November–December 2018

Mellow Yellow: Sleek Gold Jewelry for Your Most Chic Customers

Mellow Yellow: Sleek Gold Jewelry for Your Most Chic Customers

From must-have hoops to wear-with-everything chains, this season’s gold jewels will give you that warm-all-over glow Photography by Diego Uchitel Stylist Sandy Armeni    Jewelry Editor Rima Suqi Colony VIII ring in 18k yellow gold and silver with 3.35 cts. t.w. multicolored diamonds, $18,040, Vram, 310-859-9545, vramjewelry.com; Lusso tennis bracelet in 14k yellow gold with…

Golden Cycle: Retailers on the Ever-Changing Gold Price

Is the falling price of gold a crisis, an opportunity, or a draw? In the summer of 2011, the price of gold shot to an all-time high of $1,900.30 per ounce. Most of us can remember the feeding frenzy that had been going on since prices ­began to rise in 2008: Cash-for-gold businesses sprouted up…

How to Establish Your Store’s Presence on YouTube

Ask any group of American kids what they want to be when they grow up, and a few are bound to shout out, “YouTuber!” The popularity of the internet’s most powerful video platform (and its superstars) among Gen Zers and millennials has eclipsed that of all ­other social media sites, streaming services such as Netflix…

The Ins and Outs of the Secondhand Jewelry Business

Buying and selling pre-owned jewelry is a lucrative business that could complement your contemporary sales—as long as you know what you’re doing When it comes to jewelry and watches, used doesn’t have the same pejorative connotation as it does with other categories of consumer goods like cars or clothing. The secondhand market can be creatively…

6 Common Hiring Mistakes Retailers Should Avoid

When it comes to hiring, a sore spot for many jewelry retailers across the country, Susan Priolo of Sofia Jewelry in Mill Valley, Calif., considers herself fortunate. While Priolo admits she once had trouble finding staff who supported her family-owned store’s mission, those days have largely passed. With a capable and engaged team, Sofia Jewelry…

9 Hot Jewelry Industry Topics for 2019

1. Sesquicentennial Salute When JCK marks its 150th anniversary next year, the celebration will be about a lot more than a self-congratulatory pat on the back. We’ve long held that the history of this publication—-founded in 1869 as the American Horological Journal before merging with various trade magazines, including The Jewelers’ Circular and Keystone, to…

Behind JCK’s November–December 2018 Glowy Gold Cover Look

Cover photography by Diego Uchitel Hair: Moiz Alladina for R+Co/Wall Group Makeup: Charlotte Day for Glossier/Art Department Stylist: Sandy Armeni Manicurist: Roseann Singleton for Emilie Heathe/Art Department Model: Anabela Belikava/One Management Boots: Dolce & Gabbana Golden High A collection of sleek and chic heavy metal pieces for your most polished customers. Plus: how retailers are…

5 Things Rocking the Industry: November–December 2018

EXHIBITIONS “Jewelry: The Body Transformed,” which opened Nov. 12 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, is ­designed to explore how ­jewelry acts upon and activates the body. The dynamic show, which runs through Feb. 24, will investigate the power and purpose of jewelry through approximately 230 objects—culled almost exclusively from the…

From the Editor: November–December 2018

Here’s a prediction. By the time you read this, I will have just started my maternity leave. That’s right—I’m writing this letter in mid-October, as we prepare to go to press, and I’m due to have my first child (a boy!) on the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend. (Here’s hoping my little turkey comes out fully…

Staff Picks, November–December 2018: The Bold Type of Jewelry

What JCK magazine’s Brittany Siminitz is loving this month “I’m all for delicate jewels,  but right now, chunky chains and bubbly baubles are my favorite way to go for gold.” —Brittany Siminitz, JCK contributing editor (Top) Dancing in the Rain earrings in 18k yellow gold with diamonds; $3,115; Nanis Italian Jewels; america@nanis.it; nanis.it Handmade 16-inch…

From the Publisher: November–December 2018

Bravo, GIA! Greetings from my flight home from Carlsbad, Calif., where I attended the 2018 GIA Symposium. Congratulations to GIA president and CEO Susan Jacques, senior vice president and chief marketing officer ­Kathryn Kimmel, and the entire GIA team on a smashing success! The three-day event was attended by more than 750 members of the…

Why Levi Higgs Is Our Favorite Instagrammer of the Month

Levi Higgs (@levi_higgs) is the archivist and social media manager at David Webb, but his own IG goes beyond a single brand. He’s a true lover and student of jewelry history, which he studies at museums, art fairs, and auction houses. “They are the best place to learn about jewelry,” he told The Adventurine. The…

2018 WJA Jewelry Night Out: Only in New York

Members of the NY Metro chapter of the Women’s Jewelry Association mixed and mingled at the sixth annual JNO on Sept. 13 (Top) Jewelers of America’s Lauren Kalma, Lauren Thompson, and Amanda Gizzi A SoHo rooftop on a balmy late-summer evening proved to be the perfect networking location. Adwar Casting Co.’s Gregg Adwar and Marc…

Spring Bling: Jewelry Was Out in Full Force at SS19 NYFW

As he’s the first major designer to show during New York ­Fashion Week, all eyes are always on Tom Ford. And, boy, did he deliver for spring 2019, throwing down the gauntlet with a glamorous lineup reminiscent of his Gucci days—all slim skirts, lean gowns, and sharp blazers, a complete about-face from fall’s sparkly sweatshirts…

3 Questions for…Spence Diamonds’ Eric Lindberg

The executive chairman of Spence Diamonds, a 10-store chain with seven stores in Canada and three in the United States, spoke with JCK about his company’s expansion and why its stores are adopting an ­Apple-like approach to sales. Spence will open two new stores this year in the Dallas–Fort Worth area and another new store…

Industry & People: November–December 2018

Carbon Aquaracer in 41 mm black PVD-covered titanium case with carbon bezel; $4,000; TAG Heuer; 973-467-1890; tagheuer.com COMINGS AND GOINGS Jean-Claude Biver has stepped down from his role as CEO of LVMH’s watch division, though he will serve as the group’s nonexecutive chairman, a nonoperational position. Stéphane Bianchi, former CEO of beauty and cosmetics company Yves Rocher, will…

Meet Our Innovative Retailer: Iconery’s Ivka Adam

Iconery’s Ivka Adam on finding the sweet spot between fine jewelry manufacturing and social media marketing Iconery, a hybrid jewelry e-commerce site and manufacturer based in Los Angeles, was founded on the modern idea of harnessing the power of influence to forge fun and fruitful brand collaborations. The company is the brainchild of marketing veteran…

How Do You Create a Cohesive, High-Performing Sales Team?

Consistency and structure in our weekly staff meeting, along with weekly sales training, have made a huge difference in sales performance. And another practice I’ve seen major payoff from has been rolling my sleeves up and getting on the sales floor and teaching by example. We team-sell together, and other times employees observe from the…

Causes to Celebrate: Her Future Coalition

Kolkata, India, is more than 7,000 miles away from the Bay Area, but that hasn’t stopped Northern ­California resident and goldsmith ­Dianna Badalament from changing the lives of people in the cultural capital of East India every day. In conjunction with a Florida-based nonprofit, Her Future Coalition, Badalament trains victims of severe gender violence to…

Store We Adore: Jhanna Fine Jewelry

357 Millburn Ave., Millburn, N.J. Behind a quaint storefront on Millburn’s main drag sits Jhanna Fine Jewelry, a haven for suburban New Jersey luxury jewelry lovers Walking into Jhanna Krentsel and Rudolf Shtainhorn’s Jhanna Fine Jewelry store, customers pass between potted flowering vines, under a peace sign fashioned from silvery balls, and into what feels…

Petal Pushers: Floral Jewelry You Can Wear All Year

Think florals are fit only for a spring fling? Think again. Bodacious blooms are now perennial favorites. (Above) Venetian Glass Cameo earrings with London blue topaz and dahlias in 18k white gold; $2,150; Bahina; 41-31-368-0775; bahina.com Botanical Marquetry flower earrings in wood with black pearl and diamonds; $11,000; Silvia Furmanovich; 866-301-MUSE; silviafurmanovich.com Gold, enamel, and…

Consumed With Emmy: The Winning Jewelry Looks

Primary colors and classic silhouettes commanded the spotlight on TV’s big night Rachel Brosnahan The star of Amazon’s original comedy series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel lived up to her name with a goddess-style drop-shouldered dip-dyed chiffon Oscar de la Renta gown that her stylist practically swiped right off the runway a week earlier. Tiffany &…

Let’s Talk About Wax: In the Studio With Polly Wales

With her signature cast-not-set creations, London-born Polly Wales builds mini sculptures in satiny gold and bursts of multicolored gems Everything you need to know about Polly Wales can be found in her yellow gold skull ring studded with candy-colored sapphires. Equal parts masculine and feminine, barbaric and beautiful, earthy and ethereal, the piece is over…

Pretty Fly! Piaget’s Sunlight Escape Feather Cuff

The beauty of the Far North—including the ­mythical colors of the aurora borealis—inspired Piaget’s spring 2018 high jewelry collection, Sunlight Escape. And this white gold manchette was designed to channel ­“northern, summery, endless sky into water,” says Yvonne Lynam, Piaget’s president in the Americas. Its tapestry of rich blues and greens wasn’t created with gems,…

Diamonds, November–December 2018: Emily P. Wheeler & More

CAN’T-MISS COLLECTION X Factor Jewelry designer Emily P. Wheeler, a veteran of the Bay Area tech scene, introduced her collection of diamond and gemstone fine jewelry in 2014 with a diamond-studded cigar band that caught fire with San Francisco’s social set. Wheeler’s latest collection of diamond-based designs plays with the X shape in innovative and…

Silver, November–December 2018: Kate Shares Lagos & More

CAN’T-MISS COLLECTION Extra Caviar! Philadelphia-based brand Lagos has debuted a chic stand-alone collection co-created by founder and creative director Steven Lagos and his ­26-year-old daughter, Kate Shares Lagos. Lagos KSL (named for Kate’s ­initials) incorporates the atelier’s ubiquitous dotted Caviar design detail in bigger, bolder, and more youthful-feeling styles—fabricated in two-tone sterling silver with 18k…

Your Golden Ticket to VicenzaOro’s 2019 January Show

Unlike some European trade fairs, Italy’s VicenzaOro is thriving. Here’s why. While many trade fairs are seeing declines in exhibitors and attendees, VicenzaOro appears to be bucking the trend. The Italian gold jewelry fair takes over the Vicenza fairgrounds Jan. 18–23, when the show expects to welcome more than 1,500 brands from 36 countries (nearly…

How Technology Can Thwart a Home Invasion Robbery

It’s a terrifying scenario: You awake in the middle of the night to discover armed robbers breaking into your home, demanding the codes to your store’s front door and safe. Home invasion robberies are a jeweler’s worst nightmare. The goal in these cases isn’t to rob your homes, but to clean out your store. “They…

Jewelry Tools, Apps & Supplies: November–December 2018

WHO, WHAT, WEARABLE Skagen Falster 2 Danish watch and accessories brand Skagen has released an update to the sleek Falster smartwatch it debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show in ­January. The Falster 2 adds to the connected watch’s functions—most notably, a heart rate monitor in response to customer demand—and builds on its spare design with…

Gina Lollobrigida Is Beautiful in Bulgari

We toss out words like icon and legend to describe all sorts of celebrities, but the Italian-born Gina Lollobrigida, now 91, is the real deal Called the most beautiful woman in the world—Humphrey Bogart said she made “Marilyn Monroe look like Shirley Temple”—and often compared with rival Sophia Loren, Gina Lollobrigida was one of Hollywood’s…

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