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  Transcript: Auctions, appraisals, and the professionals who perform them are some of the most misunderstood elements of the jewelry industry. That's exactly why Gina D'Onofrio, independent appraiser and Co-Director of Fine Jewelry at Heritage Auctions, joined the Jewelry Journey Podcast. She discussed what a consigner can expect when selling jewelry with an auction house; how appraisers come up with values (and why they might change); and how consumers can protect themselves by asking their appraiser the right questions. Read the episode transcript here. What you'll learn in this episode: What questions to ask appraisers and auction houses before selling your jewelry. What education and networking opportunities an aspiring appraiser should seek out. Why an appraisal includes multiple values, and why those values will change depending on the reason for the appraisal. What the process of selling jewelry with an auction house is like, and why you might choose an auction house over selling online or to a store. What a qualified appraiser will look for while inspecting a piece of jewelry.   About Gina D'Onofrio With work in the retail, auction and manufacturing sectors of the jewelry industry since 1989, Gina D'Onofrio's experience encompasses jewelry design and production, appraisals, buying and selling of contemporary, antique and period jewelry, sales and management. Gina operates an independent gemological laboratory, appraisal service and consulting firm and has been catering to private individuals, banks, trusts, non-profit organizations, insurance companies, legal firms and the jewelry trade in the greater Los Angeles area. Gina received her Master Gemologist Appraiser® designation, upon completion of appraisal studies, written and practical examinations and peer appraisal report review with the American Society of Appraisers. In addition, she was awarded the Certified Master Appraiser designation with the National Association of Jewelry Appraisers. In 2013 Gina received Los Angeles Magazine's coveted "Best in LA" award for her Jewelry Appraisal Services. She conducts presentations and entertaining speeches about appraisal and jewelry related topics to private and corporate groups in Los Angeles and throughout the USA.   Photos Available on TheJewelryJourney.com Additional Resources: Website Instagram Facebook Email   Transcript: Auctions, appraisals, and the professionals who perform them are some of the most misunderstood elements of the jewelry industry. That's exactly why Gina D'Onofrio, independent appraiser and Co-Director of Fine Jewelry at Heritage Auctions, joined the Jewelry Journey Podcast. She discussed what a consigner can expect when selling jewelry with an auction house; how appraisers come up with values (and why they might change); and how consumers can protect themselves by asking their appraiser the right questions. Read the episode transcript here. Welcome to the Jewelry Journey, exploring the hidden world of art around you. Because every piece of art has a story, and jewelry is no exception.   Sharon: Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Jewelry Journey Podcast. This is the second part of a two-part episode. If you haven't heard part one, please head to TheJewelryJourney.com.    Today, I am glad to welcome back Gina D'Onofrio, an appraiser who just returned from being an independent appraiser. She returned to the auction house Heritage as co-director of jewelry. She was also on the podcast in the very beginning, and it's good to have her on again. Welcome back.   If you become a certain kind of appraiser, let's say real estate or antique jewelry or I'll call it regular jewelry, how do you continue your education in those areas? What do you do if you're a real estate appraiser and you want to be an expert, or an antique expert? What would you do to continue education in that area?   Gina: You mentioned real estate. So, you mean you're appraising houses and all of a sudden you want to appraise antique jewelry?   Sharon: No, if you're in a particular area, is what I mean. You work in jewelry. What do you do to further your education besides going to the conferences, handling the jewelry? Are there other things you can do to further your education in those areas? In that area, I should say.   Gina: If you're working in jewelry, you're basically filling all the educational holes that you might have. When you say you work in jewelry, if you work for a contemporary jeweler, then you need to have more exposure to vintage jewelry. If it's vice versa, maybe you're working with antique and estate jewelry and you're not as exposed to what present day Tiffany and Company and Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels are doing, then you have to self-educate and gain more exposure to that kind of jewelry. As a jewelry appraiser, anything can cross your desk. Quite often, I might receive a collection that belongs to somebody, and she may have something that she bought last week and she may have something that her great-grandmother owned and she has inherited. You need to be able to recognize and evaluate and appraise both pieces. So, you do need a very well-rounded education.   Sharon: You raised the point of Cartier and David Webb and the high-end pieces that designers make, but not everything you see is going to be that. As you said, there's the piece that the grandmother passes down. Heritage, I presume, isn't all Cartier. What do you do then? What do you do if a piece comes across your desk and it's not a Cartier or it's not a David Webb? Do you look at a David Webb as the benchmark and then go from there?   Gina: No, you don't, because a piece that has no stamp or signature doesn't necessarily mean that it's not a fine piece. That's where having an understanding of jewelry manufacturing is critical. You do need to gain an education on how a piece of jewelry is made. GIA is teaching a class called jewelry forensics. In that class, they teach appraisers and other members of the industry how to look at a piece and recognize how it was fabricated. Was it made entirely by hand? Was it made by carving a wax and casting it? Was it made via CAD/CAM design and 3D printing? Was made by using a die struck method? These are all different methods of producing a piece of jewelry, and as an appraiser you need to have an education in that so when you're holding that piece of jewelry in your hand, A) you recognize how it was made, and B) you recognize the quality of the workmanship. That plays into the value of the piece.    For example, you might have a piece of jewelry, and you recognize that it was made entirely by hand. A great deal of time and effort has gone into making it, and the workmanship is excellent. Flawless, in fact. That is going to inform you as to what it would cost to replace that piece if your client wants to insure it for another piece that has been made entirely by hand.    Or, you might look at a piece that is mass produced using CAD/CAM and 3D printing, but it's a piece that's not finished very well. It's poorly made, and the setting work is very poor, too. In fact, some of the stones are a little bit loose because they weren't set properly, or perhaps they're not straight in the piece. That's going to tell you that it's a mass-produced piece. If it's not signed, you're going to be looking at other mass-produced pieces of the same type of lower quality in order to determine what it would cost to replace that piece. Understanding production is really important.   Sharon: Can you be an appraiser without having this background of manufacturing and that sort of thing? Could you be an appraiser?   Gina: You can. I'm really sad to say that there is no licensing of jewelry appraisers. There is no regulation, no government regulation. We self-regulate. That's why if you want to become a professional appraiser and you want to be the best appraiser you can be, you should join an organization that gives you excellent education and network with other very experienced appraisers who can help guide you in the right direction to get the education that you need.    Unfortunately, anybody can appraise jewelry and nobody can stop you. As a consumer, it's best to look for an appraiser that has reached the highest level they can possibly attain within an appraisal organization that requires their members to requalify every five years. The International Society of Appraisers has a requalification program. So does the American Society of Appraisers. They do require their members to requalify every five years. Then you have the National Association of Jewelry Appraisers that have different strata of membership, different tiers of membership, so look for an appraiser within that organization that has successfully completed the Certified Master Appraiser program, the CMA, and at the very least is a certified appraiser. Someone who has sat for the exams.   Sharon: What is requalification? Is that a test on paper or a computer, or is it just that you came to class?   Gina: It varies. It depends on which organization. I failed to mention the American Gem Society, I apologize. They also have an Independent Gemologist Appraiser program. For requalification, you have to attend a minimum amount of education every year. You have to prove you have done that. There is also an exam you have to take as well.   Sharon: You answered one of the questions I had, which is what you would ask somebody you want to be an appraiser for you. What would you ask them to know if they're good or not? What should I ask? What would somebody in the public ask if they're looking for an appraiser?   Gina: Yes. Everything that I just told you. Make sure that they have reached the highest designation they can within those appraisal organizations.   Sharon: I took some antique jewelry to an appraiser not knowing that they did all kinds of jewelry, but they weren't an expert in antiques. Was there any way to suss that out in advance?   Gina: That's a great question, Sharon. That's tricky. As I mentioned earlier, I feel that it's difficult to get a formal education in jewelry history today, so you are getting it piecemeal from wherever you can, which is why I developed my courses. There is no way to look at an appraiser and have them prove to you that they are a specialist in antique and period jewelry. Unfortunately, that's something that comes by way of reputation. You may have to ask, "How did you become proficient?" You may have to just ask them to explain that to you. It's a tricky one. As a consumer, I'm not quite sure how that could be proven.   Sharon: What would you suggest the public ask if you want to know if an appraiser is credentialed, a credible appraiser?   Gina: You ask them what level of certification, what designation, they have achieved within their appraisal organization. Are they a member of the ASA, the NAJA, the ISA, the AGS? If they are a member—you could be a member and not attain any education. You could be a candidate member, or you could just simply be a member. Ask them, "What education have you completed with these organizations? Are you designated? What is your designation? What is your experience with antique and period jewelry? Are you proficient with that type of jewelry?" Just outright ask them to show you what their education and designation is.    Most appraisers who have achieved this level of education and designation have spent a great deal of time attaining it and are proud of what they've achieved, and they usually put up on their website for everybody to see. But if they haven't done that, you can ask them for their professional profiles so you can read through what they've achieved, and you can even check it. You can call those appraisal organizations to see if the information you've been provided is true and accurate.   Sharon: I'm thinking about something you said earlier. If somebody says to me, "I don't have a formal education in this, but I've handled a million and one pieces in this era, and I can tell right away if it's fake or not and who made it," what do you say to that?   Gina: That's quite possible. Absolutely. Then that makes them a connoisseur and a specialist in antique and period jewelry. But are they an appraiser? Do they have an education in appraisal report writing? Can they write that appraisal report for you? That's the other part. That's the other side of the coin. That's the other thing they have to have to be an appraiser. Otherwise, they're an expert in that period of jewelry, but they're not necessarily an appraiser.   Sharon: That's interesting. When I thought about being an appraiser myself, it was the report writing that scared me off. That's very detailed and very scientific in a way. Very precise.   Gina: Yes, and that education is something that you can study.   Sharon: Okay. I think I'll pass.   Gina: You almost looked like you were considering it, Sharon.   Sharon: No, I think I've heard too much about the classes for the report writing and how they're pretty onerous, in a in a good way.   Gina: They're fascinating. I highly recommend it. Anyone out there who is writing appraisal reports and doesn't have a foundation in appraisal report writing from one of the major organizations, I really suggest that you go out and get that education. You'll be amazed at what you'll learn. It's going to make you even better at what you do.   Sharon: Why would you say it makes you better at what you do?   Gina: This education is written by appraisers, not just one appraiser, but collaborative groups of appraisers who have been immersed in that profession for many, many years. They have learned the best approaches and the pitfalls. They have studied the government requirements. They may have had a lot of experience in appraising for litigation, and this collective information has been formally put into a course. It's only going to help you as an appraiser. It's going to help you avoid ending up in court or possibly being disqualified as an appraiser for the IRS because you did not follow the proper procedures. If you know what pitfalls to avoid and how to arrive at a more informed opinion of value, it's only going to make your appraisal a better product for the person that's using it.   Sharon: That makes a lot of sense. I keep going back to Antiques Roadshow. They talk about the auction value and the retail value and the insurance value. It drives me crazy because you see the glassy-eyed look in somebody's eyes. I want to say, "Didn't you hear what they said?"   Gina: As an appraiser and as a specialist for an auction house, this is the biggest problem. This is the biggest obstacle for a private individual, understanding that there is not just one value. There are multiple values for the same piece of jewelry. It just depends on the market. It depends on whether it's the auction market, whether it is the liquidation market, or whether it is the retail market or whether it is the antique and estate jewelry market. Is it being sold as a brand-new piece? Is it being sold as a pre-owned piece in a retail scenario? Is it a custom-made designer piece? The same piece of jewelry could have various values depending on what you need that information for.   Sharon: I wonder, you talked about this handmade piece. Is there a replacement? Yes, there's an insurance value, but could you find a replacement somewhere in the market?   Gina: That's a great question. You know what? Appraisal organizations, we all have forums, email chat groups where we ask each other questions and use the collaborative brain trust of your peers to help you solve a problem, and a problem came up today. There was a photograph of a bracelet that was posted by a professional appraiser. This appraiser recognized the designer. The designer and the manufacturer—they are one in the same—was a French designer called Georges Lenfant. He was a manufacturer of chains, particularly beautifully constructed chains and bracelets, and he manufactured for all the major jewelry houses, Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier, goodness me, so many of them. He was very active in the 50s and the 60s and the 70s. He had his own trademark that he would put inside a piece, but he didn't sign it. The piece was often signed with the jewelry house, Cartier, and then it had the Georges Lenfant stamp inside the piece. He was a French maker.  I tell you all of this to explain that today, when pieces of jewelry come to market made by this particular maker, there is an extra layer of interest and value because these pieces are so beautifully made. This appraiser posted a piece of jewelry by this maker. This is one of those pieces that wasn't signed by a major jewelry house, but the appraiser was very good and was able to recognize that it was the Georges Lenfant trademark and posed the question, "Can anybody tell me where I can find examples of this piece so I can arrive at an opinion of replacement value?" It was a 1970s bracelet made by this French maker. Where would you replace a 1970s piece made by this maker? It would be with somebody who typically sells vintage jewelry, high-end vintage jewelry. That should have been the answer to this question.    Unfortunately, one of the answers provided was, "Contact the manufacturer and ask them what they would charge you to make it today." It's not being made today, not that particular piece. It's a vintage piece by a collectible maker. I guess that's a very long example to your question. You need to determine, is this a piece that's typically being made today, or is this a vintage piece that has collectible value? Do you recognize who the maker is? Is there a stamp inside there? Is there some way you can look this up? If you can't look it up, who do you go to? How do you find out? You need to know to ask all these questions. All this happens by networking with your peers, by attending appraisal conferences, by self-educating, and by handling a lot of this jewelry.   Sharon: Do you have a favorite period that you like to appraise, or a favorite stone that you are more partial to?   Gina: Oh, boy. Gosh. Well, my focus is 20th century jewelry. I have no favorites. I love all periods of jewelry, but because I am very much immersed these days in jewelry from 1930 to 2000, which I feel is an area of education that is not being covered enough, I tend to focus on 20th century jewelry and preferably the latter half.   Sharon: I can understand. How do you bring the jewelry in, and what do you do with it once you have it?   Gina: A typical day as a consignment director at Heritage Auctions. Well, that varies from day to day, but if you're talking about the consignment process, I could be going to visit with a client. It could be in his or her home. I could be looking at the jewelry and studying the jewelry and learning about the history behind the piece from the owner. Based on that information and based on the collection, I could be coming up with estimate ranges of what the piece of jewelry may sell for at auction. At that point, the owner of the jewelry may consign it to the auction house, at which point I take the jewelry with me and it goes through the auction process.    It gets shipped to headquarters, where it is professionally photographed. If there are any repairs that need to be done, it's done at that point. If lab reports need to be obtained, they are submitted to the labs for grading reports or gem origin identification reports. Then they go through the cataloging process, where the pieces are tested, gemstones are measured, and weight estimates are provided and entered into the system. Then all this information is compiled into the digital online catalog. If it's a signature sale, it also goes into the printed catalog and it goes to print. Those catalogs are distributed to all the bidders.    Then the marketing begins. Biographies are written and researched. Anything that will assist in helping to provide more information to a potential bidder is entered. Then the publicity begins and the public previews begin. The pieces are shipped and sent off to our major satellite offices where they are set up in jewelry showcases, and they are available for public preview. Sometimes special events are planned around these previews, and the planning behind those special events takes place as well. Once all of that is complete, then the pieces are offered up on auction day. When the pieces have successfully sold at auction, then they are packaged up again, money is collected, and the pieces are shipped to the new owners.   Sharon: Do you ever have repeat clients or repeat people who call you and say, "Gina, I have something I want to show you," because you've developed a relationship?   Gina: Yes, definitely. I have regular consignors and I have regular buyers, and sometimes they are one in the same. There are people that are constantly refining their jewelry collections, so sometimes they'll sell a piece that they no longer need, but they're also collecting pieces that are more to their evolving tastes. We have collectors. Then we also have repeat consignors. I have many clients who have accumulated lovely jewelry collections over the years, and they're very slowly thinning the collection or letting each piece go once they're ready to sell it.   Sharon: Is that because they're aging out, let's say, or they get tired of a piece?   Gina: It could be either. If you're a collector and you're refining your collection, then yes, you're refining it and you're selling pieces that no longer fit in with your style that is evolving. If you're downsizing, you could be downsizing everything in your life, including your home, your clothes and your jewelry collection. Sometimes lifestyle. Especially today, lifestyles change. We no longer wear the jewelry we used to wear, and it's just sitting around. Maybe it's time to sell those pieces to put it into something else. Maybe you want to start a college fund for your child, and that jewelry you're no longer wearing anymore is going to go into that fund. There are all kinds of reasons why people sell their jewelry. Sometimes it's a divorce settlement. Sometimes it's by court order. We've had many sales that have been by court order. The government wants to collect their taxes and it's a liquidation. Jewelry is going up for sale because it's by court order.   Sharon: It's certainly true that lifestyles change very fast and what you wore. I think, "Well, you're a middle-aged woman now. Am I going to wear what I wore when I was 20?" It's very different.   Gina, thank you very much for being here. I learned a lot. It was great to talk with you and I hope you will come back soon.   Gina: Thank you so much, Sharon. It was such a pleasure to talk to you as well.   We will have photos posted on the website. Please head to TheJewelryJourney.com to check them out.   Thank you again for listening. Please leave us a rating and review so we can help others start their own jewelry journey.    

Ep. 44 – RX Group Vice President Sarin Bachmann: Taking Luxe to the Next Level RX Group VP Sarin Bachmann shares her experience as a member of senior leadership team at RX, a public company that produces more than 400 events covering 43 sectors in 22 countries. She shines a light on the RX jewelry portfolio that she oversees — one of the few at RX that includes several events like JCK, Luxury and JIS, as well as digital and print media products for the JCK brand — JCKonline.com and JCK Magazine. We talked about: Her recent appearance as a speaker on the stage at the recent UFI Global Congress in Las Vegas where she talked about risk management and her experience with events during hurricane season in Miami, home of JIS How her team was able to achieve an impressive 24% increase in attendance at the JIS Fall Show in October in Miami Beach: Marketing the destination and capitalizing on the bleisure trend Bringing back in person: How she led the team that produced the first show for RX US in March 2021 in the jewelry sector that soared during Covid What's hot in digital in her portfolio: Everything, but especially the launch of a holiday gift guide The theme for the 2024 JCK show at the Venetian in Las Vegas: Love … she revealed What she's looking forward to in 2024: Adding a sustainability summit at JCK, which is on pace to sell out again  Giving back to the industry through the JCK Industry Fund, which has awarded more than $300,000 in grants this year  Our Guest Sarin Block Bachmann, Group Vice President of RX, is a member of RX's Senior Leadership Team and oversees RX's jewelry portfolio including JCK, Luxury, and JIS events along with the digital and print elements of the JCK brand—JCKonline.com and JCK Magazine.  One of RX's largest and most important events globally, JCK has thrived under Bachmann's leadership. Bachmann directly manages JCK while overseeing Event Leaders on both Luxury and JIS and has steered JCK to become an industry leading, award-winning event in the trade show industry, and the most important jewelry buying and educational event globally for the jewelry industry. Luxury, the curated, invitation-only event taking place alongside JCK has also been reimagined under Bachmann's portfolio as the event for the luxury jewelry community.  JCK and Luxury bring over 30,000 industry professionals together, including 18,000+ vetted attendees from over 100 countries and 2,000 exhibitors, ranging from designers, manufacturers, and gemstone wholesalers to packaging companies and technology service providers. The show covers 1.2 million square feet of exhibition space at the iconic Venetian Expo and The Venetian Las Vegas.  Under her leadership in event strategy, planning, execution, sales, attendance, acquisition, marketing, public relations, operations and special events, Bachmann has achieved all-time high ratings for both exhibitor and attendee satisfaction, loyalty and net promotion for both JCK and Luxury, increasing scores between 15 to 20% and over 30 points in NPS overall.  Furthermore, under her strategic and creative direction, JCK has led the way in becoming a top experiential event that attendees not only consider necessary for their business but also eagerly anticipate attending. In the digital realm, Bachmann led the team in bringing JCK to the industry virtually in 2020, with the JCK Virtual show being a pioneer in launching digital offers in light of the pandemic limiting face-to-face events. In March of 2021, Bachmann led the team to bring back the first show for RX US, JIS, and continued to forge the team ahead in bringing back in-person JCK and Luxury events in August as some of the first large scale trade shows returning to face-to-face, all to great success.  New to Bachmann's achievements are leading the JCK team in exceeding pre-pandemic 2019 show levels before most shows, in both sales revenue, attendance, and much higher NPS and customer satisfaction scores, with the 2022 edition marking a milestone year in the event's history and winning Trade Show Executives Gold 100 “Greatest Trade Show” of the year award. This was then followed up under Bachmann's leadership with the 2023 edition continuing to grow to a sold out show floor and increasing attendance once again. As a member of RX's senior leadership team, Bachmann plays a critical role in shaping event leaders across RX US, leading bi-monthly Event Leader meetings where key issues are discussed and best practices are shared across the division leaders.  Bachmann also leads the way with activations and experiences, playing a crucial part of JCK and serving as a model for other B2B events, along with increasing the focus on DE&I in all the industries she serves forging partnerships with key members of diverse groups including the Black in Jewelry Coalition and leading by example at her shows and RX.  Bachmann utilizes her experience in change management by serving as the Executive Sponsor and liaison for the show teams with the digital team during RX's roll out of a new registration system across RX US. Bachmann currently serves on the executive boards of the American Gem Society, Jewelers' Security Alliance, 24 Karat Club of New York, Women's Jewelry Association and UFI Global Congress Advisory, as well as on the GEM Awards committee and chair of the JCK Industry Fund committee.  Ms. Bachmann holds a BS in Business Administration from the University of Albany and the prestigious honor of having been invited to participate in the GE Management Development Course. She was also one of a select few to be chosen for the Reed Elsevier Business University.  Her career trajectory began in consulting as a Process Design Consultant with Andersen Consulting (Accenture). She expanded into communications as a Six Sigma certified Master Black Belt for General Electric at NBC and later became the Director of E-Business for NBC's Broadcast and Network Operations Division.  Now serving close to two decades in show management, Bachmann is a well-rounded and well-known professional, highly regarded throughout the jewelry and trade show industries. When she is not achieving record breaking results in the industry, Bachmann is spending time with her husband, visiting her two sons in college, taking a workout class, or relaxing on a beautiful beach. Awards & Accolades for JCK and Luxury under Bachmann's Leadership (Present – 2019): Trade Show Executive – 2023 Gold 100 Grand Award “The Greatest Trade Show” of 2022  RX GLOBAL – Building Business Awards: 2022 Show of the Year  RX USA – Team of the Year Award 2022 Trade Show Executive – 2022 Fastest 50 in all three categories for JCK – Attendance, Exhibitors, Square Feet, and all three shows JCK, Luxury & JIS receiving Fastest 50 Awards AEO Excellence Awards (UK) Short List Finalist for 2022 Best International Show – Americas  Trade Show Executive – 2022 Gold 100 Grand Award “The Show Must Go On” for 2021 event Tradeshow News Network (TSNN) 2022 Comeback Award, Outstanding Attendance for 2021 event Trade Show Executive – Grand Award Gold 100 “Return to Normal” for 2020 event Tradeshow News Network (TSNN) Best of Technology Award for JCK Match program 2019 Podcast Host: Danica Tormohlen  An award-winning journalist who has covered the trade show industry since 1994, Danica Tormohlen is VP of Content for Tarsus Group, which was recently acquired by Informa for $940 million. In her role, she oversees content for Trade Show News Network, Corporate Event News and Exhibit News Now. These leading media brands publish websites, newsletters, social media channels, video, podcasts and online and in-person programming for the trade show, corporate event and exhibition industries. Tormohlen currently serves as a board member for Women in Exhibitions Network North America chapter. She has been a speaker and moderator at major industry events, including the TSNN Awards, IMEX, IAEE, SISO, UFI, ESCA and Large Show Roundtable — to name a few. Thank you to our sponsor!  Zenus What if you could prove your event is working with hard facts and learn how to make it even better? With Zenus's Ethical Vision AI, you can protect your budget and have detailed reporting. Learn how that's all possible at Zenus.AI  

JCK editor-in-chief Victoria Gomelsky and news director Rob Bates discuss the much-anticipated reopening of Tiffany & Co.'s iconic Fifth Avenue store, now called The Landmark. Victoria also reports on her recent trip to Geneva for Watches and Wonders, where traffic was brisk, the mood was upbeat, and Rolex wowed the crowds with unexpected splashes of color and whimsy. Rob updates listeners on what's new at Signet Jewelers after attending a recent Investors' Day at the New York Stock Exchange.Sponsored by De Beers: institute.debeers.comShow Notes00:49: Tiffany & Co. Reimagines its Famous Flagship05:30: Rob Heads to AGS Conclave to Gauge the State of the Industry07:10: Rolex Brightens a Busy Watches and Wonders Exhibition15:18: What's New at Signet Jewelers Episode CreditsHosts: Rob Bates and Victoria GomelskyProducer and engineer: Natalie ChometPlugs: @jckmagazine; institute.debeers.com Show Recap Tiffany Offers a Sneak Peek at its Reimagined FlagshipVictoria seldom flies across the country to attend a party, but she's making an exception for the much-anticipated reopening of Tiffany & Co.'s Fifth Avenue flagship store on May 27th. After a three-year closure and a complete makeover, what will The Landmark—as it's now called—look like? Rob remembers visiting the iconic store as a JCK mystery and being surprised to find it warmly welcoming. It was almost homey in those days, he says. Victoria predicts the new iteration will be decidedly sleeker and more luxe since the brand's target demographic is now considerably more affluent. “There's a parallel story about the importance of brick-and-mortar,” Victoria observes. When she interviewed Tiffany CEO Anthony Ledru recently, he called The Landmark “the heart and soul of Tiffany.” The company is putting a major focus on its physical stores, expanding and renovating flagships in Seoul, Sao Paolo, and other parts of the world, she adds. When the pandemic reached its zenith, it looked like the future might be entirely virtual and digital, but “that's not the case at all,” Victoria says. “The importance of brick and mortar is more apparent than ever.” Rob to Moderate Conclave PanelVictoria's not the only one with travel plans. In early May Rob will head to Louisville, Kentucky, for the American Gem Society's Conclave event, where he'll moderate an expert panel on how the industry is faring in 2023 and gauge the outlook for the future. Victoria is eager to hear his takeaways. She predicts JCK's audience will be too. “It's been a confusing year, with the lingering specter of recession,” she points out. “People are waiting for some guidance.” Rolex Brightens a Busy Watches and WondersThe conversation shifts to Victoria's recent trip to Switzerland for Watches and Wonders in Geneva. This year's bustling conference was a far cry from the quiet show of 2022, when quarantine kept Chinese buyers, retailers, and press away. “It felt upbeat and buzzy” in spite of the logistical frustrations inevitable in a crowded convention center, she says. The optimism surprised Victoria, who expected the drop in secondary watch prices after last spring's crypto collapse to put a damper on people's moods. Instead she found an enthusiastic crowd and a robust array of new offerings. The most talked-about were whimsical, colorful watches from Rolex, a new direction for the brand. One featured a Celebration Dial with balloons in a rainbow of colors. Another was an off-catalogue model with 31 emojis and seven inspirational words like “love” and “faith” instead of dates and days of the week. Victoria says this is the first time she has seem Rolex introduce a concept piece and, despite some hate from internet trolls, show attendees loved the fresh, vivid newcomers. She gives the company kudos for introducing innovative offerings that break through some sameness in the category. Rob asks about Rolex's recently introduced Certified Pre-Owned Programme. Victoria says people still aren't sure how it will work, but she thinks secondhand dealers are likely diversifying and refocusing on other brands because they may not be able to compete with Rolex's proprietary program. Signet Focuses on Affordable LuxuryTurning their attention back to the U.S., Rob reports on the Signet Jewelers' Investor Day he recently attended at the New York Stock Exchange. He was impressed by the executive team—and the fact that the majority of its members are female. “Five years ago it would have been all men and one woman,” he notes. “It's a very different company than before Gina Drosos took the helm” and one he believes is in very capable hands. Signet is focusing on expanding its accessible luxury offerings, though Victoria notes that the term is highly subjective. We all define “affordable” differently. In Signet's case, Rob expects it will mean higher price points. The company also plans to expand its bridal offerings and to attract female shoppers, a goal that may pose challenges for traditionally male-focused names like Jared, James Allen, Blue Nile, and Diamonds Direct, Rob says. These four companies were once competitors, so finding their place in the Signet family of brands may take some time, Rob predicts. Signet also reported that engagements are expected to return to normal levels now that the boom is subsiding. Rob points out that Signet has become the go-to source for market statistics, data that he and Victoria agree is extremely valuable for the industry.

Lisa Bridge, CEO of jewelry chain Ben Bridge, discusses her recent appointment as president of the American Gem Society and the mood among US jewelry retailers heading into the second half of 2022.  

  In this episode, I share my interview with Megan Crabtree, the founder of Crabtree Advisory. Before starting her business, she built a long and successful career in the jewelry industry, culminating in senior sales roles with several leading firms in the jewelry retail and manufacturing space. She's a true industry veteran. She's personally provided training to more than 1,500 jewelry retailers throughout the US & Canada. She's traveled the world and visited jewelry factories to solve quality issues in China, India, Dubai and Turkey. Crabtree Advisory helps jewelry manufacturers and retailers to streamline, improve quality and sell more. Their clients gain on average 30-60% more revenue after working with Crabtree Advisory. In this episode, we chat about: - Storytelling and brand development specifically for manufacturers but also offering - Secrets of successful manufacturer and retailer partnerships - Tips for building and growing a product assortment in a strategic way - And more! We also chat about American Gem Society's Conclave. I'm purposely publishing this episode the week of April 24th because during this week, Megan and I will both be at Conclave presenting and meeting in person for the first time! Links mentioned in this episode: Sparkle Award: https://sparkleaward.com https://imgur.com/HEqCiCg Transcript: Crabtree Advisory: https://crabtreeadvisory.com/

If Bling Is Your Thing or you are looking for a Sweet Treat to amp up the romance this Valentine's Day, then you will LOVE this show. Valentine's Day can elicit a variety of responses depending upon your perspective; from excitement and anticipation to doubt and despair. On this episode Ken Bacon, General Manager of Michael's Jewelers/Canton and Miriam Rieder of Taste by Spellbound/Avon, share with hosts Gena Hamilton of Exact Digital Media and Michael Mezheritskiy of Milestone Asset Management Group their take on selecting the perfect gift of jewelry to suit every budget or that custom crafted confection that will make your taste buds delight, and how to make the day less stressful and extra-special. ------------------------------------------------ Ken Bacon started at Michael's Jewelers in 1986. He is currently general manager of the Michael's Jewelers located in The Shops at Farmington Valley in Canton. He is a Gemologist through the Gemological Institute of America and a Certified Gemologist through the American Gem Society. Miriam Rieder is a self-taught baker who started her first business at age 11. In March 2011 she was discovered by Elvis Duran and The Morning Show which led to the nationwide launch of her web-based truffle business. With the opening of her dessert studio the following year, Miriam continues to creatively fuse fashion, food, and interior design to create a magical atmosphere of enchantment that is sure to leave you ... SPELLBOUND.

What you'll learn in this episode: The history of JCK and the JCK Show How Victoria identifies trends to highlight in JCK Why the line between women's jewelry and men's jewelry has blurred, especially among younger consumers How travel influences jewelry design The most exciting new designers Victoria has her eye on About Victoria Gomelsky Victoria Gomelsky is editor-in-chief of JCK, a New York City-based jewelry trade publication founded in 1869. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Robb Report, AFAR, WSJ Magazine, the Hollywood Reporter, Escape, The Sun and Waking Up American: Coming of Age Biculturally, an anthology published by Seal Press. She graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from UCLA with a BA in political science in 1995 and earned her MFA in nonfiction writing from Columbia University in 2002. She specializes in jewelry and watch writing but her greatest love has always been travel — 60 countries and counting. Victoria was born in St. Petersburg, Russia and emigrated to the United States in 1978 with her parents and twin sister, Julia. She divides her time between New York City and Los Angeles. Additional Resources:  Victoria's Website Victoria's Instagram Photos: Victoria Gomelsky watches: Transcript: Victoria Gomelsky, editor in chief of esteemed jewelry trade publication JCK, was bitten by the travel bug during her first-ever trip—when she and her family immigrated to the U.S. from the Soviet Union in the late 1970s. Since then, she's visited more than 60 countries, often traveling to visit jewelry shows and report on jewelry trends. She joined the Jewelry Journey Podcast to talk about how her career in jewelry started with a mysterious online job posting; why Gen Z is changing the way we categorize jewelry; and where to find her favorite jewelry destinations. Read the episode transcript here.   Sharon: Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Jewelry Journey Podcast. This is a two-part Jewelry Journey Podcast. Keep your eyes open for part two, which we'll be posting later this week. Today, our guest is Victoria Gomelsky, editor-in-chief of the well-known industry publication JCK. Victoria is an accomplished writer. She's written about jewelry for the New York Times as well as an extensive list of respected publications. She also covers another of her passions, which is travel. She's had a quite a jewelry journey, as she was born in Russia and has been to more than 60 countries and counting. We'll hear all about her jewelry journey today. Victoria, welcome back to the program. Sharon: I have to ask you, why Las Vegas in July or in June? It's hot then.    Victoria: You know it's hot. It was this year that it was actually pushed back to August, which was so much hotter. It was hard to even fathom. I think the timing is such because it works well for the majors, the majors being the signets and the chain jewelers who really need to plan out their holiday buying much earlier than your average small boutique owner. A lot of it has to do with the schedule that makes sense for the industry. It's Vegas because it's hard to imagine another city that is appropriate for a giant tradeshow—   Sharon: That's true.   Victoria: That's easy to get, that has ample hotel room space. There are certainly smaller conferences that have been around the country. The American Gem Society has its annual conclave in a different city every year, but it's much, much smaller. It's convenience and ease of access, and I've gotten used to it. I don't love Vegas, but it does feel like my year is incomplete without my week at JCK. I've been going since 2000, so it's hard to imagine a year without it.   Sharon: How far in advance are you planning your publications? Are you thinking about the December issue in August?   Victoria: Well, if we had a December issue, yes.    Sharon: If it was an issue online?   Victoria: Online we can pull together pretty quickly. If it's a big feature, we like to plan it at least a month in advance, but so much of online is responding to what's happening in the world. Especially with the pandemic, it was really hard to plan because, as did everybody, we hit those walls where we thought, “This may not be relevant in a month.” Things were so changeable and volatile.    Online has a much different pace, but in terms of the print issue, we'll start planning the issue that heads out the door on the eve of JCK Vegas 2022. It'll probably go out in late May, and we'll probably start thinking about that in January in terms of big picture ideas. Just this morning, I was asked to give a sketch of content for a section on colored stones. It's hard to do that really early. You want to be timely. You want to be thoughtful about what people are thinking and what's happening the world.    Especially if an issue's coming out in the spring, I feel like after the holiday makes the most sense, because the holiday in the jewelry industry, as you can imagine or know, is everything. It's still the bulk of sales. The bulk of news comes out of this fourth quarter. To plan content without knowing how the holidays have gone is going to miss the mark, unless you're planning something general and vague. So, I like to wait until early January to start thinking about what makes sense and what people are talking about, what the news is.   Sharon: In terms of the holidays, since they're around the corner right now, you must have some features that are holiday-related that you think about early on, maybe in September or August.   Victoria: We do. If it's not about the holiday, it's about what people might start thinking about for the holiday. We do a lot of trend coverage on JCK, a lot of specific trend coverage, whether it be men's jewelry or something else. I'm actually working on a series of special report newsletters that go out every Monday in November all around the men's jewelry theme. We've covered colored stones, pearls, bridal. We tackle everything with a slight angle towards the holiday, questions like: Is this worth stocking? What are the trends? What kinds of things might retailers keep in mind as they prepare?    JCK is very much a style and trend publication, but it's also a business publication for people who happen to own jewelry businesses. We do a lot of marketing coverage, technology, social media apps that people need to know that might make them more efficient in their business. You could take jewelry out of a lot of what we cover and put in another field, whether it's fashion or home good or anything, and it might apply in terms of the strategies people might want to use to target customers, what they need to know. We try to cover it from all facets. It's always been a publication for businessowners in the jewelry space, so there's a lot of general business information we try to make sure our readers are aware of.   Sharon: If you're looking at trends, I'm thinking about the non-jewelry person that would go to Vogue or Harper's Bazaar or something like that—I'm dating myself, I realize—who can go online. I still think in terms of putting it online, like everybody else. Tell us about men's jewelry. Are men wearing more jewelry than before?   Victoria: Yes, they really are. It's funny, because I've been 20 years covering jewelry, and every four or five years, I'm either asked to or I initiate a story about the men's jewelry renaissance. There's always been something to say over the last 20 years. I do a lot of freelance writing for the New York Times. I did a piece for the Times about seven years ago, and there was a lot to say. There were a lot of jewelers introducing new men's collections and different takes on the subject, but no time has felt quite as relevant to that topic as now.    I think if you look to some of the most famous pop artists we see today, whether it's Harry Styles or Justin Bieber, the Jonas Brothers, Lil Nas X, any of these pop culture personalities, they are draped in jewelry, and not just any jewelry. A lot of them are draped in pearls, which for many of us are the most feminine gem around. There is this great, very interesting conversation about genderless or gender agnosticism in jewelry. Should we even define jewelry as a men's piece versus a woman's piece? Why not just make jewelry? Maybe it's a little more masculine/minimalist. Maybe it's a little more feminine/elaborate or diamond-set, but let it appeal to who it appeals to. Why do you need to tell people who it's for? It's a conversation.    I also write about watches quite a bit, and it's a conversation the watch world is grappling with, more so this year than any other year. Do we need to tell women that this is a “lady's watch”? Why don't we just market a watch, whether it, again, has feminine design codes or masculine design codes. Let whoever is interested in it buy it. We don't need to tell people what categories they are allowed to be interested in. It's been a very interesting conversation. I think fashion is embroiled in this conversation too, and it's been exciting to see.    When I talk about men's jewelry, I think what happens is that much of the industry still needs these categories because at retail, for example, a retailer might get a bunch of jewelry and they need to know how to merchandise or how to display it. For those kinds of problems, you still want to say, “O.K., well, this is my men's showcase,” but I think slowly things are changing. I don't know if in five years or 10 years, we'll even need those topics anymore. I think we'll just have a showcase of jewels. Again, they might be more minimalist or plainer, and they might appeal to men or women or people who consider themselves nonbinary.    Sharon: That's interesting, especially with watches, because when women wear men's watches, that's a fashion statement today.   Victoria: Very much so. I did a huge piece on female collectors for the Times in early 2020, and all of them wore men's pieces and felt a little grieved that they were being told what a woman's watch is. A woman's watch is a watch worn by a woman; that's it. I think the same might be true for jewelry. A men's jewel is a jewel worn by a man and so on. It's been an interesting thing to see evolve, and certainly there's a lot of momentum behind it. I think we'll slowly see these categories dissolve.   Sharon: There's a lot. I haven't seen men wearing brooches. Some of what you're talking about, to me, still has a way to go.   Victoria: A lot of it is being driven by Gen Z, Millennials, younger generations who look to their style icons like Harry Styles, as I mentioned. They're draped in a feather boa and necklaces. As that generation comes up they're going to age, and they're eventually going to be 30 or 40 and they'll be quite comfortable with jewelry because, 20 years later, they've been wearing it all these decades. But yeah, today, if you ask your average guy if he's going to wear a pearl necklace, I'm sure the answer's no, but I think these things do change. They change quicker than we expect them to. It's so much of what we see and what seems O.K. A lot of men might want to do that or might think they would look good in a pearl necklace.    I keep coming back to it because pearls are, again, the most feminine of gems, at least in terms of the lore we talk about, how we talk about them. Yet you see them on people like the Jonas Brothers or, for that matter, big, beautiful, iced-out Cuban chains. You see those on rappers or on hip hop stars. There is this communication out in the world where if you're just a regular guy and you're cruising through your Instagram and seeing these images, it all says to you, “This is O.K. This is right. Go for it if you're feeling it.” I think there is a lot more leeway in today's society to express yourself the way you want to. I think it's wonderful. It's quite exciting to see those barriers break down and have these conversations. It's been cool to write about.   Sharon: It would be interesting to have this conversation in 20 years. You reminded me of a conversation I had recently with an antique jewelry dealer about cufflinks. I said to her, “Cufflinks? Who wears cufflinks? I'm in Los Angeles.” Well, you're in Los Angeles too. Even the most staid businessperson, you don't see him with a cufflink, ever. I don't know.   Victoria: Maybe about a month ago, my boyfriend and I were invited to the opening of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, which just opened in September in the heart of Miracle, right next to LACMA. It was a big gala affair sponsored by Rolex, which is a huge supporter of the Academy and the Oscars and now the museum. It was wonderful; it was like a little Oscars event, except it wasn't televised. It was black-tie glamor. Hollywood glamor was the theme, so my boyfriend rented a tux; he doesn't own one, of course, because we're in L.A. and it's a pandemic. Who needs a tux? But he got a tux, and I was gutted that I didn't have cufflinks for him or that he didn't have his own. He rented some, I think; he had a few shirt studs he was able to get from the rental place, but it was the first time. I thought, “Oh my God, cufflinks!” and we had a wonderful time. It was really exciting to be back in the world in such a fabulous way. It really felt special.   Sharon: I didn't realize it had opened. I was at LACMA, the L.A. County Museum of Art, this weekend and there was a big crowd around the Academy Museum, but I didn't realize it had opened. My antique jewelry dealer friend was also saying that she has collectors who collect antique cufflinks. I thought, “That's interesting.” I didn't know that was a collector's item in some circles, I guess.   Victoria: Yeah, when I think about it, there are a lot of great ones in London. If you ever go through Mayfair or Old Bond Street and you find those antique dealers there—there's Deakin & Francis, an old U.K. firm that specializes in cufflinks. I've never owned any, but now that we're talking about it, I feel I need to buy my partner some.   Sharon: I stopped buying my husband them 20 years ago when they just sat on his dresser not worn. I said, “O.K., I tried.” You're a traveler. You've been to how many countries?   Victoria: I lose track. It depends a little on how you count countries. I think I've counted Macao separately from China, even though it's a special administrative region of Hong Kong. Somewhere around 60. It might be about 61 or 62. A lot of countries I've been to—I mean, I've been to Switzerland at least 20 times, Brazil five times, Russia four times. I keep going back to places even though it's always very exciting to take another country off my list. As I mentioned earlier, I was a backpacker after college. My first trip was to Central America with some girlfriends with backpacks on. We took off for three months. We went to Costa Rica and Panama and Venezuela, and I ended up in the Caribbean for a couple of weeks.    I had already started a little bit of traveling. Initially, we came from Russia as a kid. I think when we left Russia in late 1978 as part of the exodus of Soviet Jews from the Soviet Union, we were allowed to seek asylum in the States. We took this journey via Vienna and then Rome and ended up in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, of all places, because that's where we had an invitation. We had to have a formal invitation because we were political refugees.    I think very early on, even though it was never articulated to me—it was something I felt in my bones—I thought that travel was a way to lead a better life. It was a road to a better life, as it was for us. Early on that knowledge imprinted on me, on my soul. In high school, I started saving money to go to an exchange program in Spain. That was my first real trip outside—I'd gone to Mexico with my family, but I had never traveled outside of that. So, I had the bug. After college, I was always interested in slightly more offbeat places.    One of my favorite places in the whole world—and I dream about going back all time—is India. I love places that still feel like they're not discovered. Clearly, India's very discovered, but it's not as easy to travel there as it might be to go to Europe. I love Europe and Paris and London as much as the next person, but there's always something that feels a little easy in those spots. I love Southeast Asia. I went to Vietnam in the 90s a couple of times. I loved it. I love Malaysia. I love the food there. I love the smells and the culture. I love things that feel different. India couldn't be more different than our lives. A lot of the same people go between the two, between L.A. and India, for example, and you'll find a lot of creature comforts in places like Mumbai. The culture and the heritage and the history, the way of life and the way people look at life is so, so different, and I'm really drawn to that. I like going places that test me a little bit.   Sharon: How do your jewelry and travel intersect? I'm sure you're traveling to the shows like Basle. India must be a great place for jewels. I don't know about the shows there.   Victoria: My first trip to India was for a show. There's a famous show—famous, I guess, depending on the circles you move in—in Mumbai called the India International Jewelry Show. That was my first reason to get to India in 2004. I ended up going back to do some reports on the diamond trade there. Mumbai is a real hub of diamonds, so I was going back to do research and then Jaipur in the north. Rajasthan is famous for its colored-stone industry. There are tons of colored-stone dealers and cutters and jewelers there, including the very famous Gem Palace, which I visited a couple of times.   My most recent trip to India was in 2017 to Jaipur to attend a conference on colored stones. It happened to intersect with a fair I had always wanted to go to called the Pushkar Camel Fair. Nothing to do with jewelry, although of course you see lots of jewelry in India. Jewelry's a ubiquitous thing there. When I went to this conference in Jaipur, my partner ended up meeting me. We spent a few days in Jaipur together, went down to Udaipur, which is a wonderful town in the south of Rajasthan, just stunning in terms of its history and heritage and hotels and palaces. Then we finished off in Pushkar, also in Rajasthan, at this camel fair. My entrée was for jewelry, but I try to explore as much as I can around it.    India's just remarkable. I'm very pleased that jewelry has such a natural and obvious connection to India because anytime I can have a work trip, take me there. Then if I can add on to it, I do. My son is only three—he's not even three; he's three in November, but I'm thinking, “How old does he have to be to go to India? What is too young to take a young, little guy to India?” Maybe when he's seven, hopefully.    Sharon: That's an interesting question. It could be three. There are people who are 33 who won't go because they're too afraid. It's on my list, but you're so adventurous.   Victoria: I wouldn't have pegged myself as the adventurous sort, at least not in high school. I was very type A. I was student body president. I was a cheerleader. I was very on track at least to go to college and who knows what after that, but I never really thought of myself as a risktaker and an adventure seeker. After spending time in Southeast Asia—I went to backpack there in the 90s, through Vietnam and Cambodia and Malaysia and Singapore—it just settled in my bones. I wanted more and more and more. Those places feel adventurous, but once you get there, they're not as challenging—well, they are challenging in that there's a lot of poverty; the heat is oppressive; it's hard sometimes to figure out your way around if the signage isn't clear and you don't speak the language, but I genuinely feel like the world is full of very good people. Maybe a few bad apples in there, but most people are very kind. So, it's easier than it seems.   Sharon: Do you think if somebody is a jewelry designer or looking at the field or profession, that travel would inform what they do?   Victoria: Oh, 100 percent yes. There are some jewelers who very much look to other cultures or travel. I think of Lydia Courteille, who's a Parisian jeweler who does insanely elaborate, beautiful gem-set pieces usually after a trip somewhere. She's done pieces based on the Mayan heritage. I believe she traveled to Guatemala. She's done pieces based on myths from Russia and India, and a lot of her collections really are inspired by travel she's taken.    There's another jeweler who's part Mexican, part French, named Colette. She has incredible jewels, a lot of them takes on various places she's visited. I think if I were a jeweler, I would certainly use travel as a jumping-off point to create a collection. I can't think of anything more evocative than a jewel that reminds you of a place you've been or the color of the ocean. A lot of people go to Greece and create a beautiful blue jewel that reminds them of the Aegean. Why not?    Sharon: I'm thinking of Thierry Vendome, where he goes and finds rusted pieces on his travels and then he'll come back and incorporate them. One piece had a grenade—   Victoria: An exploded grenade.   Sharon: An exploded grenade, yeah. Tell us who we should keep our eyes on, the top three you think of we should keep our eyes on.   Victoria: I just wrote about a jeweler that I only saw in person recently in Las Vegas at the Couture show, but I had Zoomed with them. They are Mumbai-based. It's a company called Studio Renn. It's a husband and wife named Rahul and Roshni Jhaveri, and they create jewelry for art lovers that really does live at the intersection between art and jewelry, philosophy, design. Sometimes you have to talk to them to hear the inspiration, but for example, one of them—they had stumbled across an object on a walk around Lake Tansa, which is a lake on the outskirts of Mumbai. There was this conversation they had about what it means to give something attention. Does that put value on the piece? And for them, it was this exploration of the meaning of value. They took this piece that was an organic object. They didn't tell me what it was. They cast it. They 3D scanned the whole thing and then encased it in precious metal, put rubies inside it in a way that you could only see them if you shone a light on the piece. There was this written source of very layered, complicated but also beautiful jewelry. They're just very interesting. They're really thoughtful.   Sharon: How do you spell Renn?   Victoria: R-e-n-n.   Sharon: I have to say it's the second time this week that somebody has mentioned them as somebody to keep your eye on.   Victoria: Yeah, I was thrilled to speak to them, and I ended up doing a piece for the New York Times on them. An Up Next Profile is what the column is called, because even though they've been around for a few years and they're not brand new, they're obviously new to people in the States. They are exploring this market. They worked a tour for the first time. They're really lovely and interesting and do beautiful work.    Another jeweler that's gotten a ton of attention—I know her pretty well personally. She is a client of a very good friend of mine. Her name is Lauren Harwell Godfrey, and her collection is called Harwell Godfrey. She's gotten a ton of attention over the last year. In fact, I just saw that she was nominated for a GEM Award, which is like the Oscars of the jewelry industry. The ceremony takes place in January in New York. She was nominated in the design category. Really fantastic use of color, lots of interesting motifs that feel very signature to her, lots of geometric work. We ended up commissioning a piece for my mom for her 75th birthday that my dad gifted to her this last summer. it wasn't a super bespoke piece, but there were bespoke elements to it. It was by Harwell Godfrey. She's a really lovely woman, super-talented designer based in Marin in Northern California.   I'll name one more. He's a really interesting guy. He does a ton of work with AI, artificial intelligence, in a way that scares a lot of people that are used to jewelry as this handmade, soulful object. His point is that there's no less soul in it, even though a computer helped to generate an algorithm that created a pattern that he inputs into this machine. His name is Nick Koss. His company is called Volund Jewelry. He's based in Canada and has a very interesting background that I cannot even attempt to encapsulate because it's rich and complicated, but he does really interesting jewelry. A lot of it is using 3D modelling software, AI, but in a thoughtful way. Again, there is lots of meaning baked into the way he sees things. He could talk about it very intelligently. He does custom work. You can go down a real rabbit hole with him. Check him out on Instagram. It's V-o-l-u-n-d.   I have a soft spot for one jeweler because I wrote a whole book on them that was published by Assouline probably six or seven years ago. It's a company called Lotus Arts de Vivre. They're based in Bangkok. They've been around since the early 80s, I want to say. It's a real family business. The patriarch is originally from Germany. He moved to Bangkok in the 60s and fell in love with a woman who had been born in Thailand but was the product of many years of intermarriage. Her grandfather was a Scottish captain who fell in love with a tribeswoman from north Thailand. Her other grandfather was an Englishman who married a woman from Malaysia. So, she was the distillation of generations of inner marriage between European and Asian backgrounds. They have this huge compound in Bangkok, and they have two sons that now help run the business.    They do extraordinary objects in jewelry. They started out as jewelers, but they do everything from home goods to accessories for people's cars. They use a lot of natural materials in addition to the finest gemstones. They use Golconda diamonds or emeralds from the Panjshir Valley in Afghanistan combined with snakeskin and buffalo horn and different woods. They're huge on different exotic woods from across southeast Asia. They find the finest craftspeople across Asia, whether it's lacquer artists from China or Japan to carvers from Indonesia. They will employ those crafts in their work, and it's just stunning.    They used to be with Bergdorf Goodman for many, many years. They are still available in the States. In fact, they won at the recent Couture show for some of their work. So, they're still here and they're everywhere. They have boutiques in different hotels, especially in Asia, like the Peninsula in Hong Kong or Raffles in Singapore. They have a presence, but they're not as well known, I would say, in the States.   Sharon: I'll check them out, especially if you wrote a whole book about them.    Victoria: The family is beyond interesting. It's the von Bueren family. He's a raconteur, somebody who you could listen to for hours. He's very, very interesting and has seen a lot, and their clients are very interesting. They appeal to a lot of high-society people across Asia, so they have these events. They have a space, a showroom, at their factory in Bangkok right on the river, and they host these soirées that are just magnificent.   Sharon: Wow! I'm sure you know all the ins and outs. You can go down a long list of jewelers and manufacturers. You could tell me about all of them. Victoria, thank you so much for being here today. This is so interesting. I'm sure our audience will enjoy hearing what you have to say about JCK since it is such a stalwart. Thank you very much.   Victoria: Thank you, Sharon. This is lovely. Thank you for giving me such an opportunity to talk about myself.   Sharon: So glad to have you.   We will have images posted on the website. You can find us wherever you download your podcasts, and please rate us. Please join us next time, when our guest will be another jewelry industry professional who will share their experience and expertise. Thank you so much for listening.   Thank you again for listening. Please leave us a rating and review so we can help others start their own jewelry journey.  

The special guest this week is Mark Allan Maurer, II of Vanscoy, Mauer & Bash Diamond Jewelers in Lancaster. This episode provides great insight of the day-to-day battle that businesses of varying size have vs the behemoths on Main Street. We will be LIVE! so please join the discussion.Mark Mauer started the store back in 1981, so this is his 40th year and it is Mark Allan's 27th year. When they bought Bash Jewelers in 2004, they assumed their legacy which goes back to 1956.They are the only David Yurman dealer between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh and also the only Rolex Jeweler between Philadelphia and Camp Hill. They've also been importing diamonds directly from the Fischler Diamond Co. of Antwerp, Belgium for 37 of the 40 years they've been in business. They truly import in a way that no other jeweler does in the great Central Pennsylvania area.The Maurer Star Diamond is very special and every Maurer Star is hand selected by either Mark Allan or Mark Mauer and put through the rigorous standards of the American Gem Society. There are very few AGS stores in the area and they are proud to be a member of the American Gem Society (AGS) as they are an organization has high standards for ethics and education.

Hear from Michael Joers of Ben Bridge. Michael Joers is a registered jeweler with the American Gem Society and an assistant manager at Ben Bridge in the Northgate Mall. We sit down to talk about wedding rings and how to know you’re getting a good deal, some things to keep in mind if you’re shopping for jewelry online and his own recent wedding planning experience. www.bestmadeweddingvideos.com

In this episode of "The Barb Wire", host Barbara Palumbo talks — and plays a drinking game — Alexis Padis, director of operations at the successful San Francisco-area jewelry store, Padis Jewelry, plus the company's side business, Padis Vineyards. Padis is also the youngest member of the board of the American Gem Society and was a 2017 "Award of Excellence " winner from the Women's Jewelry Association. Discussion topics include the role of millennials in the jewelry industry, as well as unfounded prejudices against millennials in the jewelry business. The two discuss the rise of Padis Jewelry from her father selling puka shells out of his car trunk to an area fixture serving San Francisco's rising "Cloud Corridor" of key tech businesses. And also how her father's "side hustle" turned into a successful Napa Valley vineyard and wine label. The episode includes lots of drinks (the two challenge each other to finish a glass every time the word "Conclave" is mentioned), as well as shoutouts to John Carter (yet again), Cindy Chandler, Denise Richards, Joshua Israileff, Dave Bindra and more. Introducing "The Barb Wire". Think of it as talk radio for the jewelry business.

Jacques Voorhees – Current Founder and CEO VeriChannel LLC After selling Polygon to Mediagrif Technologies, Jacques Voorhees launched his newest venture, VeriChannel. This company operates jewelry industry search engines in both the B2B and B2C space. Clients include De Beers' Forevermark, Independent Jewelers Organization, American Gem Society, and Worldmart*E in Panyu, China. The company's consumer-facing search engine is Gemfling.com. Prior: Founder and CEO Polygon Network, Inc. Polygon was the original, and is today one of the industry's primary, B2B online marketplaces, accounting for millions of dollars of transactions per day, and with over $4 billion in product listed daily. Find Jacques on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/jvoorhees and let him know what you think about The Museum of Named Diamonds http://nameddiamonds.org/ Jacques decides to get into the diamond industry: Has no background No background No experience How did he create the company? After being told be everyone that he was crazy to get into the diamond industry because there is no way to sell an investment diamond after buying: “If there's 26 billion dollars going into diamonds as an investment each year, and there is no liquid marketplace for these investors, then by god, someone needs to create one. And that was the light bulb moment from which I decided to create Polygon.” 1970's: “Throw computers at it, and you could probably come up with a liquid market for diamonds.” 2 Things that Jacques sees as important attributes for entrepreneurs but not talked about enough: 1) Interpersonal Skills: Read Dale Carnegie's “How to Win Friends and Influence People” Practice: Go onto social media and debate politics. Try to engage people in a way where none of the Jacques talks about Verichannel, and the company he is most excited about: “The Museum of Named Diamonds” http://nameddiamonds.org/ Productivity hack: Facebooking and creating relationships worldwide Book recommendation: “Up the organization” Older book – exposed Jacques eyes to how a corporation runs http://www.amazon.com/Up-Organization-Corporation-Stifling-Strangling/dp/0787987751 Most influential entrepreneur: Don Wilson Founded LexisNexis, and mentored Jacques https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._Donald_Wilson Jacques knows more about the founding of LexisNexis than possibly anyone in the planet – follow up episode? If Jacques could change the world: He would change education. Make ~50% of K12, college education be focused on entrepreneurship. “The whole educational system is oriented around: 'Oh you you have to learn all these things so you can go out and get a job. No. That shouldn't be the focus. The focus should be how to create a viable business.” Find Jacques on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/jvoorhees and let him know what you think about The Museum of Named Diamonds http://nameddiamonds.org/

World-renowned master diamond cutter, educator, diamantaire, and designer Mike Botha gives us insights into the Sirius Star, the world’s brightest diamond. We talk about the importance of the American Gem Society, Jewelers of America, Diamond Bourse of Canada and Responsible Jewellery Council.

Laura Stanley is a dynamic 3rd generation jeweler and the Vice President of Stanley Jewelers Gemologist in North Little Rock Arkansas. Laura shares what it took to actually cut the Esperanza Diamond in the store while it was open for business.   She also gives the story of the woman who found the diamond how it became associated with the American Gem Society.  

Our seventh episode features Laura Stanley who is a 3rd generation jeweler in North Little Rock Arkansas. Laura talks about the “Jewelers for Children” charity and how the American Gem Society is changing to stay ahead of the times. She also covers the impact estate jewelry could have in your jewelry store, and so much more. 

Tips from one of the leading consumer protection agencies in the jewelry industry on everything you need to know before purchasing a diamond. Ruth Batson, Executive Director and CEO of The American Gem Society explains everything you need to know about purchasing a diamond and how to avoid falling victim to the misinformation on the Internet.