The seventh edition of JCK Tucson closed on Feb. 8, after a successful run at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort & Spa in Tucson. The show reported a roster of strong quality attendees who came away from the show having written new business and fostered new connections.
“Each year our team designs this event as an elevated buying experience with attendees and their businesses in mind,” said JCK Tucson event director Kate Youngstrom in a statement. “We curated a show with an impressive lineup of quality designers and exhibitors for attendees to uncover trends, explore unique designs and new sources for one-of-a-kind and artisan jewelry. We are proud to be a destination where business gets done and that is still personalized, relaxed, and intimate.”
This year’s show gave guests a range of attractions and events to experience in addition to an impressive list of exhibitors on the show floor, including daily educational fireside chats, in-store experience demonstrations, live gem cutting, a live podcast, and the JCK Tucson 2020 Jewelry Awards.
The annual fireside chat topics for 2020 included responsible sourcing, corporate social responsibility, and sustainable practices, as well as trends in design and retail, digital marketing, improving corporate culture, and lab-grown diamonds. On the evening of Feb. 5, more than 60 retailers attended the Fireside Chat & Chill event, where moderator and communications consultant Jen Cullen Williams led a discussion on artisanal jewelry, gemstones, and retailing. Expert panelists Victoria Gomelsky, editor-in-chief of JCK magazine, and Randi Molofsky, cofounder of For Future Reference and contributor to JCK magazine, touched on key trend takeaways, such as the increase in consumer demand for blue gemstones, modern pearl designs, personalized charms, mix-and-match earrings, layered necklaces, and more. Molofsky recommended that retailers stock bracelets and rings that complement the iconic heritage brand pieces widely worn by their customers, and Gomelsky shared the importance of hosting creative in-store events—like piercing and bracelet-welding parties—as well as looking for outside-the-box collaborations with non-jewelry luxury brands.
Growth agency The Smithee Group hosted its first jewelry boot camp at JCK Tucson, a one-day educational itinerary that covered topics such as “Clicks to Conversion” and “Corporate Social Responsibility and Your Bottom Line.” Proceeds from the boot camp admissions went to the nonprofit Gem Legacy.
In-store experiences offered throughout the show floor included a memorable piercing party hosted by Lafia Jewellery, margarita tasting, bracelet making, and crystal reading with founder of Style Rituals, Colleen McCann. Off the show floor, JCK Tucson attendees also participated in a Jewelers for Children charity hike and Mitakuye Oyasin morning sage- burning rituals.
The fourth annual Gems After Dark celebration offered a fun opportunity to unwind and connect, hosted in partnership with AGS Young Titleholders, Gen Next, Jewelers of America, and the Women’s Jewelry Association) with title sponsor Alex Šepkus. WJA also hosted its second annual WJA Pavilion at JCK Tucson, showcasing up-and-coming female jewelry designers.
JCK Tucson played host to a number of big names in the digital and social media spaces, including Gem Gossip‘s Danielle Miele, Erin Elizabeth of Wink and a Twirl, Jessica Hall of Genuinely Jessica, and Valerie Loo.
Roger Dery delighted attendees with two live gemstone cuttings: a 15.05 ct. pink zircon sourced in Tanzania and a 7.96 ct. aquamarine sourced in Malawi. The finished stones are now available for purchase with all proceeds going to Jewelers for Children.
Also happening live from the show floor was a recording of the Gem Junkies podcast, hosted by Jonathan and Brecken Farnsworth of Parlé Jewelry Designs. The duo interviewed gemologists, jewelry designers, and jewelry enthusiasts for episodes from JCK Tucson that will be available to listen to this spring.
Finally, the annual show hosted the JCK Tucson 2020 Jewelry Awards, honoring the best in design from an impressive list of talented jewelers. This year’s award went to first-time exhibitor Pharaoun Cocktail Rings, owned by Florida-based designer Sergio Andrés Mendoza.
For a full album of photos from the event, visit jckonline.com/tucson.
JCK’s next events will take place in Las Vegas at the Sands Expo and the Venetian: Luxury (May 31–June 5), JIS Exchange and the Global Gemstone Pavilion (June 1–5), and JCK Las Vegas and Swiss Watch (June 2–5).
For more information, visit jcklasvegas2020.com.
Top: Morning coffee on the show floor of JCK Tucson with rings by Alex Šepkus
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