Exclusive gala presentation highlighted the stunning gold creations of Italy's top jewellers
Dubai, UAE - Dubai has once again reinforced its status as the 'City of Gold' by hosting the Middle East Launch of Gold Expressions 2008 - the Language of Italian Design. It was the first time the 317-piece gold jewellery collection was presented outside Italy after its global launch in Vicenza Fair in January 2008 - a clear indication of the importance of the Middle East market to Italy's gold jewellery industry.
Madinat Jumeirah Hotel's Joharah Ballroom was the perfect backdrop for the exclusive event and attended by Dubai society, key industry players, prominent editors and dignitaries from the diplomatic community.
The expansive ballroom was transformed into a grand piazza replete with an imposing façade of a palazzo, antique lamp posts, wrought iron benches and greenery, the romantic setting for the grand display of the celebrated Italian 18k gold jewellery collection.
The main attraction of the evening was the much-awaited fashion parade featuring approximately 180 pieces of exquisite Italian jewellery from the Gold Expressions 2008 collection. Opening the gala event, Moaz Barakat, Managing Director of World Gold Council in the Middle East, Pakistan and Turkey, announced: "The Middle East is one of the most important markets worldwide for Italian gold jewellery products. We are proud to say that we have risen to become the world's top import destination of Italian gold jewellery products. With Italy's pivotal role as the centre of innovation and excellence in the design and manufacture of gold jewellery, we deem the thriving Italian gold jewellery industry essential to the growth of global gold consumption."
Passionate arias filled the ballroom which set the all-Italian theme of the event. In a fast past-paced presentation, twenty-two elegant models in simple yet alluring black dresses donned exquisitely crafted gold necklaces, earrings, bracelets and rings. It was truly a grand feast for the senses, reinforcing that gold jewellery is indeed contemporary and tangible to today's consumer in signature Italian pageantry.
Organized by the World Gold Council (WGC) in partnership with the Vicenza Fair - the world-famous trade event for jewellery, and AngloGold Ashanti - the world's second largest gold mining company, Gold Expressions 2008 represented 60 leading Italian manufacturers and is considered a benchmark for gold jewellery design and craftsmanship worldwide.
The definitive collection offered a rich combination of motifs, textures, forms and colors which further enhanced the innate beauty of the yellow metal. The general thematic tendencies observed during the presentation which are expected to influence global international jewellery design for the year are as follows:
Architectural Landscape: People are interested in wearing artworks that express a specific aesthetic point of view and that, through their shapes and powerful physical presence suggest the artist's manufacturing processes, his or her "gesture" that signed the unique creation.
Radical Gender: "Female" aesthetics are going through the resurgence of a gender consciousness, a desire to freely express a physical sensuality and the multiple roles women undertake in modern western societies (as women, mothers, wives, managers, etc). The more classic icons of femininity (flowers, butterflies, high heels, prints of romantic inspiration), are being rescued and played with by women of all ages:
Legendary Stories: In the last few years, the worlds of fashion and aesthetics have also gone through a wide range of historical revivals. Heroes and mythical characters live a moment of extraordinary fame among an audience that is increasingly interested in bringing the "real life" of heroic figures to light.
Spiritual Rituality: A search for simplification, which is the ultimate result of a sophisticated selection of the core values behind a product, an object, a ritual, a gold jewel. By taking off the superfluous and going to the "core" of the underlying meaning, the object acquires a divine nature.
It was it was an evening filled with the beauty, elegance and high status bestowed on everything touched by gold, in true Italian fashion. Following the launch of Gold Expressions 2008 in Dubai, the collection will travel to other important markets for gold, including the Japan, China, USA, India and Hong Kong.
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About World Gold Council
The World Gold Council is a global organization, formed by an association of the world's leading gold mining companies, whose aim is to promote the end-use of the unique and precious metal - GOLD. As the industry's marketing arm, the Council, with its global presence, marshals the skills and resources needed to create the market conditions that will allow consumers and investors unhindered access to gold and gold products. As a publicist for gold jewellery and other end-use markets such as industrial use, and investment, the Council works to address any major consumer issues. The Council is a source of data for the gold industry, providing balanced information on gold demands and trends to market participants and key influencers of the financial markets. The World Gold Council brings users, investors and consumers closer to the metal of their choice - GOLD.
For more information, please contact:
THE IDEA AGENCY - PR DEPARTMENT
Tel: 04 3434424
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Email: pr@theideaagency-me.com
© Press Release 2008
