September–October 2018

Pearl Domination: Give ’Em Shell With Lustrous New Jewelry Looks

Pearl Domination: Give ’Em Shell With Lustrous New Jewelry Looks

Enter a golden age, get tickled pink, explore a gray area, work some white magic, and go back to black with our ode to pearls in all their multihued glory Photography by Gavin O’Neill Stylist Nadia Rath    Jewelry Editor Rima Suqi 18k white gold Spine drop earrings with Australian pearls and diamonds, $8,500, Samira 13,…

Holiday Survival Guide: Gifts That Keep on Giving

You’ll find something for all of your most style-savvy clients—whether their budget is $250, $2,500, or $20,000 and beyond—in our trend-by-trend seasonal shopping roundup Photography by Joel Stans Prop Stylist Astrid Chastka Jewelry Editor Rima Suqi ABSTRACT EARRINGS (From top, all sold as pairs) Gold-plated brass Gazelle earrings with peacock freshwater pearls and onyx tops,…

Holiday Survival Guide: No-Fail Sales Strategies

It’s hard to think about the holidays when you’re still wearing shorts and sandals. but trust us: It’s time. prep your staff and store with our no-fail year-end sales tips.   Ask the Right Questions…and Find the Best Seasonal Salespeople Recruiting holiday help is different from hiring staff members during the year. You often have…

The Big Business of Jewelry Repairs

If it’s broke, no problem! There is major money to be made in resizing, refinishing & resetting. Jason Lemaire, director of tools at Stuller, the Lafayette, La.–based jewelry and supplies manufacturer, has a stock question he often asks jewelers: “When was the last time you walked into a Goodyear and tried to negotiate the labor…

Malls of America, Part 3: Westfield Century City

JCK’s ongoing series on the shopping centers finding success amid an ever-changing retail landscape Westfield Century City 10250 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles In a town where face-lifts are de rigueur, Westfield Century City got a billion-dollar version. It’s more than ready for its close-up. The maxim “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” has…

Behind JCK’s September-October 2018 Pearly Bright Cover Look

New Pearl Order Give ’em shell with a trove of the year’s most lustrous looks. Golden keshi South Sea pearl necklace with 18k yellow gold clasp and 0.91 ct. t.w. diamonds; $22,800; Assael; 212-819-0060; assael.com   18k gold Branching Coral Kasumi pearl ring with 5.8 cts. t.w. rubies and orange and pink sapphires; $4,200; Kimberlin…

5 Things Rocking the Industry: September–October 2018

SHOWS In July, the Swatch Group, the world’s largest watchmaker, became the latest company to say it no longer had time to exhibit at Baselworld, the preeminent, century-old watch fair. It’s the latest blow for the Swiss-based event, which in 2018 attracted just 600 exhibitors, half its 2017 number. On CNBC, Swatch CEO Nick Hayek…

From the Editor: September–October 2018

The year was 1994. I was a junior in college and working as a waitress at a pseudo-Mexican restaurant called Cabo Cabo Cabo in Los Angeles’ Century City Shopping Center. It was the kind of establishment that had cowhide barstools, a barrel of peanuts by the door, and tasty but inauthentic south-of-the-border cuisine (think lobster…

Staff Picks, September–October 2018: Treat Yourself

What JCK managing editor Melissa Rose Bernardo is loving this month “These color-packed opaque-stone styles are super on-trend—and a bargain to boot. Nothing is more than $1,000!” —Melissa Rose Bernardo, JCK managing editor (Above) Lapis and spiny oyster shell pendant in 14k gold–plated silver; $297; Bounkit; 212-244-1877; bounkit.com Onyx evil eye ring with multicolored sapphires…

From the Publisher: September–October 2018

Happy fall! It’s 88 degrees with 95 percent ­humidity as I write, but there’s already a ­(psychological, if not meteorological) hint of autumn in the air. By the time you read this, fall will be well underway. The summer went quickly, but there were some great highlights. Jewelry week in July, centered on the JA…

Why @srgjewel Is Our Favorite Feed of the Month

Sarah Royce-Greensill (@srgjewel) may be the jewelry and watches editor for the U.K.’s The Telegraph, but her Instagram is an enviable ode to designers all over the world—London, Paris, Cannes, Basel, Munich, Venice, New York City, and beyond. Wherever there’s sparkle, Royce-Greensill is there. Modeling Boucheron’s real flower-petal ring at Paris Couture Week A colored…

In Praise of Women: Inside the 2018 WJA Visionary Awards

Mercedes Abramo, Caryl Capeci, Nadja Swarovski, and De Beers Group/U.N. Women were dubbed Visionaries at WJA’s Awards for Excellence (Above) WJA past prez Brandee Dallow (c.) with two Visionaries, Cartier’s Mercedes Abramo and Hearts On Fire’s Caryl Capeci Gleaming-white smiles abounded at the Diamond Producers Association table. Ageless accessory maven Iris Apfel, who designed a…

The FTC Releases New Jewelry Guides. Controversy Ensues.

In July, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released the final—if, at times, controversial—revision to its widely watched Jewelry Guides, with new dictates that could greatly affect the gold, pearl, and diamond trades. In one change long sought by the gem business, the FTC imposed new requirements for marketing “composite” gemstones. The Guides now warn manufacturers…

3 Questions for…Alrosa Director of Sales Evgeny Agureev

We spoke to Evgeny Agureev, ­director of sales for Russian diamond miner Alrosa, at JCK Las Vegas. Here he discusses the possible impact of sanctions against his company, the debut of De Beers’ new Lightbox subsidiary, and the possibility of an Alrosa brand.  You are reopening your polished sales office in New York City. Do…

Industry & People: September–October 2018

OPENING Swiss watchmaker Audemars Piguet is opening a boutique in East Hampton, N.Y. Day-to-day operations will be overseen by New York City retailer Material Good. (Above) Millenary Hand-Wound with 0.6 ct. t.w. diamonds in 18k white gold case and bracelet; $47,000; Audemars Piguet; 212-758-8400; audemarspiguet.com  COMINGS AND GOINGS Ippolita Rostagno has bought back a majority…

Innovative Retailer Ursula Lyon of the Accessory Junkie Is So Extra

The Accessory Junkie’s Ursula Lyon reveals how she turned her love for shopping overseas into a thriving retail business “I’m someone who likes my plate very full,” says Ursula Lyon, cofounder of The Accessory Junkie, with a laugh. “I’ve found that I’m not so happy when I’m not really busy.” That mentality helps explain why…

What’s Been Your Most Successful Holiday Promotion?

Every year we do the Let It Snow promotion, where if it snows 6 inches or more on Christmas, you get your money back. Anything you buy from the company during the two weeks after Thanksgiving you would get completely refunded for if it snows at least 6 inches at any one of our locations.…

Causes to Celebrate: The JCK Industry Fund

After two decades of quietly giving back to the trade, the JCK Industry Fund is going public with a renewed commitment to funding projects that benefit all jewelers Since its inception in 1997, the JCK Industry Fund has awarded more than $6 million in grants to organizations working to promote the jewelry industry. Founded at…

Store We Adore: Marisa Perry Atelier in New York City

636 Hudson St., New York City On a lovely corner in Manhattan’s West Village, the staff at Marisa Perry Atelier greets shoppers with a glass of bubbly and a heart-stopping array of diamond engagement rings and wedding bands. Marisa Perry, a vivacious brunette, is the face of the business. Her husband, Douglas Elliott, dressed in…

Sign of the Times: Symbol Jewelry

A jewel is worth a thousand words when emblazoned, encrusted, or engraved with symbolic meaning (Above) Matahari earrings with opals and diamonds in 18k white gold; $6,256; Venyx; 44-203-096-1390; venyxworld.com Figa necklace in 14k rose gold with resin and diamonds; $5,250; Jacquie Aiche; 310-550-7529; jacquieaiche.com Mismatched engraved earrings in 18k yellow gold; $3,045; ARK; 646-745-6831; arkfinejewelry.com…

Grape Expectations: Purple Takes Over the Red Carpet

Pantone’s Color of the Year, Ultra Violet, is ultrahot on the red carpet Dua Lipa You may recall that in the January/February 2018 issue of JCK we told you malachite would be one of the year’s five hottest gemstones. Clearly, Dua Lipa got the memo. At the Billboard Music Awards, she wore a bold Bulgari…

Rainbow Bright: Brent Neale’s Color-Me-Happy Jewelry

Pack up your troubles and just get happy. Jewelry designer Brent Neale is going to chase all your cares away. As a senior at Johns Hopkins University, Martha Brent Neale once interviewed at Morgan Stanley. Stepping up to its midtown Manhattan building, a monolith of glass and lines, dressed in a navy Theory suit and…

JCK Asks: What Makes Timepiece King Richard Mille Tick?

A few minutes with the engineer/artist/inventor behind the eponymous 17-year-old watch brand In an alternate universe, Richard Mille might not have gone into the watch business. “In my mind, I had three options,” he says. “Aircraft, cars, or watches.” Looking at his timepieces—each an inimitable, fantastically complex feat of artistry and technology—it’s hard to imagine…

Rosé All Day! Cindy Chao’s Pink Sapphire Earrings

Pink isn’t a color most people associate with leaves. But Cindy Chao’s Pink Sapphire ­Foliage earrings feel ­wholly organic, rosy patina and all. The design’s naturalism was largely achieved through artistic stone-setting—the gems were “arranged in a way for their color combination to further highlight the texture of the leaves,” explains the Hong Kong–based Taiwanese…

Platinum: Marla Aaron’s Locks, Furrer Jacot’s Batman-Inspired Ring

CAN’T-MISS COLLECTION Love Locks “Emotional hardware” is how fine jewelry designer Marla Aaron has described her collection in the past. And considering the industrial nature of her brand’s core style—an oval lock that elevates a hardware store carabiner to fine jewelry—the description fits. The creative evolution of Aaron’s locks now includes a series of gorgeous…

Diamonds: E.L. Designs’ Sparkle Line, Melissa Kaye’s Aria Earrings

CAN’T-MISS COLLECTION Sparkle and Charm We can’t imagine anything more sparkly than a stretch of neatly aligned diamonds. And Cambridge, N.Y.–based fine jewelry manufacturer E.L. Designs clearly agrees. The binding design element in the brand’s latest collection is a bar shape that’s channel-set with diamonds; it’s aptly called the Sparkle collection. The five-piece series includes…

The Florida Project: JIS October Returns to Miami Beach

Barring a force majeure, such as last year’s Hurricane Irma, Reed Exhibitions’ Jewelers International Showcase (JIS) October will return to its longtime home at the Miami Beach Convention Center on Oct. 19, with a raft of buyer-focused additions, updates, and enhancements. “Reed has invested millions of dollars in the JIS brand across the board, from…

Mumbai Calling: On Site at the 2018 IIJS

The 35th India International Jewellery Show was bigger and blingier than ever Fresh from an expansion highlighted by a new 116,000-square-foot exhibition area, the 35th annual India International Jewellery Show (IIJS), held Aug. 8–13 at the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Mumbai, saw an increase in both traffic and sales, suggesting a positive outlook for the…

Are Chatbots the Best Way to Service Your Clients Online?

We often encounter chatbots—the catchall name for digital messaging software that interprets natural language (how we talk in real life) and responds with helpful information—as little boxes that pop up on our computer screens when we’ve dawdled too long on a sweater online. Usually chatbots present themselves as a know-it-all avatar, be it a bespectacled…

Tool Time: The Ticwatch E Smartwatch, the Dangle App & More

WHO, WHAT, WEARABLE Ticwatch E Mobvoi, the Beijing-based technology startup that makes the lightweight, low-cost Ticwatch smartwatches, specializes in products that propel human/­machine interaction using artificial intelligence. The Ticwatch range ­personifies the ­company’s drive to create accessibly priced items that can compete with ­luxury tech in the functionality department. We demo-ed the Ticwatch E ­(Express),…

See Babe Paley, the Ultimate New York Socialite, in Full Glam Mode

Of socialite/style icon Babe Paley, Oscar de la Renta once raved: “Whatever she wore, she wore in a way you would never forget.” Barbara “Babe” Cushing Mortimer Paley was destined for the fashionable life. Born to a world-renowned surgeon with sisters who married into the Astor and Roosevelt families (they were known as the “fabulous…

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