-lister Nicole Kidman regularly orders jewellery from Jaipur. She chose a pair of antique Indian diamond earrings from Beverly Hills jeweller Martin Katz to go with her Galliano Oscar gown. Lindsay Lohan also wears Sanskrit necklaces from Indian jewellery designer Rosena Sammi in New York, as does Kate Moss, Jessica Alba and Naomi Watts. Alanis Morissete wore Sammi’s Ganesha for a Page Six shoot featured in the New York Post, recently.

Rosena Sammi, who retails in stores like Henri Bendel, Intermix and Patricia Field, says, “My pieces fit into the wardrobe of a busy New York woman, who has to make the transition from the day office to a chic cocktail party at night.”

Every year Paris-based jeweller Adeline Roussel also comes to Jaipur to design her collection, which she retails at stores like Barneys in New York and Browns in London. London-based jeweller Emma Chapman, who designs jewellery for Uma Thurman, Sadie Frost, and Daniel Craig also designs her collection in India. Another French jewellery designer Marie-Hélène de Taillac, spends a great deal of time in Jaipur, “These days, jewellery doesn’t make you feel like an ancestral portrait. India has been the turning point in my life, because the craftsmen still use traditional methods going back to the time of the maharajas,” says Taillac.

The desire to wear Indian jewellery in the West is so strong that Sotheby’s auctioned rare jewellery pieces designed by two Indian artists – Anish Kapoor’s 22-carat gold and enamel Water Ring and Subodh Gupta’s ruby pendant encrusted with diamonds. It’s the moment for ‘art jewellery’, where even established artists are designing jewellery.

Mal Singh Nathawat, a jeweller in Jaipur from whom Kate Winslet buys her jewellery says, “There’s an international appeal to Indian jewellery.” Delhi-based designer, Punita Trikha, who designs jewellery for Bollywood films like Partner, Maine Pyar Kyon Kiya, agrees, “Indian jewellery is free from its overdone bling. We’ve acquired global appeal due to our simplicity.”

It seems, haute jewellery today is still inspired by the period of the Maharajas. Sita Devi of Baroda sold many of her pieces amongst which were an emerald and diamond anklet to Harry Winston in 1953. The jeweller transformed them into a necklace for the Duchess of Windsor. Hearing the praise for the Duchess’ necklace, Sita Devi retorted that the jewels had also looked good when she had worn them on her feet!

New York-based jewellery designer, Amrita Singh, who has designed for celebs like Jessica Simpson, Anne Hathaway and JLo says, “Everyone loves Indian-inspired jewellery in New York. They’re a bold fashion statement here, right now.”