The stage we wrote about last week is now lit. On Sunday evening, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani cut the ribbon on the 22nd Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition, opening six days in which the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre becomes the Gulf’s most concentrated address for brilliance. Forty-nine exhibitors representing more than 500 brands from thirty countries have filled the halls in West Bay, and the exhibition runs through 3 October.
This edition carries a first worth noting: Christie’s has joined DJWE for the first time, bringing specialist talks and educational sessions rather than a saleroom — a signal, weeks before its debut Abu Dhabi auction, of how seriously the great auction houses now take the Gulf. The knowledge programme extends through the DJWE Studio, whose workshops range from design trends and collecting to the region’s original luxury: the Gulf pearl.
The regional story is just as strong on the selling floor. The Qatari Designers Pavilion, backed by Scale7, gathers six local houses — among them Midad Jewellery, Kaltham’s Pavilion and Ghand Jewellery — while four exhibitors from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE make their DJWE debuts, a reminder that the Gulf is no longer merely the world’s best jewellery customer but increasingly its author. “A leading international platform for the jewellery and watch industry,” is how Qatar Tourism chairman HE Saad bin Ali Al Kharji described what two decades of DJWE have built — one that, in his words, celebrates international participation alongside Qatari creativity.
For visitors, the rhythm is generous: midday to 10pm on weekdays, afternoons on Friday. For the industry, the message is simpler still. The season’s centre of gravity, for one week at least, sits firmly on the Doha corniche.
