DJWE opening boosts Qatar’s position as luxury destination

Doha: Prime Minister and Minister of Interior H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani inaugurated the 18th edition of Doha Jewellery & Watches Exhibition (DJWE) at DECC yesterday.

The Prime Minister toured the pavilions set up by local and international companies.

He also visited the Qatari designers’ pavilion, where he was briefed on their most prominent creations in the field of designing modern jewellery and precious stones inspired by Qatar’s culture and heritage.

The opening ceremony was attended by a number of Their Excellencies Sheikhs and Ministers, Their Excellencies members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the State, senior officials and businessmen, as well as representatives of exhibiting companies. 

The exhibition is furthering Qatar’s position as a luxury destination. Spread over 33,000 square metres of Doha Exhibition and Convention Center, the exhibition was filled with elegance, glamour and extravagance as the most-awaited 18th edition returned after a one-year break.

Alluring jewellery, bespoke diamond cuts, luxury collections from local and international designers are featured from over 500 brands from more than ten countries participating this year. It also welcomed first-time exhibitors from luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton, French jeweller Lorenz Bäumer and Italian watchmaker Gagà Milano.  

The Indian and Turkish pavilions also made a comeback for this year’s edition. DJWE is the longest running and most anticipated exhibition in Qatar’s annual calendar of business events. 

Qatar Tourism Chairman and Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, H E Akbar Al Baker, said: “For nearly two decades, DJWE has successfully attracted a growing number of global luxury brands and industry experts, cementing its position as the only business-to-consumer show of its kind in the region, directly connecting brands with customers.

“As the global tourism and travel sector works on its recovery from the events of the past two years, hosting DJWE is particularly special this year as we can once again welcome customers from around the world for this spectacular event. Exhibitions such as DJWE serve to energise multiple private sector players such as travel, hospitality, food and beverage, retail, and event organisers.”

Upon entering the convention center, the public will be greeted by prominent luxurious French luxury houses Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Dior, and Italian luxury brand Bulgari. Making your way towards the hallway, the country’s distinguished jewellers named Big Nine are showcasing a huge selection of new brands and limited edition collection. These include AlFardan Jewellery, Ali Bin Ali Luxury, Al Majed Jewellery, Al Muftah Jewellery, Amiri Gems, Blue Salon, Bvlgari, and Fifty One East. 

As the country is hosting the FIFA World Cup later this year, Al Majed Jewellery has been named as the official luxury jewellery and accessories maker for the international football competition. The spirit of World Cup is evident at one of the two entrances at the Al Majed pavilion — a football field with artificial turf displaying some of its FIFA collection and a huge LED screen. The eye-catching entrance is picture-perfect, especially to football fans.

Aside from the jewellery collection, they are also offering ball point pen, diamond pen, fountain pen, inkless pen, and notebooks which are now on a pre-order basis. The maker of the writing accessories is the Italian company Pininfarina, known as an Italian car design firm with customers such as Ferrari, Peugeot, Fiat, and Maserati to name a few.

The 2022 DJWE edition also showcases local Qatari talent and creativity through the Qatari designers’ pavilion, now in its fifth year. There are 10 Qatari designers participating: D.W. Jewellery, De Trove, Clair De Lune Jewellery, Al Ghla Jewellery, Midad Jewelry, Thameen Jewellery, Nouf Jewellery, H Jewelry, Ghand Jewellery and Hessa Jewels.

The Peninsula talked to five founders of the Qatari designers who expressed their excitement for participating in the exhibition. They said DJWE is an avenue for their business to grow and market their collection both for the local and international audience.

A special feature for this year is the DJWE lounge where workshops will be held during the six-day event. Workshops on the opening day included “LÉTRANGE, heritage with a twist” with speaker LÉTRANGE President and CEO Sébastien Létrange, and “Journey through time with Vacheron Constantin” with speaker Abdulla, one of eight founding members of Qatar Watch Club.

DJWE will run until Saturday, May 14. It opens from 12pm to 10pm every day except Friday (May 13), when it will be open from 4pm to 10pm. Visitors need to register through ‘Visit Qatar’ website.

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