March 2015

Silver Dollars: Designers Get Creative With Silver

Heady Metal: New Silver Jewelry Styles to Stock

Shine on in ultra-cool cuffs, ­powerful pendants & more It’s hard to contain our excitement over these sleek new silver selections. Easy on the wallet? Absolutely. Easy on the eyes? Well, see for yourself.            High Polish SNAKE AYEInitiée ring in sterling silver with 0.1 ct. t.w. diamond; $1,150; Sylvie Corbelin,…

Inside the Cultured Pearl Association of America’s 2015 Tucson Party

On Feb. 4, the pearl community turned out for the Cultured Pearl Association of America’s annual party, a Tucson Gem Week staple.            Sheri Ihde of Jewelers Mutual Insurance Co. and Stuller’s Ken Dugas  Jeremy Shepherd of Pearl Paradise with Imperial Pearl’s Peter and Josh Bazar  JCK senior editor Jennifer Heebner with…

Jessica Chastian, Gina Rodriguez, and Diane Kruger Sparkle in Diamonds at the 2015 Golden Globes

Supporting actress nominee Jessica Chastain (A Most Violent Year) sparkled in a bronze Atelier Versace halter gown with a plunging neckline and Piaget diamond shoulder-dusters. Meanwhile, Gina Rodriguez—who has won TV viewers’ hearts on The CW’s telenovela spoof, Jane the Virgin, and nabbed a Globe for her portrayal of the super-lovable accidentally artificially inseminated title…

Staff Picks, March 2015: What Jewelry Jennifer Heebner Is Loving This Month

“I love contemporary looks in yellow and rose gold!” says senior editor Jennifer Heebner. 1. The morganite and movement in these earrings are downright sexy. (Carla Amorim, $32,000, carlaamorim.com)  2. I fell hard for this limited-edition Giuseppe Arcimboldo–inspired ring at January’s VicenzaOro fair. (Mattioli, $20,000, mattioligioielli.it) 3. I love the sunny sapphires and slim baguette cuts in this Anna Beth Starburst necklace. (Dana…

JCK Photo Shoot Outtakes With Model Devon Ericksen

Model Devon Ericksen was a fun, fiery choice for the cover of our annual Jewelers’ Choice Award issue, which stars the grand prize–winning opal ring from the color specialists at Los Angeles’ Omi Privé. But she looked just as good in the ­statement-making silver designs in this issue’s ­silver spotlight! Photographs by Tom Corbett; styling…

Some Wearable: The Most Beautiful Wearable Tech

Tech and jewelry seem like a bad pairing, but plenty of stylish makers are proving they’re not There’s no fighting it. The wearable is the reigning prom queen of consumer goods. She inspires equal parts love and wariness—but even her haters are preoccupied with what makes her tick. And now that so many wearables look…

JCK 5: Asian Equation

March 4–8 marks the 32nd edition of the spring Hong Kong International Jewellery Show. (Above)1. Platinum ring with Sri Lanka blue sapphire and diamonds; $51,590; Kahn for Aspire Designs, Hong Kong; 852-2732-2073; aspire-group.com   2. Firmamento bracelet in 18k gold with diamonds; $8,380; Bizzotto Gioielli, San Zenone degli Ezzelini, Italy; 39-042-396-8519; bizzottogioielli.com 3. Adoring Scarlet…

March Madness: Baselworld 2015 Preview

The industry is banking on continuing demand for luxury at Baselworld 2015 As if the chocolate and white asparagus weren’t enough of a draw, Baselworld, the luxury watch and jewelry fair taking place this year March 19–26, can always be counted on to lure visitors to Basel, Switzerland. Every year, the historic university town on…

Silver Dollars: Designers Get Creative With Silver

The falling price of gold is luring some designers away from strictly sterling styles, and encouraging others to get more inventive with the white metal Sara Freedenfeld introduced silver to her largely 18k gold Amáli line in 2012, when gold prices hovered at $1,700 per ounce. Her rationale was simple: “I did not have to…

Lines of the Times: Appealing to the Millennial Shopper

How ­designers are ­connecting to ­millennial ­jewelry shoppers more organically than ever Today’s young adults communicate and consume differently than any other age group, so it makes sense that they shop for jewelry differently. A new crop of millennial designers is redefining the look and feel of fine ­jewelry by embracing a throwback aesthetic that…

2015 Jewelers’ Choice Awards Winners

The winners of JCK’s eighth annual Jewelers’ Choice Awards represent 49 pieces covering everything from bracelets to pendants, silver to platinum, and more. Plus: With your April issue, you’ll receive a “Best of the Best” supplement that showcases the 151 finalists.         Best Bridal Design Under $2,500Contemporary collection three-stone engagement ring with…

Pearls: Contemporary Designs With Spikes and Inverted Gemstones

HOT STOCK TIP Modern Pearl From faceted freshwaters to pearls topped with tiny metal bows and studded with wee silver spikes, the stud earrings at Pearl Collective are the epitome of contemporary chic. Known for making clever use of metal accents, the designers are helping to ensure that pearls retain their ­cool-girl factor.   CAN’T-MISS…

From Mine to Store: Liv Ballard’s Gold and Green Tsavorite Dragon Globe

A few medieval cartographers drew dragons and sea creatures into maps with the phrase Hic sunt dracones (Here be dragons) to denote that the region was unexplored and potentially perilous. The ancient practice inspired Liv Ballard to create a series of stunning ­bejeweled globes wrapped in diamond-studded dragons. This verdant Earth—actually a pendant that spins…

Talking to Ava and Eva Bai of Vale Jewelry

The slice is right at Vale Jewelry, where sisters Ava and Eva Bai create super-delicate ready-to-layer gold and diamond delights A world of tiny treasures awaits in the midtown Manhattan showroom of Vale Jewelry, where twin sisters Ava and Eva Bai create ultra-delicate 14k gold rings, bracelets, pendants, and earrings. There’s not a chunky choker…

Trends and Ads in the February 2015 Fashion Magazines

What’s trending and who’s advertising in the February issues InStyle Pushing:• 18k gold ball fringe necklace; diamond, platinum, and gold teardrop chain (“Shake That Thing: You’ve got the moves. Time to show the world by slipping on a swinging fringe necklace”)• Gold-plated chain; brass handcuff ­bracelets (“Try a Hint of Hardcore: Channel your inner Anastasia…

Talking to Lisa Barrow of Barrow’s Jewelers in Toledo, Ohio

A no-markdown, no-commission policy has kept Barrow’s Jewelers going strong for 37 years 1. What has been your most memorable sale? It was in October 2014 when we shipped a $10,000 diamond ring without meeting the recipient in person. The guy’s parents requested that he purchase the ring through us, and he was in the…

Calling All Collectors: Gem Pricing, March 2015

The general consensus among exhibitors at the Tucson gem shows was that the appetite for building stock has substantially improved compared with recent years. For a few classic stones, however, the market appears to be at a standstill. Retail jewelers are reportedly moving away from rubies because the prices are simply too high for most…

Jewelry Industry & People: March 2015

COMINGS AND GOINGS >>?Maurice Lacroix has appointed Paul Erhardt managing director of its North American operations. Erhardt previously worked with Jean Richard and Hublot. >>?Ross Markman, former executive vice president of Suberi Brothers, has joined Samuel Aaron (aka the Aaron Group) as director of sales. >>?Jennifer de Winter, the former chief merchant and a 20-year…

JCK 5: What’s Clicking on JCKOnline

The top stories for January. Don’t miss a headline! Sign up for our daily newsletter at jckonline.com/newsletters/subscribe. 1. 5 Best (and Worst) Jewelry Looks From the Golden Globes From Kate ­Hudson’s ­Forevermark diamonds to Katie Holmes’ shocking lack of jewels. 2. 8 Retail Trends That Could Change Your Business JWTIntelligence advised retailers on the influence…

Swiss Miffed: Will Watch Prices Rise as Franc Soars?

Swatch Group chairman Nicolas Hayek didn’t mince words when he heard about the Swiss National Bank’s surprise Jan. 15 decision to remove its three-year cap on the franc. The decision is a “tsunami,” he said in a statement, and portends disaster for the watch industry and the “entire country.” If Hayek seems emotional, it may…

An Industry of Friends: Publisher’s Letter, March 2015

Over the past couple months, this letter and Victoria Gomelsky’s letter from the editor have celebrated the arrival of my son, Nolen Brown Smelzer Fisher. The letters were written before our lives with Nolen took a scary turn in early January, when he began to have trouble breathing. For 12 days, my husband, Eric, and…

Apple Express: Editor’s Letter, March 2015

On a frozen morning in mid-January, I attended a Clicks & Mortar conference in midtown Manhattan, where the keynote speaker shared some radical ideas about everybody’s favorite company: “Apple is the best luxury brand in the world,” said Scott Galloway, founder and chairman of L2, the digital agency that organized the event. “In 2015, it…

10 Things Rocking the Industry: March 2015

1. Gemstones Between the JCK Tucson show, the American Gem Trade Association GemFair, and the Gem & Jewelry Exchange (aka The Tent), Tucson Gem Week’s biggest attractions drew droves of buyers to the Arizona desert—a logjam of people stopped the escalators on AGTA’s opening day. Opal continued its reign as the queen of gems, and…

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