One of the Australian jewellery industry’s most high-profile and influential figures, Karin Adcock, will make a surprise return to the International Jewellery Fair in Sydney in August.
Long before Pandora developed into the world’s largest jewellery brand, it was a small Danish business struggling to gain traction abroad.
Australia was one of the first countries to embrace the branded jewellery category and when Pandora started to capture the attention of consumers, it was in large part due to the work of Adcock’s Australian business model.
It is well known that she started Pandora Australia from her home garage in Sydney.
Today, Adcock has traded one luxury for another – moving from jewellery to wine as the owner of Winmark Wines in the Hunter Valley.
At this year’s IJF Adcock plans to return to her past life to celebrate new accomplishments with old friends.
On the second day of the Sydney Fair (20 August) Adcock will host a four-hour wine-tasting session and she said it was an occasion she is eagerly anticipating.
It might at first appear to be an ‘unusual’ event; however, Expertise Events managing director Gary Fitz-Roy said that with all the trials and tribulations faced by the industry in the past three years, he is always looking for new ways to improve shows and one idea was wine-tasting.
“One of our events is for the wine industry and I thought we could create an exciting chance to reconnect with old friends over a glass of top-shelf wine, and then, I remembered that Karin had taken over a winery in the Hunter Valley,” Fitz-Roy said.
“She has a long and storied history with the jewellery industry and I think this is the time to tell a significant story about the Sydney Fair and the industry at large.
“She started from scratch with Pandora and played a large role in the company’s rise to success on the international stage. Now, she’s established another successful business in a completely different sector.”
He added: “While on the surface it’s only a simple wine-tasting, I hope this sends a valuable message to the retailers and other attendees about the importance of growth and transformation. And I know there are many people who would love to see her again.”
On the other hand, Adcock was caught by surprise!
“I couldn’t believe that Gary [Fitz-Roy] made that offer, it was such a lovely email to receive early on a Saturday morning. I thought it was a beautiful gesture,” she said.
“It’s going to be a really special day because I’ll have the opportunity to reconnect with so many friends and many of the people that I’ve worked with over the years.”
The 2021 Winmark Reserve Chardonnay was recently named Best Young Chardonnay at the New South Wales Small Winemakers Wine Show.
Adcock and her staff have spent the past seven years renovating and refurbishing the property from a dying vineyard to a thriving cellar door with luxury accommodation and installing the region’s largest sculpture garden.
“I still have a lot of love for the jewellery industry and have so many good friends not only among the retailers, but also with the wholesalers, and so to be able to come back and see everyone and share a glass of Winmark chardonnay will be quite special,” Adcock said.
“I have not been to the Sydney Fair in more than 10 years and I can’t wait to get back!”
The International Jewellery Fair will take place at the ICC in Sydney’s Darling Harbour from 19-21 August.
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