in honor of the first-ever jck tucson show feb. 3–8, we’ve highlighted 26 places to go, things to do, and shows to shop to round out your sojourn in the sonoran desert.

the circa-1950 bauble sold at sotheby’s new york city on sept. 24 for a cool $290,000 more than its low estimate.

Fade Out, Fade In You’ve seen it in hair color, nail polish, leg wear, and sapphires. Now, ombré—that trendy, shaded color style—is seeping into pearl jewelry. The nomenclature differs, depending on the vendor: Baggins calls its looks, part of its Moonlight collection, color-graduated; Mastoloni refers to its version as a fade. Yet the pieces all…

Moore, Moore, Moore! There may be something in the water in Cleveland: 14 staffers at Heather B. Moore jewelry got engaged in the past year. No wonder Moore debuted a bridal line at June’s Couture show. “Bridal has been on everyone’s minds—and what a fun topic because it’s the beginning of something new,” she says.…

Armed & Eddie Costume jewelry designer/fashion editor darling Eddie Borgo recently immortalized his rock ’n’ roll style in karat gold, rather than his usual brass, thanks to a commission by LoveGold (aka the World Gold Council). A pair of 18k gold spike, stud, and block bracelets debuted at the Ultimate Gold Collection Fashion Show at…

Robert Procop’s Poison Ring holds a disproportionately hefty number of secrets for something so diminutive. Open the bezel to reveal a thumbprint-size vessel concealing a diamond- and emerald-inlaid dagger attached by a chain. Swing open the side doors to expose a yellow diamond on one side, meant to represent good luck, and a golden peacock—a…

A selection of the new pretties you might have spotted at JIS Miami, Oct. 3–6: (Above)1. Wrap bracelet in leather with agate beads and silver closure; $90; Samuel B., Great Neck, N.Y.; 516-472-7157; samuelb.com   2. Semi-mount in 14k rose gold with 0.75 ct. t.w. diamonds; $2,350; Gabriel & Co., NYC; 800-886-5422; gabrielny.com 3. Earrings…

Reports from September’s Hong Kong fair reflect a slowing, bifurcated market With retail forecasters calling for a bright holiday season and pundits heralding the return of the middle-market consumer, reports of sluggish sales from the September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair are striking a contradictory note, with buyers seemingly split between the low and…

three’s company with this trio of brand-new designers sure to draw shoppers to your cases.

from promoting your fair pricing to engaging productively with smartphone users, here are five ways to blunt the showrooming effect.

showrooming, like technology in general, is breaking down the walls that have long blocked public access to pricing.

jewelers tell tales of their best sales, their worst nightmares (diamonds in the dumpster!), and how they survive and thrive in an ever-changing industry.

It’s easy being green when you top it with a bold Bulgari gold and gemstone bib necklace like Marisa ­Berenson did in this picture from Vogue’s September 1970 issue. “Bulgari represented all of Italian chic and was the height of elegance at the time. You felt luxurious in it,” says ­Berenson, who posed that day…

After three decades in the jewelry biz, her love affair with sterling is still going strong Now that silver is super-fashionable—not to mention ubiquitous in fine jewelry stores across the country—Zina Sherman could easily say, “I told you so!” She wouldn’t—the Los Angeles–based designer is far too genial and humble—but she could. She saw the…

What’s trending and who’s advertising in the October issues InStyle Pushing• Diamond and 18k gold four-prong ear cuff; sterling silver and pearl ear cuff (“A surprising delicateness has appeared in this alt jewelry category”)• Redwood, diamond, and gold earrings; ebony and 18k gold bangle (“The materials sound exotic…but there’s a practical side to these bold…

Get sparkly jewels and shiny hair at this Tennessee salon Bridal bands and blow-dryers may seem like strange bedfellows, but Teresa ­Kaczmarek has been operating The Upper Level Salon and Fine Jewelry—a joint hair salon and fine jewelry boutique in Collierville, Tenn.—since 2002. “I’d always dreamed of being a hairdresser, and I’ve loved jewelry all…

152 South Park Ave., Winter Park, Fla. Created as a resort community for snowbirds in the late 19th century, the Orlando suburb of Winter Park, with its Saturday market and picturesque Rollins College campus, is one of Central Florida’s most surprising finds. The hottest thoroughfare in the quaint town is Park Avenue, where, much like…

Work hard—but not so hard that your dad worries about you Will the next generation pull its weight? That question has kept countless family jewelry store owners awake at night. But Murphy Jewelers’ Patrick Murphy worries about the opposite scenario. Since his daughter, Mallory, joined the business three years ago—after graduating with a degree in…

Google Glass, the hands-free computer that competes for space with your spectacles, has been in testing mode since April 2012. Google is mum on exactly when the hotly anticipated device will be released: Some 10,000 people currently are test-driving the technology as part of the Glass Explorer program. But tech watchers are betting on an…

Getting existing clients to send new clients to you is a great (but tricky) way to grow your business. The problem isn’t credibility; after all, most people will take the word of a friend over traditional marketing methods. The issue is getting them to make a referral in the first place. Truthfully, most referral systems…

Consider these best practices from some of the world’s most innovative businesses when you’re planning your next staff meeting. 1. Bring in speakers. Virgin founder Richard Branson often brings in experts to speak on different topics to get his teams thinking in “new, exploratory ways.” 2. Don’t wait for a meeting to make decisions. Google…

As a jewelry retailer, keeping employees up-to-date on everything from new collections to customer service issues is critical. Emails and one-on-one chats are great for managing a multitude of daily matters. But retail consultants also consider regular staff meetings indispensible to a successful business. Of course, many people loathe meetings. At one time or another,…

Among the noteworthy people the industry lost recently: 1. Mort Weisenfeld, the former CEO of A. Cohen and Sons and an industry philanthropist, died Sept. 9 at age 89. Weisenfeld was president and chairman of the 24 Karat Club of New York and for years headed the industry chapter of the National Conference for Community…

The upcoming holiday shopping season is looking strong, according to two leading holiday forecasts. Deloitte’s Retail and Distribution practice expects total holiday sales to climb 4–4.5 percent in 2013. That would be on par with last year’s 4.5 percent gain, Deloitte says. Deloitte senior U.S. economist ­Daniel Bachman said in a statement that ­“rising home…

As always, this past September and October involved major travel. First up was the September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair. Despite the grueling 16-hour flights required to get there and back, it’s always worth it to attend the show. You get a sense that the whole world attends, and there’s something special about running…

Lafayette, La., home to Stuller Inc., isn’t exactly a company town. But mention the Stuller name to anyone who lives there and you’ll get a knowing smile. The story of how Matt Stuller built his small findings company into America’s largest jewelry manufacturer—Stuller ships 3,000–4,000 packages per day—is the stuff of Lafayette legend. So it…

1. Exhibitions Between 1640 and 1666, ­someone stashed hundreds of Elizabethan and Jacobean jewels beneath a cellar floor in London’s Cheapside neighborhood, but never returned to reclaim them. Now through April 27, the Museum of London’s eagerly anticipated new exhibition, “The Cheapside Hoard: London’s Lost Jewels,” invites jewel lovers, historians, and curiosity-seekers to ogle the…