JCK Show Introduces New Section

A “Prestige Promenade” section will make its debut at June’s JCK Las Vegas Show. Located directly across from the Platinum Guild section, it will contain booths of 46 upscale manufacturers. It will feature a business center, a lounge with light refreshments, and areas for exhibitors and buyers to meet. Officials of The JCK Show say the promenade is meant to make it easier for retailers who sell upscale merchandise to shop the show.

This year’s show will be held June 2-8 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center. An educational conference program runs June 2 and 3; the exhibits open June 4.

GLDA SIGNS CONTRACT WITH HOLIDAY INN

The Gem and Lapidary Dealers Association has signed a new seven-year contract with the Holiday Inn City Center for its February Tucson Gem & Jewelry Show. The GLDA Tucson show has been held at the Holiday Inn for the past 20 years.

The new contract enables GLDA to shorten its show to six days, in response to exhibitor requests. The GLDA shows at both the Holiday Inn and the Double Tree Hotel will run Wednesday through Monday, coinciding with the American Gem Trade Association show dates, beginning in the year 2000.

This year, GLDA is introducing a Gem and Jewelry Show in Las Vegas. The Las Vegas show will take place June 1-3 at the Mirage Casino Hotel and the Orleans Hotel Casino. International groups will host special sessions at the Mirage.

JOAN RIVERS TO TALK AT PROVIDENCE SHOWS

Comedienne Joan Rivers will be the keynote speaker during “Jewelry Week,” May 14-18, in Providence, R.I. Both Fashion Jewelry World Expo and Manufacturing Jewelers and Suppliers of America’s Expo Providence will take place during that week.

Rivers, who has her own line of fashion jewelry, will speak at a breakfast on Sunday, May 16, at the Rhode Island Convention Center. After the breakfast, she will tour both show floors.

Fashion Jewelry World Expo, a trade show featuring finished fashion jewelry and accessories, is sponsored by a partnership of MJSA, Jewelry Manufacturers Association, and United Jewelry Show. It will take place May 14-16.

At Expo Providence, jewelry supplies, machinery, components, and manufacturers’ services will be exhibited. Expo Providence will be held May 16-18.

ICA CONGRESS SET IN ITALY

The International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA) has scheduled its ICA Congress May 16-19 in Abano Terme, Italy, 30 kilometers from Venice.

ICA founding organizer Rashmikant Durlabhji will give the keynote address on Monday, May 17.

Sessions during the following days will cover all aspects of the colored gemstone industry. One session will focus on new ICA member privileges, such as insurance. For the first time, companies that support the industry will have exhibit booths at the ICA Congress. The program will close on Wednesday, May 19 with a gala evening at the Palazzo Pisani Moretta in Venice.

For information, call (212) 688-8452, fax (212) 688-9006, e-mail: members@gemstone.org.

SYMPOSIUM SLATED IN SANTA FE

The 13th annual Santa Fe Symposium, an international conference on jewelry manufacturing technology, is scheduled for May 16-19 in Albuquerque, N.M. Speakers will discuss platinum, metallurgy, casting, and other topics.

The symposium will open with presentations by Dr. Valerio Faccenda, a consultant from Italy, and Dr. Christopher Corti, technical manager at the World Gold Council in London.

For information, call (800) 952-6222 or (505) 839-3249, fax (505) 839-3248.

ANTIQUE JEWELRY IS CONFERENCE TOPIC

The 20th anniversary Antique and Period Jewelry and Gemstone Conference will take place July 23-27 at Rhode Island College in Providence. More than 40 seminars and lectures will be offered. Special events and workshops will focus on Egyptian and medieval jewelry and on pearls.

The program director is Joyce Jonas, president of the American Society of Jewelry Historians. Presenters will include David Callaghan, 15-year chairman of the Gemmological Association of Great Britain; designer Henry Dunay of New York; and Joanne Lyman, manager of the department of jewelry reproduction at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and vice president of the American Society of Jewelry Historians.

A special program, “Jump Start,” offered July 21-23, will focus on basic skills, period identification, and antique jewelry construction techniques.

For information, contact Joyce Jonas & Associates, 215 E. 80th St., New York, NY 10021; (212) 535-2479, fax (212) 988-0721.