As originally scheduled, JIS Fall exhibitors would still be meeting with buyers, designers, and media today at the Miami Beach Convention Center—but Hurricane Milton had something to say about that plan.
The trade show shut down a day early—at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 8—to allow its participants to pack up, check out of their hotels, and evacuate the area. Show organizers made the call to cancel the show’s final day out of safety concerns: Though Miami Beach is not in the part of Florida seen as the hurricane’s main target, Milton is predicted to be the worst storm to hit the state in a century. It is expected to come ashore on Florida’s central Gulf coast (around Tampa) Wednesday night.
Before the shutdown, JIS Fall had gotten off to a successful start, organizers say. Its opening day, Oct. 6, was likely the busiest, with strong traffic at many exhibitors. But the number of buyers subsequently slowed because of the impending storm. Those who came on the first days made a point of hitting their favorite vendors, networking, and attending educational events.
Exhibitor Rafael Glam says traffic was steady but slower than he’s experienced at previous JIS shows. Glam brought the best statement pieces from his two brands, A.Glam and Oliva, to JIS Fall, hopeful that he would make new connections with jewelry store owners and others in the industry.
“They’re showstoppers for business owners and customers,” Glam says. “I developed the two lines to push the limits. A customer might start with Oliva for its white diamonds and craftsmanship. They get comfortable and see the quality. Then they step up to A.Glam, because it goes to the next level with colored diamonds.”
JIS Fall’s educational component included a presentation by Elizabeth West, senior technical educator at the De Beers Institute of Diamonds, who fully explained how natural diamonds are mined, promoted, and valued in the jewelry industry—thus providing retailers with help in telling the story of natural diamonds amid the growing presence of lab-growns in the marketplace.
West called the debate between natural and lab-grown diamonds “a cacophony of noise” both inside and outside the industry that could make diamond-buying clients wonder about the two sides in the battle.
“We need to protect consumer confidence. How? It’s easy. Educate, educate, educate,” West said.
In his educational program, longtime industry expert Stanley Zale, now a consultant with Hill & Co., masterfully reviewed where the jewelry business stands in fall 2024 and what it might experience going into the all-important holiday season.
Zale’s take? While fine jewelry sales may not be as robust as they were in 2020 and 2021, soaring gold prices have consumers feeling good, as if their gold jewelry purchases are smart. But the business faces challenges from falling diamond prices because of oversupply, and the declining prices of lab-grown diamonds aren’t helping consumer sentiment, Zale said.
He also noted that he looks at key metrics, such as quarterly reports from Signet Jewelers and Gemfields, for signals about the overall health of the industry. As both companies say sales are down, there is a weaker market right now for fine jewelry, according to Zale, though Signet has said it expects this quarter’s sales to grow as much as 1.5%, so other retailers may experience a similar trend.
JIS Spring is scheduled to return to Miami Beach for its Spring 2025 show, March 9 to 11.
Top: A display by exhibitor INOX Men’s Jewelry at JIS Fall in Miami Beach, prior to the show’s early closure (photos courtesy of Karen Dybis)
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