Editor’s Note
This article highlights a strategic initiative by Seoul’s Jongno District to propel local jewelry brands onto the global stage. By facilitating participation in premier international fairs like Italy’s Vicenzaoro, the district aims to leverage technological innovation to build brand value and secure new market opportunities for K-Jewelry.
Seoul’s Jongno District is spearheading the overseas market expansion of K-Jewelry, leveraging its technological prowess and potential. The district is supporting selected local jewelry companies to participate in international exhibitions, focusing on expanding global sales channels and enhancing brand value. Participation in Italy’s ‘VICENZAORO’, one of the world’s top three jewelry fairs, is expected to be an opportunity to verify the competitiveness of K-Jewelry on the international stage.
Although the Korean jewelry industry possesses globally recognized craftsmanship skills, it lacks leading representative brands in the global market. Despite winning awards 27 consecutive times in international skills competitions, low recognition has prevented it from gaining significant attention overseas. In response, Jongno District plans to promote a strategic shift away from a structure centered on domestic sales and offline retail, aiming to expand online and overseas distribution networks.
VICENZAORO is a global fair with a 70-year history, serving as a key bridgehead for the jewelry industry with massive participation from major buyers from Europe and the Middle East. This year’s event is being held from the 16th to the 20th in Vicenza, a center for the apparel and gemstone industry and one of Italy’s wealthiest cities. The fair comprehensively exhibits precious metals (gems and semi-precious stones), jewelry (finished products), semi-finished products, accessories, manufacturing equipment technology, packaging displays, and the watch industry, with participation from about 1,300 companies from 36 countries. The number of visitors is expected to reach approximately 35,000 from 141 countries.
The district has established a 30㎡ joint pavilion to reduce the burden on the four participating companies—’MitsunoiV’, ‘Soyou’, ‘Heradi’, and ‘The Yeoun’—and to prominently feature the ‘Jongno’ brand, promoting the potential of Korean jewelry. It is expected to help grasp the latest trends in the global jewelry industry and lay the foundation for overseas expansion.
On the 17th, an MOU will be signed with the exhibition organizer IEG (Italian Exhibition Group), which receives support from the Italian Ministry of Industry, promising mutual cooperation in the jewelry industry. The main contents of the agreement include exchanges of research, technology, and resources related to the jewelry industry, and participation in exhibitions and workshops through mutual invitations.
Last year, 16 graduates of Jongno District’s K-Jewelry Artificial Intelligence (AI) education program won awards at the ‘International Jewelry Design Competition’, a top-tier domestic jewelry design contest, proving the effectiveness of the education. This program, developed in cooperation with Seoul National University of Science and Technology, the Wolgok Jewelry Industry Promotion Foundation, and the Future Jewelry Academy, is a practical, field-oriented course designed to be immediately applicable, reflecting the characteristics of small-scale workshops that make up 98% of the industry, and has received positive responses.
Jongno District also held a results report meeting for the publication of the ‘Korean Jewelry Industry Terminology Dictionary’ on the 23rd of last month to revitalize communication and collaboration within the jewelry industry. This first attempt to investigate and organize field terms used in the industry is significant in establishing a common language foundation. It has organized about 2,000 related terms in manufacturing and gemology fields and plans to publish it as an e-book.