I spent this past weekend in Santa Fe, N.M., where the dry desert air and abundance of silver and turquoise jewelry felt like JCK Las Vegas–lite. This year marks the 26th annual staging of JCK and the seventh time it’s taking place at Mandalay Bay Convention Center. Here are five things you may not know about the 2017 edition of the show or its sister event, LUXURY:
- The timing of the show has changed.
For retailers who regularly attend LUXURY, you’ll have the entire Memorial Day weekend to yourself for the first time in forever. Unlike past years, when LUXURY began on the Tuesday immediately following the holiday, this year’s show kicks off on Friday, June 2. JCK, which typically begins on the Friday after Memorial Day, now opens on Monday, June 5, four days later than usual. (The show shifted the dates to accommodate Jewish exhibitors celebrating the Shavuot holiday.)
The key takeaway is that even though the dates have changed, the pattern of events has not. For example, Jewelers for Children’s annual Facets of Hope gala dinner has always been held on the third evening of JCK and this year is no different: The dinner—honoring Reed Jewelry Group’s Yancy Weinrich and Forevermark’s Charles Stanley—takes place on Wednesday, June 7. Other events, such as the Diamond Empowerment Fund’s Diamonds Do Good gala on Sunday, June 4, and the Rapaport breakfast on June 7, follow a similar pattern.
The show will return to Mandalay Bay in 2018. But in 2019—JCK’s 150th anniversary!—the show will move back to its old stomping grounds, the Sands Convention Center. Talk about a Strip tease!
- “JCK Rocks the Beach” is now “JCK Rocks the Bowl.”
Bust out your favorite bowling shirt. Instead of spending the last night of JCK at a concert at Mandalay Bay Beach, show organizers are switching things up this year by inaugurating a new “Rocks the Bowl” tradition at Brooklyn Bowl, at the LINQ on Las Vegas Boulevard, a short taxi ride from Mandalay Bay.
To get early access to tickets for the evening, which kicks off on Wednesday, June 7 at 8 p.m. and is open to those who are 21 and over, bring your badge and photo ID to the LUXURY concierge on June 2 or June 4. First come, first served!
- Statement pieces will be huge.
If you read the cover story of JCK’s May issue, you know that 2017 is all about statement style. That means your shopping list should include pieces boasting dramatic silhouettes, bright colors, and bigger-is-better proportions.
Expect necklaces—especially open choker styles—to be ubiquitous, along with anything in shades of Pantone’s 2017 color of the year, Greenery (think peridot, tourmaline, chrysoprase, and jade). Look for heart-shaped designs that feel contemporary—like the Rahaminov Diamonds studs below—and angular diamond cuts, such as kites and hexagons. As always, turquoise (or stones in turquoise shades) will be a summertime favorite, especially when paired with lapis lazuli.
Earrings in 18k yellow and white gold with diamonds, onyx, and gem silica, $8,500; guitam.com
Natural translucent green jadeite jade leaf ring set in 18k yellow gold with diamond, $10,500; masonkay.com
Heart-shape solitaire studs in 18k white and yellow gold with 1.56 ct. t.w. E VS1 diamond and 1.39 ct. t.w. fancy intense yellow diamond, $60,000; rahaminov.com (Also at top)
For more trend tips, check out this story, also from the May issue, about what retailers are planning to pick up during jewelry market week.
- So will the conversation around lab-grown diamonds.
Regardless of where you stand on the issue of lab-grown diamonds, there’s no denying that they are more available than ever. The JCK show will bring fans and foes of the man-made products together to talk about production, pricing, and nomenclature in a handful of educational sessions.
From a press conference on June 5 where presenters will discuss the future of the diamond industry vis-à-vis synthetics (“Will Real Become Rare?”) to a GIA-led session on identifying synthetic diamonds, the lab-grown diamond debate is about to go next-level. With exhibitors such as American Grown Diamonds and ALTR Created Diamonds showing their products at JCK, you’ll have ample opportunity to check out the goods IRL.
- Hashtag, you’re it.
Tag your social media posts with these hashtags:
#JCKBound (in the days leading up to JCK)
#JCKLasVegas
#LUXURYbyJCK
#JCKTalks (for JCK Talks Education)
#JCKRockstheBowl
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