JCK Tucson 2019: All The Jewels to See Today and Tomorrow

It may be chilly in Tucson this year, but the JCK Tucson 2019 show floor is hot, hot, hot. And teeming with exceptional work from designers both established and emerging, and in town from as nearby as Nashville, Tenn., and Long Beach, Calif., to as far away as Istanbul and Konstanz, Germany.

There’s a lot to see, so I’ve curated some important pieces to look for today and tomorrow—and where to find them.

One I didn’t include? The absolutely marvelous “tie-dye” enamel and trapiche emerald mandala necklace at Brooke Gregson (there’s a petite version, too). One of the most important jewels coming out of the entire show, it’s not to be missed. Still, I was even more taken with the stack of opal bracelets below. Larger and thicker in scale than what Gregson usually does, they’re not only completely gorgeous, they align with our estimation of a larger trend in fine jewelry—the “glorious maximalism” we spoke of in our 2019 Golden Globes recap.

*Brooke Gregson opal bracelets, Booth 419*

Speaking of maximalism, an unexpected discovery (thanks to an intro from designer Margisa, whose work I’ve covered on this blog), was A2 Jewellery, an atelier in Gdansk, Poland, that brought the most delicious (and humongous) amber pieces to the show. Faceted gorgeousness the color of butterscotch, the very rare white amber rimmed in a rainbow of gemstones, and a bicolor beauty that reminded me of passion fruit sorbet swirled with crème anglaise were just a few of my favorites.

As for trends, signet rings and stackables, a million statement cuffs, and, weirdly, brooches leaped out as leading categories. And a new stone has landed on my watch list: rhodochrosite, both cabochon and faceted. I spotted it at a number of booths.

*JS Noor rhodochrosite earrings, Booth 202*

Could it have something to do with Living Coral? Have we trained the customer to recognize and appreciate matrix opal and this is the pink-on-pink answer? Who knows?

Below, the rest of the jewels you have to see—happy hunting!

And make sure you’re following our Instagram to see more of JCK editors’ Tucson finds so you don’t miss out.