Singapore Gem Fair Debuts With $1B of Jewellery on Display

The Singapore Jewelry and Gem Fair made its debut on Saturday with jewelry and gems on display worth some $1 billion. The fair features 283 exhibitors from 28 countries, including diamond experts from Belgium, Israel and Switzerland and pearl specialists from Indonesia, Japan and Britain. The four-day fair has 12 pavilions, including nine country and region pavilions and three special-themed ones such as the Antique Pavilion, the Designer Atelier and the Exquisite Pavilion.

An antique Victorian diamond tiara dating back to 1850, worth $20 million, was sold Saturday morning. It was the oldest piece at the fair, with approximately 110-carat of circular-cut, cushion and pear-shaped diamonds. Other highlights include a 129.60-carat emerald pendant and a lotus flower ring with a 22-carat melo pearl that is very rare as it does not come from an oyster or mollusk, but instead from the melo marine snail.