JCK Jewelry Agenda: Week of July 27

By Amy Elliott | July 24, 2025

This week’s jewelry-centric activities are largely centered in the Midwest, while Pharrell’s first-ever watch auction wraps up with all eyes on a Rolex Day-Date rocking a lapis lazuli dial. Plus: bons mots from Foundrae’s leading lady.

LISTEN

The Jewelry District Podcast With Guest Beth Hutchens (ongoing)

Beth Hutchens smiles with The Jewelry District and Jewelers Mutual logos Join JCK editor-in-chief Victoria Gomelsky and news director Rob Bates in a conversation with founder and creative director of Foundrae Beth Hutchens, who is also the winner of this year’s Gem Award for jewelry design. Topics covered: Hutchens’ mystical aesthetic, dealing with copycats, coping with soaring gold prices, and the importance of brick-and-mortar retail.

ATTEND

WJA Ohio/Kentucky Barbie Brunch & Exhibition Tour: July 27, 10:45 a.m. (in person)

If you missed today’s brunch and tour of Barbie: A Cultural Icon, an exhibition now on view at the Cincinnati Museum Center, with the Ohio/Kentucky chapter of the Women’s Jewelry Association (WJA), never fear: Go see the show at your leisure—just do it before it closes on Sept. 1.

RJO Show in Schaumburg, Ill.: July 25–28 (in person)

Imperial Silver black pearl necklace — *18-inch sterling silver 9 mm–10 mm Tahitian cultured pearl and diamond necklace, $1,000; Imperial Pearl*

Need to round out your holiday product assortment or replenish your stock? The summer edition of the show, held at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel (about 30 miles outside Chicago), has been on all weekend but the buying floor is open till 6 p.m. on Sunday and from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday. Don’t miss Sunday’s happy hour (5–6 p.m.) to check in with industry peers—and discuss the latest headlines. Open to RJO members only; apply for status here.

BID

JOOPITER Watch Auction: Ends July 29 (online)

Rolex Lapis Lazuli — *Rolex Day-Date Ref. 18366 “Platinum Baguette Lapis Lazuli,” estimate $100,000–$130,000*

Titled “The Art of Time: Rare & Coveted Watches,” JOOPITER’s first-ever auction dedicated to watches, is already well under way. The online auction house, founded by Pharrell Williams, is offering 28 timepieces spanning nearly a century of design, each chosen for its mechanical merit, rarity, and cultural relevance. Leading the sale is a Rolex Day-Date (Ref. 18366) in platinum with a lapis lazuli dial and a bezel set with 24 baguette-cut diamonds. See more highlights here.

Top: Fruit Salad earrings with 1.4 cts. t.w. round brilliant-cut rubies and 0.2 ct. t.w. round brilliant-cut diamonds in Georgian-style cut-down setting in 18k blackened white and yellow gold, $11,850; Jessica McCormack