Dispatch from Centurion

The Centurion Jewelry Show, always a highlight on the early-season show circuit, wraps today. This year was the show’s seventh, and Howard Hauben, president of H2 Events, which produces the show, says this year’s edition has more retailer attendees than ever before—and, despite the nervous-making economy, fewer cancellations. It feels like it, given the crowds on the show floor—and given that for the first time ever, yours truly was bumped from the headquarters Westin La Paloma hotel to the admittedly lovely but offsite Loews Ventana Canyon, I’d say he’s right. And, kudos to Howard and his team: as usual, this is a beautifully-organized event and a favorite destination for suppliers and retailers and press alike.

Despite a very nervous-making holiday and even more nervous-making news coming forth daily, this seems to be a pretty upbeat crowd. Olympian Tim Daggett, the keynote speaker, hit the right tone with a message of trying harder in times of adversity, and most of the jewelers here seem to be in step with that program. I heard lots of comments of “it’s not easy but you just have to get out there and make it happen.” Keep your name out there, stay in close contact with your customers, and make sure you have something they want to buy.  Good thinking! There is money to be spent—certainly consumers will be pickier in lean times but if they were truly destitute, all the flat-screen TVs and GPS gizmos would be moldering on the shelves, not flying out the door. And we know the uber-rich are still spending—in some booths, the most expensive pieces were already sold.

There were some interesting rumblings, however. First off, the Fortunoff meltdown news came right in the middle of the show, and naturally it became the big buzz. More to the point, the discussions centered on how many vendors the company might take down in the process and how many of the exhibitors present are sweating. Said one of the luckier ones who has Fortunoff as a customer, “it’ll hurt us, but it won’t kill us.” Others, unfortunately, aren’t able to be quite as sanguine with bigger potential losses at stake–not to mention they’re furious that a company they’ve done business with for decades didn’t give any indication at all that there were issues. (As an aside note, JCK first got wind of this two weeks ago, when the editor-in-chief of one of our sister publications, Home Textiles Today, called me to ask if I’d heard any rumors. I hadn’t at the time, but as the old saying goes, “where there’s smoke….”)

This, of course, brought the conversation around to some supplier firms that might be on—or over—the edge as well. Rumor was going around that SeidenGang went out of business; however, a source close to the firm said no, not true—the gold business is under review but the silver license (to Richline?) and the QVC line are both alive and well. Another rumor making rounds was that Antonini of Milan is finished—sibling squabble being cited here. And, of course, speculation on which of the major retailers will ultimately fall away (Friedman’s, Zale unsurprisingly being voted “most likely.”)

If nothing else, one thing is for certain: this is going to be a very interesting year. Dear Confucius; he blessed us again.