Istanbul, Turkey - 16 March 2017
1. Close of two gold ingots by Istanbul Gold Refinery: (left) 24 carat gold ingot 12.5 kg (valued 500,000 US Dollars), (right) 24 carat gold ingot 1 kg (valued 40,000 US Dollars)
2. High angle of gold ingots
3. Mid of refinery worker pointing at gold ingots in glass case
4. Mid of gold ingots in display case
5. Wide of Nadir Doviz stand and Sales Manager Kaan Gozum meeting visitors
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Kaan Gozum, Sales Manager, Nadir Doviz:
"There is more or less 25 per cent of increase in selling gold, in gold bars and in 22 carats, as far as I know."
7. Wide of Trojan Horse by Istanbul Gold Refinery, covered in 5 kilograms of gold and valued at 200,000 US Dollars
8. Tilt down of Trojan Horse
9. Mid of Trojan Horse head
10. Close of Trojan Horse head
11. Wide of Trojan Horse
12. Wide of visitors having photos taken with Trojan Horse
13. SOUNDBITE (Turkish) Izzet Yilmaz, Manufacture Manager of Istanbul Gold Refinery
"It (the Trojan horse) took 3 months to be finished by 8 to 10 workers. It is covered by 5 kilograms of gold. Its price is approximately 200,000 US dollars."
14. Close of The Energy of Life and Love ring by Zen Diamonds, made of 200 diamonds (8 carats) and valued at 275,000 US Dollars
15. Mid of ring by Zen Diamonds
16. Hands holding up ring by Zen Diamonds
17. Mid of woman putting ring on finger
18. Close of ring
19. SOUNDBITE (English) Sinem Aksoyler, Zen Diamonds Communications Manager:
"It (the ring) has a name, and it is The Energy of Life and Love. It has a 7 carat stone in the centre and about 200 stones, 200 diamonds on the sides. Here you can see, it is about one carat and it totals 8 carats."
20. Various of visitors at Istanbul Jewellery Show
21. Mid of several jewellery pieces by Atasay Jewellery
22. Close of necklace by Atasay made of 83 carat diamonds and 18 carat gold, valued at 100,000 US Dollars
23. Close of hands holding necklace
24. Mid of hands holding necklace
25. SOUNDBITE (Turkish) Zuhal Ozcan, Marketing Manager of Atasay Jewellery:
"We have prepared a necklace as Atasay. It is decorated with 83 carat stones and 18 carat gold. We worked on this necklace for two months. During the process, we chose the whitest diamonds in order to enhance its brightness. Therefore we designed this necklace with the most special stones."
26. Low angle of Gold Scarf by Ligora Gold, made of 22 carat gold, weight 1,75 kg, valued at 60,000 US Dollars
27. Close of scarf
28. Mid of scarf
29. Wide of diamond sellers and customers at Lizay Jewellery
30. Mid of sellers and customers
31. Mid of hands showing ring by Lizay Jewellery, made of 2.50 carat diamonds, valued at 26,000 US Dollars
32. Close of ring
33. SOUNDBITE (English) Yeliz Serbes, owner of Lizay Jewellery:
"This is a five-stone diamond ring, it has all diamonds on it, it is almost 2.50 carats. It has H.B.S. (Antwerp brand), 2 diamond quality and its price is 26,000 (US) dollars."
34. Close up to necklace by Zen Diamonds made of green emerald and white diamonds valued at over 20,000 US Dollars
35. Mid of necklace
36. Mid of several sets of jewellery by Zen Diamonds
37. Mid of necklace by Zen Diamonds made of blue sapphire and white diamonds, valued at over 20,000 US Dollars
38. Close of necklace
39. Wide of Chairman of the Turkish Jewellery Exporters Association, Ayhan Guner meeting with visitors in a hall
40. SOUNDBITE (Turkish) Ayhan Guner, Chairman of the Turkish Jewellery Exporters Association:
"Local market has decreased by 30 per cent since last year. But manufacture hasn't been affected. Last year, manufacture only decreased 8 to 9 per cent compared to the previous year. In terms of manufacture, the market hasn't been affected, so this year there has been an increase of 42 per cent. But regarding the local market, investors have been feeling uneasy for a little while. I think we will get over these issues. I hope it keeps going this way. Terror is the worst thing in Turkey. We don't want terrorism anywhere in the world."
41. Wide of jewels on display at Zen Diamonds
42. Close of necklace by Zen Diamonds inspired by Ottoman design, made of 3 carat rose cut diamonds, valued at 8,000 US Dollars
43. SOUNDBITE (Turkish) Ayhan Guner, Chairman of the Turkish Jewellery Exporters Association:
"The new generation prefer to use casual products in their daily life. They don't use jewellery which would be worn at a wedding. Today everybody buys jewellery they can use in their daily life."
44. Various of female musicians
The most expensive piece at the Istanbul Jewellery Show dazzles under the show's lights.
This 12.5 kg ingot made of 24 carat gold by the Istanbul Gold Refinery is valued at 500,000 US Dollars.
Jewellers here say gold buying is on the up as people see it as a safe investment at a time of political and economic turmoil in Turkey.
It comes as recent terror attacks have damaged the value of the Turkish Lira and the wider jewellery sector, in a country which has long been the main exporter of jewellery in the Middle East.
Kaan Gozum, Sales Manager at Nadir Doviz, says he's noticed a huge spike in sales of gold bars especially:
"There is more or less 25 per cent of increase in selling gold, gold bars of 22 carats, as far as I know", he says.
It's no surprise visitors to the show are also drawn to this eye catching Trojan Horse, covered in 5 kilograms of gold and valued at 200,000 US Dollars.
"It (the Trojan horse) took 3 months to be finished by 8 to 10 workers", explains Izzet Yilmaz, Manufacture Manager of the Istanbul Gold Refinery.
In the jewellery hall, the star of the show is a ring called The Energy of Life and Love, by Zen Diamonds. It's valued at 275,000 US Dollars, the most expensive piece of jewellery at the exhibition.
"It has a 7 carat stone in the centre and about 200 stones, 200 diamonds on the sides. Here you can see, it is about one carat and it totals 8 carats", says Zen Diamonds Communications Manager, Sinem Aksoyler,
One of the more unusual pieces at the show is a 1.75 kg scarf made of gold by LIgora Gold, valued at 60,000 US Dollars.
But not all that glitters is gold in the world of Turkish jewellery.
Figures from the Turkish Jewellery Exporters Association show that exports showed a 7.4 per cent decrease in value in 2016 as foreign investors were made uneasy by terror attacks and political upheaval.
Ayhan Guner, Chairman of the Turkish Jewellery Exporters' Association, says turmoil in the country has also had an impact on the local market but not manufacturing:
"Local market has decreased by 30 per cent since last year. But manufacture hasn't been affected. Last year manufacture only decreased 8 to 9 per cent compared to the previous year. In terms of manufacture, the market hasn't been affected, so this year there has been an increase of 42 per cent. But regarding the local market, investors have been feeling uneasy for a little while".
In terms of trends that emerged from this year's exhibition Guner says the younger generation and their tastes are now the main focus:
"The new generation prefer to use casual products in their daily life. They don't use jewellery which would be worn at a wedding. Today everybody buys jewellery they can use in their daily life", he says.
The Istanbul Jewellery Show is a twice a year event which draws around 800 exhibitor brands from the Middle East, Europe and Asia. It's on until 19 March at Istanbul's CNR Expo.
