A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhoods: JCK Las Vegas 2016

Highlights and additions to JCK’s annual Sin City jewelry show

On June 3, JCK Las Vegas opened to a crowd of jewelry buyers, exhibitors, and press, who were welcomed to a new setup, a new show. Featuring a layout of neighborhoods, the revamped floor design was constructed to create easy navigation, enhancing the shopping experience as visitors strolled through sections organized by product category. This plus a week of enthralling events in the jam-packed show schedule made for lots to see and do on the heels of LUXURY’s successful three-day, invitation-only show event (which opened to all badge holders on the same day as JCK Las Vegas kicked off).

Many buyers of JCK Las Vegas were already in attendance prior to the official show opening: some to attend the exclusive portion of LUXURY, which included a brand-new ballroom, the addition of Prestige and LUXURY Watch, and Intervision’s interactive, 360-degree shopping exhibit in Elite Enclave; others to attend the impressive lineup of JCK Talks seminars on Thursday; and many were there for both. The full day of JCK Talks sessions was highlighted with a passionate panel discussion led by JCK‘s own Rob Bates, titled “Lab-Grown Diamonds: Threat or Opportunity (or Both?).” Panelists included Stuller‘s vice president of diamonds and gemstones Stanley Zale, Gabriel & Co. CEO Jack Gabriel, Diamond Foundry master diamond cutter Maarten de Witte, GIA research fellow Dr. James Shigley, and Diamond Producers Association Jean-Marc Lieberherr.

JCK’s fashion and lifestyle events kicked off on Friday, taking place on the Showcase Stage, right outside the revamped Design Center. Costume designer Lyn Paolo, of ABC’s hit show Scandal, presented to a full crowd (and then some), curating a selection of jewelry to showcase on live models. Paolo was joined by style guru Shannon Adducci of Departures, The Hollywood Reporter, and Billboard, who discussed millennial trends and styling the still shot. Merchandising events continued to take place throughout the week on the Showcase Stage, featuring the likes of Lauren Bott, costume designer on Fox’s hilarious and fashionable show Scream Queens, and Ann Foley, costume designer for ABC’s mega-popular Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

The reimagined Design Center, for the first time located on level 1 of Bayside, was bursting with fresh talent and die-hard favorites, in the form of three phases: Kickstarter, Rising Star, and Resident. Friday night’s Evening of Design celebrated the Design Center neighborhood, honoring top designer retailers and design talent with the Editor’s Choice Awards. Winners included Vicky Lew London, Doryn Wallach, and Deeta Thakural.

The technology competition, JCK Think Tank (formerly titled Shark Tank at JCK), put tech vendors to the test, asking them to pitch an innovative product or service to a panel of industry judges and their peers, who voted live to decide the winner. Contenders included Galatea Jewelry by Artist, Jewelfie: Powered by Prorigo Software, Megasoft, eLUXE 3D, Jewelers Mutual Insurance in collaboration with Excelion IT, and NanoRosetta. By vote, Jewelers Mutual in collaboration with ExcelionIT was declared the winner for its innovative HoloJem.

In true celebratory fashion, the jewelry community came together to let loose at JCK Rocks the Beach, to the music of San Francisco–based Train. JCK Las Vegas concluded its 2016 run on June 6, at the Mandalay Bay Resort Convention Center.

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JCK Contributing Editor

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