Q: What jewelry is topping your open-to-buy for the Las Vegas Show?
“JCK is the premiere jewelry event for our industry and it’s the best trade show to discover what’s new and trending in jewelry designs. We begin that effort by visiting our current vendors for reorders and to review their new designs. As the head buyer, I also work with my team to get a sense of what customers are asking for to possibly buy for the store. In bridal, halo designs are still strong, but we’re also noticing a trend toward bridal jewelry in rose gold and rose gold accents set with pink diamonds. Vintage-inspired designs continue to trend well for us, too. For color, we’ve noticed an increased interest in amethyst, garnet, aqua and blue zircon. When it comes to color, we’ll be looking for well-made jewelry set with semi-precious colored gems with a little diamond accent. Quality is key in all our jewelry choices. I look at the undercarriages and the prong work to make sure that the quality and craftsmanship is there. For fashion, micro pavé rings, necklaces and stacking bands are big with Millennials. And, we’ll be on the lookout for fine Swiss watches that have a stronger mix of women’s watches versus men’s styles.”
Helain Pesis, co-owner
Continental Diamond
Minneapolis, MN
“The JCK event in Las Vegas is one of our most exciting times of the year. My merchandiser and myself spend the first six months of the year analyzing our data and recognizing trends. We also set up our appointments based on the bread & butter items that we are continuing to sell through and through. As we discovered, a big place that we have seen trending are diamonds 2-carat and above and gold fashion jewelry. Our goal is to supply our customers with wants and needs, and therefore is looking to suppliers to fill a high-end need and continue to grow with us. Antique jewelry has also been a big hit. The Victorian era especially has been key with ostentatious designs and beautiful ruby pieces from large estates. Rolex watches continue to be a huge part of our success and our partnership continues to flourish and captivate our clients with outstanding products and innovation.”
Sissy Jones, owner
Sissy’s Log Cabin
Little Rock, AR
“Last year at Vegas we added a number of new lines. This year I don’t plan on adding any new lines unless something in the bridal category demonstrates that it can increase unit sales. In bridal, we’re still seeing a lot of interest in micro pavé and halo, but people are moving toward channel-set bridal that is part of a renewed interest in yellow gold. People are also showing more interest in large side stones for bridal. In addition to refining existing lines, yellow gold will be a major focus at the Vegas Show. A lot of customers are asking for pendants, bridal and fashion rings in yellow gold. Another goal for the Vegas Show is buying jewelry in all colors of gold in 14-karat to create a $500 or less price point department in the store. The tail end of the Baby Boomers still likes yellow gold and Millennials are showing interest in rose gold, but white gold continues to dominate this group’s tastes. However, having a 14-karat gold price point section will prove to be a big boost in sales. Also, one-of-a-kind top-end color is also topping my list.”
Lyn Hoppe, co-owner
Hoppe Jewelers
Richmond, IN
“My approach to the Vegas Show is to go with the intention of buying nothing. The goal is always R&D [research and development], identifying new trends, and new technology. The Vegas Show helps us bring leading-edge jewelry designs to our marketplace. To that end, we’ve been keeping an eye on some jewelry lines that we want to bring to our customers, but are watching them carefully as each year these designers bring new designs and collections to the Vegas Show in sterling silver, silver and gold and bridal. We’re very focused on bridal. Customers are moving away somewhat from halo designs and showing new interest in marquise and oval, so we’ll be looking at designs featuring these fancy diamond shapes. Customers also like wispier ring designs and rings that are woven and sculptured – this is bridal and fashion. In sterling silver jewelry we’ll be looking for better quality designs that retail from $400 to $700 on up to $1,000. In color, sapphire is the go-to color overall, but there is strong interest in amethyst – and purple as a fashion color – and blue topaz is a steady favorite. Customers are also quite interested in fancy colored diamonds, especially yellows.”
Jeff Jaffe, president and owner
Harold Jaffe Jewelers
Toledo, OH
“We’ll be spending a large majority of our time at the JCK Luxury Show. Last Christmas, for reasons we can’t explain, Akoya pearl strands sold very well. As a category, pearl sales were up 20 to 30 percent last Christmas over the 2013 holiday season. At Vegas, we’ll be looking to replenish these strands in sizes, especially in millimeter size ranges from 6.5 to 7.0 – our sweet spot in pearl sizes. Le Vian jewelry has been selling well for us, so we’ll be looking at re-orders of reliable sellers and checking out new designs. Pre-owned Rolex watches have also been performing well for us. We may try to source some of these timepieces. Last year we purchased couture-level jewelry from a jewelry store that went out of business. Some of those lines like Temple St. Clair went over very well with our customers. I may review some lines by these vendors. Precious color has also been a steady seller for us, so ruby, sapphire and emerald jewelry will also be on our Vegas list. Private label watches from Belair have been selling well and we’ll be looking at new styles from this watchmaker.”
Rex Solomon, owner
Houston Jewelry
Houston, TX
