Yancy Weinrich, senior vice president of Reed Jewelry Group, returned from Vegas with a major takeaway: “Fashion and fine jewelry are really coming together,” she says. “We’re seeing that as a real trend.” Weinrich urges buyers to merchandise their stores in keeping with this hybrid mentality, “because it’s the kind of product that appeals directly to millennials.” She spoke to us about LUXURY Privé, JIS Miami, and what’s on the horizon for JCK (hint: It’s gonna be yuuuuge). —Victoria Gomelsky
JCK: What was the feedback on JCK Las Vegas?
Yancy Weinrich: The show went off without a hitch. We had 35,615 industry professionals, 22,300 buyers, and 9,000 storefronts, which was on par with last year. All signs indicate that business in America is stronger than anywhere else in the world. The diamond market has stabilized over the last year, and while expectations were lower, the diamond business was certainly up over last year. We saw a much better sentiment. The big issues coming out of the show were lab-grown diamonds and also the Diamond Producers Association coming together to double their budget to start promoting diamonds and jewelry.
JCK: What was the reaction to the new JIS Exchange at the Tropicana?
YW: JIS had a strong start for its first year. They had over 4,400 buyers that went through that show. From a trade organizer’s perspective, the buyer-to-exhibitor ratio was stronger than we’ve ever seen in a launched show, so we’re off to a great start. Transportation ran seamlessly, and we’re looking to grow that in 2017.
JCK: What’s next on the JCK show calendar?
YW: The LUXURY Privé show takes place in New York City July 24 to 26. Everyone looks forward to the show because it’s at the lovely Waldorf Astoria hotel, and people love the high-end, intimate environment. Preregistration right now is up, and 50 percent of the preregistered buyers are people who did not come to JCK Las Vegas. So a lot of the people we’ll see are new, and the others are finishing up what they started in Vegas.
JCK: The JCK Events year concludes in Miami with JIS. Any news there?
YW: The JIS show in October is very close to selling out. Preregistration will open soon, and October is a lovely time to be in South Beach!
JCK: Finally, we hear you have some big news about the future of JCK!
YW: I do indeed. The big news is we’re moving back to the Venetian/Palazzo/Sands convention center in 2019. The best retailers have a good plan for the future—that includes merchandising their stores in a way that caters to millennials seeking both fashion and fine jewelry—and JCK has a solid plan for the future, too. We’re constantly thinking about how to support this industry and what our customers want. Stay tuned for more details in the near future.
Top: Artistry Ltd. is just one of the roughly 60 brands you’ll find at LUXURY Privé (pictured: Lucerne ring in 14k white gold with sapphires and diamonds; $3,370).