Jewellery lovers are spoilt for choice - two mega shows spread over two venues SILVER IS UP there in a big way on personal adornments, as visitors to the September Hong Kong Jewellery & Watch Fair will note. 'Silver is going mainstream,' said Letitia Chow Mei-lai, director of development for the jewellery group at CMP Asia, the presenters of the fair. 'Top jewellers are designing silver products, and they are even setting diamonds in silver rings. And unlike relatively new metals like stainless steel and titanium, silver has always been regarded as a precious metal.' Silver's affordability is one of its chief selling points. Jorge Garcia of Mexico-based jewellery-maker More Than Silver, one of the exhibitors, said silver scored over gold and other high-value metals in market attraction. 'A very large proportion of the market can afford it, and with silver you can easily make replacements in your jewellery collection,' he said. One of the special attractions at the fair will be the Silver Jewellery and Silver Ornament Pavilion. The expo, which opens today and runs till Saturday, is spread over two venues - the AsiaWorld-Expo and the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. More than 2,500 exhibitors, about 500 more than last year, will occupy 80,000 square metres of exhibition space. The September Hong Kong Jewellery & Watch Fair is Asia's largest and one of the top three jewellery events in the world. 'We have used up all the space at the Convention and Exhibition Centre, and this year we decided to put exhibitors who were on the waiting list in AsiaWorld-Expo,' said Celine Lau Siu-man, director of jewellery fairs, CMP Asia. 'We are the first to hold the same exhibition in two locations, which make this fair the biggest yet.' The fair will feature a wide range of products, from fine finished jewellery, polished diamonds, gemstones, pearls, jewellery timepieces and packaging to jewellery-making tools and machinery. The American Gem Trade Association and the International Colored Gemstone Association have set up pavilions. A free and continuous shuttle bus service will operate between the Exhibition Centre and AsiaWorld-Expo. The ride takes 45 minutes. Along with the September Hong Kong Jewellery & Watch Fair is CMP Asia's other industry event, Asia's Fashion Jewellery & Accessories Fair, which was launched four years ago. It opens today and runs until Thursday. The jewellery and watch fair is spread over both exhibition venues, while the Asia fashion jewellery fair is exclusively at AsiaWorld-Expo.