Hope you had a great holiday weekend! The fun continues this week, with educational, informative talks and webinars on the topics of diversity in the jewelry industry, mastering CAD design, and what the retail landscape looks like this summer, with its on-again, off-again COVID-19 restrictions. Plus: required (beach) reading that imagines a drama-filled story around the long-lost Florentine Diamond.
WATCH
“Here We Are” Instagram Live Event: July 6, 6 p.m. ET
NYC Jewelry Week (NYCJW) has extended its Here We Are initiative to an Instagram Live series. Here We Are is intended to be a multichannel platform celebrating diversity that also brings increased visibility of BIPOC talent to jewelry consumers, businesses, retailers, buyers, and beyond. The inaugural talk featured Jennifier Gandia, co-owner, of Greenwich St. Jewelers. Says JB Jones, cofounder of NYCJW, “Jennifer is now preparing a launch of a selection of work from HWA jewelers in her shop. This was their idea, and we are happy to see the platform take flight.” The next installment of the series takes place Monday and will feature Stefen Pompée, photographer and founder of Almond Studios in conversation with Elliot Carlyle, NYCJW’s director of cultural diversity and inclusion.
LEARN
Online CAD Demo With Bob Claborne of 3Design: July 9, 12 p.m. ET
Purists may argue that freehand renderings are a thing of beauty that can’t be replicated, but CAD can be another, and possibly vital, arrow in a jeweler’s quiver as they refine designs for production, solve problems, or seek ways to expedite creative output. Hosted by the 3-D printing and casting company Formlabs, this hour-long tutorial runs through 3Design’s simple CAD software program with a start-to-finish example, likely something from the bridal category. Register here.
LISTEN
The Jewelry District, Episode 22: The Industry Copes With COVID-19
Last Monday, we dropped a new episode of our twice-monthly podcast. The topic: the current retail landscape this summer as some states ease their COVID-19 restrictions, digital innovations in the jewelry industry, and some retailers’ resistance to building an online presence. In other words, unabashed real talk from JCK editor-in-chief Victoria Gomelsky and news director Rob Bates—zero words minced.
READ
The Imperfects by Amy Meyerson
If your schedule this week permits a (socially distanced) trip to the beach, and The Cartiers, while wonderful, feels like too much of a commitment, this recently published novel is a “page-turning family saga,” says Good Morning America, inspired by the true story of the real, still-missing Florentine Diamond, a famous 137.27 ct. greenish-yellow stone that changed hands multiple times since the 15th century and disappeared under mysterious circumstances during World War I. This plot line is all we need to know to be sufficiently intrigued—definitely something to stash in your beach bag or listen to during the daily commute.
Top: It’s ruby season! Time to fire up your windows and glass cases with a red-hot assortment of your best July birthstone jewelry. Here, jewels by Yi Collection, all using Mozambican rubies from Gemfields.
Follow JCK on Twitter: @jckmagazine
Follow JCK on Facebook: @jckmagazine
