UBM Asia, organiser of Asia's Fashion Jewellery & Accessories Fair, believes that the economic downturn has had a positive impact on the fashion jewellery and accessories market. 'The economic crisis resulted in a much more cautious attitude towards spending money. So more people turned to less finer pieces of jewellery at lower prices,' said Celine Lau, director of jewellery fairs at UBM Asia. The fair starts today at the AsiaWorld-Expo and runs through Thursday, and features more than 300 exhibitors from 15 countries and regions, with Taiwan holding its first country pavilion. There are several trends of colours, sizes and materials for the upcoming seasons, according to Lau. Fashion jewellery and accessories for winter 2009 are chunky and include mix and match items. For example there may be silver jewellery with gem stones placed on top. Trendy finishes include dark and plain colours such as black, white and silver. More eco-friendly materials such as seashells and wood set the trend for summer 2010, especially from designers in the Philippines, who are going for a more tropical feeling. Lau said there were still many fine jewellery designs to choose from. At the lower end of the scale were items from mainland companies and at the higher end were those from Italian exhibitors.
