This season, embrace the mishmash of trends, from saturated, splashy colors to magpie miscellany Brownie points to the front-row fashion observers who could keep their focus this season. Throughout the monthlong circuit, from New York to Paris, there was a cacophony of distractions: Milan protests; Winter Olympics; Academy Awards; the Parkland, Fla., school shooting (and…

The taxman has transitioned from foe to friend. Independent jewelers and tax professionals interviewed by JCK are hailing the recent Tax Cuts and Jobs Act—which was signed into law on Dec. 22—as a huge boon for jewelers, one expected not only to substantially boost profitability but also to help level the taxation landscape among retail…

Accustomed to generous retail return policies, jewelry store shoppers aren’t afraid to bring merchandise back. Here’s how to craft a friendly return policy without sacrificing your bottom line.   When the issue of returns comes up, David Audette, co-owner of M.R.T. Jewelers in East Providence, R.I., sighs deeply. For years, M.R.T. held a forgiving return…

JCK’s ongoing series on the shopping centers finding success amid an ever-changing retail landscape Somerset Collection 2800 West Big Beaver Road Troy, Mich. If you have the opportunity to walk with real estate developer Nathan Forbes around his family’s luxury supercenter, Somerset Collection, in Troy, Mich., you will inevitably see him adjust a sign here…

Star Bright Presenting the winners of the 11th annual JCK Jewelers’ Choice Awards, including our grand prize–winner, Shy Creation’s celestial-themed gold and diamond earrings. 14k gold ascending star drop earrings with 0.51 ct. t.w. diamonds; $1,320; Shy Creation; 213-623-8900; shycreation.com Infinity six-row curved ring in 18k gold with pavé diamonds; $5,870; Paige Novick; 212-252-1441; paigenovick.com…

WATCHES It’s safe to say Baselworld is in crisis. The watch and jewelry fair, which concluded a shortened six-day run in late March, lost half of the 1,300 exhibitors who showed in 2017, after companies fed up with sky-high costs abandoned the event in droves. Among the brands that remained, tried-and-true models such as dive…

Take it from Iris Apfel. “Jewelry is the most transformative thing you can have in your wardrobe,” the nonagenarian fashion maven famously told Racked in a 2014 interview. “If you have simple clothes, you can change the whole look of your outfit with just one piece.” Apfel’s conviction that jewelry has the power to communicate…

What JCK magazine’s Emili Vesilind is loving this month “Green and black is a classic combo, but I love how brands are using it to imbue modern-looking designs with some retro cool.” —Emili Vesilind, JCK senior editor (Above) Truth pendant in 14k yellow gold with onyx inlay, 0.15 ct. t.w. white diamonds, and 0.36 ct. t.w.…

Greetings from my flight home from this year’s edition of Baselworld, the über-upscale Swiss trade fair focused on the world’s top watch and jewelry brands. It’s no secret that there’s been significant change at the show, with a big decline in exhibitors. The question is why. While I’m not in a position to know the…

The 2018 edition of Baselworld, held in late March, was a leaner, meaner affair than in past years, but watchmakers still brought plenty of heat   (Above) The fair hosted 650 exhibitors, down from 1,300 in 2017. But the crowds in Hall 1, home to the major watch brands, remained as impressive as ever.   For…

Investigation of Indian diamantaires reverberates across America   The headline-making banking scandal involving two Indian diamond ­billionaires—Nirav Modi and his uncle Mehul Choksi—has already had ramifications for the U.S. jewelry industry. In February, India’s Central Bureau of Investigation charged Modi (pictured) and Choksi with receiving $45 million in fraudulent loans from state-owned Punjab National Bank.…

Designer Anna Sheffield, an early advocate of alternative bridal designs, spoke to JCK about how she built her business a decade ago. What was your first passion in life in terms of professional pursuits? This is it! I had never dreamed of being a jewelry designer or running a com­pany (much less two!). But I…

Indulge your floral fixation at Anuschka Pashel’s Denver boutique, which literally puts the petal to the metal Whether it’s a diamond-­studded necklace, a lush bouquet of ­flowers, or a buttery-soft leather chair, ­Anuschka Pashel is “interested in all things beautiful,” says the retailer. Which is why the former Ford model doesn’t limit the types of products she…

Like many of his peers in the trade, Michael Basch, co-owner of Jane Basch Designs and the manufacturer Basch & Co., based in Hollywood, Fla., grew up in the jewelry industry at a time when charitable giving was the province of religious organizations. (His father, Jack Basch, immigrated to New York City from Romania and…

1987 Hyde St., San Francisco   The third time was the charm for Jenny Chung Seeger. The 36-year-old entrepreneur has opened three different shops in San Francisco in the last 10 years. Her current one—appropriately named No. 3—is the first to specialize in jewelry. An economics major from the University of California, Berkeley, Seeger came…

Whether literal arcs or abstract kaleidoscopic designs, these prismatic pieces are always ready to party. Bonus: Each comes with its own pot of gold.   (Above) Large rainbow necklace with multicolored sapphires, amethyst, tsavorite, and green onyx cabochon in 18k white gold; $6,200; Andrea Fohrman; sales@andreafohrman.com; andreafohrman.com   Large rainbow ring with black opal, pink tourmaline,…

Lupita Nyong’o More than a month after the red-carpet blackout at the Golden Globes—a high-profile protest against sexual harassment and gender discrimination—actresses continued their show of sartorial solidarity at the British Academy Film Awards. But the all-black looks were anything but boring. With its gold piping and structural styling, Nyong’o’s silk-and-velvet Elie Saab gown gave…

Lele Sadoughi has built her business on big, bold, bloom-filled jewels that she proudly calls costume. Wallflowers need not apply. You might not know Lele Sadoughi’s name, but you certainly know her work. A master of costume jewelry, Sadoughi began her design career at Ippolita, working with private-label clients including Banana Republic and Club Monaco…

The Polish-born designer and LUXURY exhibitor built a brand on getting more bling for your buck   Like many great inventions, the Crisscut happened by accident. “I made a mistake while cutting a diamond,” confesses Christopher Slowinski of his trademark stone, which took two more years to perfect and patent. But Christopher Designs is about…

Jewelry designer Daniela Villegas’ native Mexico inspired her to create these earthy, opulent earrings, which she named after an ancient Mesoamerican god, Quetzalcóatl. The design boasts a pair of slithering snakes reminiscent of the Mexican flag (which features an eagle eating a rattlesnake) and a mélange of gemstones meant to reflect the nation’s vibrant spirit.…

HOT STOCK TIP Treasure Planet At JCK Tucson in February, New York City–based designer Dana Bronfman introduced her Earthly Delights collection “to challenge traditional perspectives on high jewelry,” she says. Using “earthy stones” such as chrysocolla, lapis lazuli, and rutilated quartz—like in this statement-making quartz-and-lapis doublet ring—Bronfman has incorporated her signature Oculus design into each…

LUXURY is going ­digital. The Las Vegas show—which opens at Mandalay Bay Convention Center Wednesday, May 30 (one day later than its historical date pattern), runs for two days as an invitation-only affair, and then expands to the wider JCK community before closing Monday, June 4—has incorporated technology into its matchmaking efforts in a manner…

Jade, pearls, and 24k gold are a few of Hong Kong’s biggest jewelry exports. But many of the 53,000 attendees who flocked to this year’s Hong Kong International ­Jewellery Show, held March 1–5 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and sponsored by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), were on the hunt…

It’s a widely held belief that truly great social media content is always 100 percent original. But for luxury brands, the gold standard for social posts—the marriage of pristine professional photography with perfectly pithy captions—doesn’t always lead to strong user engagement. And all those polished still-life shots on Instagram are starting to feel homogeneous. Because…

WHO, WHAT, WEARABLE Garmin’s Vívomove HR Garmin is a veteran fitness wearable developer famous for its GPS technology. But in its 29-year history, the brand has made few devices that appeal to women. The new Vívomove HR hybrid watch—which comes in a 43 mm rose gold case on a white silicone band, among other color…

Veruschka von Lehndorff and Franco Rubartelli met and fell in love. So it was inevitable that the model and photographer would eventually collaborate professionally. Veruschka was very tall—too tall for commercial fashion campaigns—so the lovers turned to body-painting, fabric-draping, feathers, and paillettes in their earliest photographs, soon catching the eye of Vogue editor Diana Vreeland.…