Buyers flock to international jewellery fair in Tokyo

Описание: (22 Jan 2015) Millions of dollars are changing hands as foreign shoppers flock to Japan's international jewellery fair looking for precious stones and big bargains.
The depreciation of the Japanese Yen has made the fair particularly attractive to overseas buyers.

There is no mistaking the popularity of jade here, especially with so many Chinese buyers.
This necklace is on sale for 100 million Yen ($847,000) - enough to buy an apartment in most cities of the world - but this is considered a bargain to the thousands who are travelling here.
Overseas visitors are attracted by the reputation for the quality of the gems.
Gold comes in all shapes and sizes, even a teapot, although you might hesitate to use it for a brew.
Over a thousand retailers are here from all over the world hoping to sell over a million pieces of high end jewellery over the next few days.
Exhibition organiser Tad Ishizumi says: "We're seeing more buyers coming from abroad this year. And there are more and more expensive products such as diamonds and jades...some are priced at more than 1 hundred million yen ($847,000) and they are selling well."
This is a trade show which has seen a big increase in buyers from China and other Asian countries.
The biggest attraction is the secondhand jewel retailers, where they're hoping to find bargains.
Moh'd Ameen Zafar Ali from Pakistan says: "(It's a) Very low price compared to other markets, yes quality is also very good and nice."
Most of the second hand fine jewels were originally bought during Japan's trade boom in the 1980's and early 1990s when imports of gems increased sharply.
Diamond engagement rings became especially popular during this period, but now decades later those expensive jewels aren't seeing the light of day, they're mostly stored away in safes or at home.
Reed Exhibitions, which organised the fair, estimates that there is about 3 trillion Yen ($25,471,229,952) worth of jewellery in Japanese homes.
Tsuyoshi Mihashi is managing director of Rs-Japan which specialises in selling second hand jewels in thirty shops throughout Japan.
He says: "We held many campaigns and placed many advertisements to encourage people to sell their jewellery (to second hand buyers)."
According to Mihashi, prices in the secondhand market have doubled over the last three years, despite tough competition between jewellers.
Most of the Chinese visitors here appear to think the prices are reasonable.
Phil Penh from Shanghai says: "Quality is also good, especially the design. Design in Japan I think because Japan has the long history of the jewellery, especially (compared with) than China because China only these several years people begin to buy. So the design is very good here but the price is I think cheap. I think cheap."
Millions of dollars worth of gems with be traded here over the next couple of days.
The International Jewellery Show runs from the 21st until the 24th of January.


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