With an exquisite jewels and timepieces from more than 500 renowned luxury brands that have been wowing the crowds, the 19th edition of the Doha Jewellery and Watches Exhibition (DJWE) opened earlier this week. According to a press statement, among the visitors to the official opening was Russian supermodel Irina Shayk, wearing a Couture dress by Alaïa, and a bracelet and a ring from Bulgari’s Serpenti Jewellery Collection as she attended the region’s largest show of its kind for the first time.
The statement adds that the 19th edition of DJWE runs until February 25 and introduces new brands, limited edition collections and extraordinary showpieces from Qatar and the world.
The statement says that DJWE platforms stylish local companies and talented artists alongside established powerhouse fine jewellery and watch brands. This year’s highlights include a special array of rare and exquisite pearls from the Hussein Alfardan Gallery, a personal collection of natural pearls and part of Alfardan Jewellery. Louis Vuitton has debuted its Fantasy necklace, a must-see 2.56-carat monogram flower-cut diamond. And Valentino has partnered with Qatar’s Education Above All (EAA) Foundation to reveal a limited-edition collection of Valentino accessories.
The 19th edition of DJWE also sees the return of Qatar Tourism’s Qatari Designers initiative, a long-running platform which demonstrates Qatar Tourism’s ongoing commitment to nurture local, creative talent. Established in 2017, the initiative has historically provided some of the country’s most recognised contemporary jewellery and watch brands with a springboard to help elevate their developing businesses.
“Qatar’s contemporary, yet classic, approach to luxury and style has made DJWE the flagship event it is today, a showstopping occasion that captures regional and global imaginations on an annual basis. Every year, DJWE provides thousands of visitors the opportunity to admire hundreds of priceless pieces up close, and to meet some of the world’s most respected designers. This year we expect more than 30,000 visitors from around the world to come and view leading jewellery brands as they reveal their latest collections, in Doha,” says Akbar Al Baker, Chairman of Qatar Tourism and Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive.
The press statement also lists several highlights of the DJWE 2023, including a Fantasy necklace by Louis Vuitton that interlaces the iconic yellow gold chevron motifs with diamond-paved triangles and Vs in white gold. It can be worn in three different ways and is paired with a spellbinding ring; whose body of gold chevrons rises to a crowning 8.73-carat round diamond that seems to be gazing at the woman wearing it.
Another unique piece is a Classic Valentino collection with a difference that are specially made for children in need who are supported by Educate A Child (EAC). The charity campaign, an initiative by Education Above All, supports the hardest-to-reach out of school children around the world facing barriers to education, ranging from poverty to discrimination. The Valentino items are embellished with a dangling EAC child logo in either crystal, metal or pearl, says the statement.