(NORWALK, Conn.) – JCK, solidified its position as the premier global gathering for the jewelry trade, concluding its 2024 edition on a high note. Referred to as the “Super Bowl” of the jewelry industry, JCK continues to set the tone, the trends, and the mood for the jewelry industry for the year to come.
30,000 industry professionals from all facets of the jewelry industry joined JCK and Luxury for a week of product sourcing, education, and networking. The industry continued to gather under one roof with 17,300 attendees and over 1,900 exhibitors in over 20 different neighborhoods at The Venetian and The Venetian Expo for JCK from May 31 – June 3, with the AGTA and GEMS pavilion, the Hong Kong pavilion and JCK Talks opening a day earlier on May 30. Luxury welcomed retailers from May 29 – June 3 and was open exclusively to invited retailers on May 29 and May 30.
“This year’s JCK was another that surpassed all expectations” says Sarin Bachmann, Group Vice President of RX’s jewelry portfolio and event leader for JCK. “Even in times when there is uncertainty in the jewelry industry, JCK proves once again to be the place the entire industry gathers to source products, unveil new technologies and strategies, learn, discuss, network and place orders for the rest of the selling season. There was a noticeable shift in the energy of the industry once they arrived at JCK and Luxury and the enthusiasm on the show floor prevailed and left the industry on a very positive note.”
Continuing to make JCK a safe and secure place to do business was a key feature at this year’s show. Raising the bar again, JCK added additional qualification measures for every individual attendee. Once at the show, stepped up measures including badge scanning validation at each entrance and weapons detection scanning was required to enter the floor. “Enhancing the security measures at JCK is what is best for our entire industry. We featured state-of-the-art technology that truly raised the bar in creating a safe space for our attendees and exhibitors to conduct business,” states Bachmann. “JCK did this in a way that did not slow down entry and the feedback was extremely appreciative.”
Luxury retailer, Alexis Padis of Padis Jewelers notes, “It was very reassuring to sense an increased security effort throughout Luxury and JCK, from focused registration requirements to bag checks, weapons detection, and an obvious police presence throughout, I’ve never felt safer at a show. Thank you to the JCK team for making our safety a clear priority.”
JCK Talks & Education
Once again opening a day before the rest of the show floor, the JCK Talks education program spanned across four days with content organized into tracks. Newly debuted Tracks for 2024, included Your Development, Business Management and Sales.
The “Social Stage,” was back after its impressive debut at JCK 2023. This year, Friday’s topics focused on content, Saturday’s highlighted data, and Sunday’s showed the how-to’s of bringing it all into practice. Content creators and influencers who have mastered the art of engagement led multiple sessions at The Social Stage.
Both JCK and Luxury continued to feature inspiring Keynotes with Luxury Keynotes Kyle Scheele, sponsored by Natural Diamond Council, and Henry Winkler, sponsored by De Beers Group. JCK’s Keynote was a tremendous success with every seat full for Sugar Ray Leonard who took the stage with a recap of his career and lessons learned on “The Power to Win” sponsored by Platinum Guild International USA.
Events & Activations
With ‘Love’ as the theme for JCK 2024, the show continued to be a hub for exciting activations and “instagrammaable” moments that attendees lined up to experience. These helped set the positive tone on the show floor. Starting with a JCK Chapel featuring an Elvis impersonator, then moving along to a “Puppy Love” lounge with the chance to hold newborn puppies. There was also a Love Lock Fence, sponsored by Stuller, along with an airbrush tattoo artist with donations being made to the Kids in Crisis organization for every airbrush tattoo done. This activation was featured in the “Love is Love Lounge” on the show floor which celebrated Pride month. Attendees commented on the positive impact and overall energy it left on the show floor and the many ideas and inspiration of activations that can be brought to their own stores to inspire their customers.
JCK Rocks Tao Beach was an epic night and a huge success. A nostalgic throwback to JCK Rocks the Beach days, this year’s concert took over TAO Beach and was filled to capacity with enthusiastic JCK attendees and exhibitors. GRAMMY nominated Flo Rida whose hits include “Low,” “My House” and “Club Can’t Handle Me” engaged with the audience and brought the positive moods of all who attended to an even higher level. It was JCK’s way of thanking the industry for their loyalty and positivity and celebrating together another extremely successful show. The evening began at Facets an evening benefitting Jewelers for Children, raising over $2M for children’s causes and then transitioned with an energizing band leading event goers through The Venetian and Canal Shoppes in a parade to Tao Nightclub to get ready for JCK Rocks.
Corporate Responsibility
The Sustainability Summit at JCK brought together innovators, leaders and advocates for positive change to discuss a more sustainable future for the jewelry industry. The Summit featured a panel moderated by Dennis Campbell, Professor of Business Administration at Harvard with panelists and speakers throughout including Marie-Claire Daveu, Chief Sustainability and Internation Affairs Officer at Kering, Dr. M Sanjayan, CEO, Conservation International, Iris Van Der Veken, Executive Director & Secretary General, Watch & Jewellery Initiative 2030, Melanie Grant, Executive Director, Responsible Jewelry Council, Glenn J. Hansen, Founder and CEO, Reduce 2, Tiffany Stevens, President, CEO and General Counsel, Jewelers Vigilance Committee, and Ann Grimmett, Vice President of Merchandising, Jared.
JCK continued to celebrate the cultivation of inclusion and diversity throughout the event, with a notable presence of emerging BIPOC designers, brand features, dedicated JCK Talks sessions focused on DEI topics, and specialized education sessions. At JCK and all RX Events, everyone belongs. The WJA continued to host their Generating Community Impact Breakfast which focused on disability inclusion in the jewelry and watch industry.
Emerging designers with The Black in Jewelry Coalition (BIJC) once again were featured in the Design Collective at JCK, thanks to grant funding from the JCK Industry Fund, providing attendees with an opportunity to connect with six Black-owned brands exhibiting jewelry and loose gemstones.
Luxury
Luxury celebrated 25 years of the show by continuing the elevated amenities for retailers and exhibitors on invitation days and into JCK. “The elevated ambience and buzz at the Luxury show was amazing. The experience far exceeded our expectations. We cannot wait until next year!” said Aida Alvarez of returning Luxury exhibitor John Hardy.
“Why we come here is why everyone wants to be here. There’s an elevated taste and enhanced ambiance when you come here, you feel the luxury, you feel the grace of the customers, you come here because everyone is vetted, you come here to do business. We come to Luxury to grow. This is the place to be,” adds Luxury exhibitor Tigren Dorian of Dorian & Rose.
Trends & Breaking News
Trends continue to be at the heart of a JCK experience – where they are seen, felt and discovered for the industry. This year, the show floor was buzzing with top trends to expect for the rest of the year. Noted by Victoria Gomelsky, Editor-in-Chief of JCK Online and JCK Magazine, “Y-necklaces and lariats, pearls, especially with pink and golden tones with fashion-forward styling, color of all kinds, especially blue and green gems such as sapphires and tourmalines, along with gold styles including bezel-set gems, rigid bangle bracelets, signet rings and fringe effects.”
In breaking news at this 2024 edition, De Beers announced it will suspend protection of lab-grown diamonds for jewelry purposes and that its Lightbox factory will be handed over to a subsidiary Element Six to become a “world-class CVD production hub” for industrial purposes. De Beers also launched its new initiative, Diamond Proof, a low-cost synthetic detector made for retailer countertops, set to be available at the end of the year.
During the JCK Keynote session, session sponsor, Platinum Guild International USA unveiled their new platinum alloy Inoveo, explaining it has the benefits of platinum with the ease of white gold and it will be exclusively available to manufacturers, designers, and jewelers from Stuller, beginning this summer.
President Dr Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi of Botswana attended JCK with the House of Botswana and in a one-on-one Fireside Chat with Victoria Gomelsky, emphasized the importance of natural diamonds for Botswana’s economy.
Plumb Club Re-Establishes Long Term Commitment to JCK
JCK and The Plumb Club are pleased to announce that its ongoing partnership will officially continue for another 7 years – bringing the Plumb Club association exhibiting members to the JCK show floor. “The continued partnership between JCK and The Plumb Club showcases the mutually positive impact that the relationship between our organizations has on attendees and the industry at large,” says Victor Weinman, Pavilion Chairman of The Plumb Club and President and CEO of ODI.
Save The Date for JCK 2025
In 2025, JCK shifts one week later than its typical date pattern.
JCK: Friday, June 6 – Monday, June 9, 2025
Luxury: June 4 – 9, 2025 By Invitation Only, Wednesday, June 4 & Thursday, June 5
The Venetian Expo & The Venetian
Opening Thursday, June 5. 1 Day Earlier than the JCK Show Floor
Hong Kong Pavilion, Level 1 Ballrooms
GEMS featuring AGTA, Level 2
JCK Talks Pre-Show Sessions, The Venetian Meeting Rooms, Level 1
