Tech Checklist
JCK Las Vegas isn’t just for jewelry. The Equipment, Technology & Supplies show (Mandalay Bay May 31–June 4) houses the technology that creates and helps sell the designs on the floor. So what are ETS-bound retailers searching for this year?
CAD equipment is the thing for Jon Walp, general manager of Long Jewelers in Virginia Beach, Va. Ross Ashley, owner of Ashley Jewellers in Hamilton, Ontario, is eyeing “diamond scales and tools.” Derrick Thompson, owner of Bob Thompson Jewellers in Ottawa, Ontario, was looking for lighting last year; this year, it’s “store displays and designs.”
On June 1, a New Technology seminar moderated by JCK’s Rob Bates features reps from ImaGem, Kassoy, V-Bay, and Fire Polish touting new breakthroughs.
‘Gems’ for the iPad
Courtesy of GIA
Gems & Gemology, the quarterly journal of the Gemological Institute of America, has released an iPad app that integrates up-to-date news, gem-related videos, and interviews with industry experts with its magazine content. The spring 2012 issue is the first to get the iPad treatment.
“More than 1,000 people downloaded the app in the first week,” says Donna Baker, president and CEO of GIA. “Moving more of our products and services online falls squarely into GIA’s mission of ensuring the public trust in gems and jewelry.”
The app itself, which can be downloaded free on iTunes, is extremely user-friendly. A free desktop version is planned for release later this year.