The globalDESIGN international jewelry collective will celebrate its fourth showcase Feb. 13-15, 2004, at Philadelphia Marriott. The show, previously held in Baltimore, has responded to the growing preference by retail jewelers and gallery owners to do their buying in Philadelphia. The show will be held concurrent with, but is independent from, the Rosen Group’s Buyer’s Market of American Craft.

The show will take place in a bank of suites on the third floor of the Philadelphia Marriott.

“The switch of venue was preceded by several factors starting with the 2004 date gap between the two February wholesale craft shows,” says Cindy Edelstein, principal of Jeweler’s Resource and producer of globalDESIGN. “The two shows are usually consecutive and thus allows retailers to do both as one ‘market’ but in 2004 they are a full week apart. A poll conducted by CRAFT (Craft Retailers Association for Tomorrow) of it’s many members indicated an overwhelming number will not travel to both cities but rather choose one—Philadelphia.

“This preference for Philadelphia led us to do our own research and we found that a majority of our fine jewelry buyers regularly visit the show in Philadelphia and in fact prefer the city, the longer show schedule, the weekend date pattern as well as the earlier timeframe. And if it pleases the buyers it pleases us so we are moving our show to accommodate their wishes,” Edelstein adds. “Everyone involved with our show is looking forward to entertaining the buyers in Philadelphia over a weekend to benefit from the easier travel schedules and earlier dates.”

The globalDESIGN jewelry collective provides an elegant salon setting for a showing of jewelry by a select group of designers from around the world, Edelstein says. The participants of globalDESIGN 2004 are based in Europe, Canada, Japan, and the United States, and represent some of the best of the artform. They include Michael Zobel (Germany), Wilhelm Buchert and Ute Büge (Germany), Janis Kerman (Canada), Christo Kiffer (Brazil/USA), Karl Benz (Japan), Tom and Jutta Munsteiner (Germany) and Alex Sepkus (USA).

The goal is “to introduce this level of international talent to the diverse world of gallery and store owners who come to Baltimore each February for the fine art jewelry and crafts that are on display then,” Edelstein says. “Buyers can come to our Suites and have breakfast in the morning or cocktails in the afternoon while they meet the artists and view their collections.

The show is open to the trade.

JCK