00:24For Hussein Al-Fadhan, one of Qatar's best-known businessmen and jewelers,
00:29Pearls are personal. They're part of his family history and Qatar's. Before oil and gas transformed
00:36the Gulf, Pearls were a major source of income here, traded from the region to markets around
00:42the world. When I was about maybe eight or less than that, but I opened my eye, my father working
00:49only with the Pearl, our neighbor with the Pearl, our relatives with the Pearl, the whole region
00:54with the Pearl buying, selling. So I loved it. A lot has changed since then. Now in its 22nd edition,
01:04the Doha Jewelry and Watches exhibition brings together 49 exhibitors and more than 500 brands
01:09from 30 countries. This year, that includes Manish Milhotra, one of India's best-known fashion
01:15designers. After more than three decades creating looks for Bollywood, he's now bringing that same
01:21eye to jewelry. You could wear a plain outfit, but it's the piece of jewelry that actually speaks
01:27about the style. It actually speaks about your taste. And I think a look for me is incomplete
01:34without jewelry. So it's diamonds. And it's called the hat full. Hat means hand in Hindi. And full means
01:44flower. Traditionally worn by Indian brides, the piece has been reworked in diamonds and taken
01:50into contemporary fashion. And it's already found some famous fans, including Rihanna.
01:56There's plenty of luxury on display here, but look a little closer. And some of these pieces
02:00tell a much more local story, drawing on Qatar's past and reimagining it for a new generation.
02:09I use this beautiful pearl to represent our legacy in loving and appreciating the pearls.
02:16Qatari designer Noura Al-Ansari founded Papillon Jewelry 15 years ago. But her connection to the
02:23exhibition goes back even further. Now, she's exhibiting here herself.
02:28This is our ninth time to be part of the DJWE. I'm really proud of myself.
02:35This piece takes its shape from the distinctive spiral of the Fanar Mosque. Part of the proceeds go
02:41to education above all, a foundation working to expand access to education. But beyond design and
02:48craftsmanship, there's also the question of exactly what you're buying. To the untrained eye,
02:53telling diamonds apart isn't always straightforward. That's where Qatar's Kimberley Laboratory comes in,
02:59using technology to distinguish between natural and synthetic diamonds.
03:03And so how quickly can your guys here find out if it's natural or synthetic?
03:08Two minutes. Or less than two minutes.
03:12The lab looks at everything from color and clarity to cut and weight. And for someone spending serious
03:17money on a stone, the reason for doing it is pretty simple. Knowing what you're buying.
03:25For all the international names here, there's also a clear effort to give homegrown designers a bigger
03:31platform. Visit Qatar says putting them side by side gives local talent greater visibility
03:36while keeping Qatar's own jewelry traditions part of the story.
03:39Jewelry is really a family history. It comes with heritage. It comes with a story and local narrative as well.
03:47When we are talking DJWE, we always bring back the history of the pearl, the history of the essence
03:53of our ancestor collecting these kinds of treasure and experiencing the story behind it.
04:01And that brings the story back to where it began. Hussein Al-Fadhan grew up surrounded by the pearl trade.
04:07He went on to build an empire that stretches far beyond jewelry. But his first passion has never really left
04:13him.
04:28There's no shortage of expensive jewelry in this room. But talk to the people behind it,
04:33and the value isn't always measured in diamonds, gold or pearls. Sometimes it's a childhood memory,
04:39a family business, a tradition that has been handed down or one that's being reinvented. And more than
04:46a century after pearl divers went out into the gulf searching for their fortune, that connection to
04:51the sea is still here, finding its way into what Qatar's jewelers create today.
