A total of 550 exhibitors from more than 30 countries will be featured in the biggest gems and watch expo in the Middle East set to be held in Bahrain from October 16 to 20, said organisers.

Jewellery Arabia, spread over 16,500sqm of floor space, will be held at Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre, under the patronage of HRH Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa.

The expo will be open from 4pm to 10pm on the first four days. On October 20, it will be open from 10am to 1pm and 4pm to 10pm.

The Eighth Middle East Watches, Jewellery and Pen Awards will be held on the sidelines of Jewellery Arabia at the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain Hotel and Spa on October 16.

Some of the world's most renowned jewellers and watchmakers will take part.

Prominent jewellery houses and watch manufacturers like Audemars Piguet, Breguet, Chopard, Corum, Harry Winston, Hublot, Omega, Panerai, Patek Phillipe, Piaget and Vacheron Constantin will return to Jewellery Arabia this year.

Complementing these brands are large groups of retailers, designers and manufacturers from leading jewellery export countries and a host of independent companies from around the world. Top international brands will use the exhibition as a platform to introduce their latest products and innovations to the Middle East market.

Some of the Middle East's top retailers and manufacturers, led by a selection of Bahrain's leading jewellers - including Bahrain Jewellery Centre, Asia Jewellers, Al Mahmood Pearls, Al Zain and Devji will also take part.

"Over the past 21 years, Jewellery Arabia has steadily evolved into the single most important jewellery and watch exhibition in the Middle East. Its reputation, size, quality of exhibits and sheer variety are unique in the region. The show is seen as an essential buying event for private collectors. We are looking forward in all confidence to yet another outstanding event," said Arabian Exhibition Management's director of sales and marketing Fawzi Al Shehabi.

Jewellery Arabia 2011 attracted more than 42,500 visitors.

Hosted by MPP ME, publishers of the industry magazine Arabian Watches and Jewellery, the Middle East Watches, Jewellery and Pen Awards are the culmination of an online public voting system and the analysis of an elite committee comprising watch, jewellery and pen experts. – TradeArabia News Service