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JCK editor-in-chief Victoria Gomelsky and news director Rob Bates pay tribute to former JCK editor Hedda Schupak, who passed away this month. An industry icon as well as a mentor to Victoria and Rob, Hedda steered the magazine successfully through major changes in the early 2000s and played a key role in the early days of its annual Las Vegas trade show. Rob updates listeners on the latest news in Russian diamond sanctions, and Victoria shares highlights from her recent trip to Japan to visit Grand Seiko’s studio in the mountain town Shizukuishi.
Sponsored by De Beers: institute.debeers.com -
Victoria Gomelsky and Rob Bates interview Monica Stephenson, founder and president of ANZA Gems.
Sponsored by De Beers: institute.debeers.com -
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JCK editor-in-chief Victoria Gomelsky and news director Rob Bates delve into hot topics from the world of luxury watches, starting with Rolex’s recent acquisition of Bucherer and its potential implications for retailers. Next the conversation turns to Audemars Piguet’s latest AP House. Finally, Rob shares some encouraging news about a flurry of brick-and-mortar retail openings this year and dishes on the newest installment in his Diamond District mystery book series.
Sponsored by De Beers: institute.debeers.com -
JCK editor-in-chief Victoria Gomelsky and news director Rob Bates interview acclaimed designer New York designer Lorraine West, whose handcrafted contemporary fine jewelry has earned the admiration of Grammy winners and Hollywood A listers—not to mention Sotheby’s and De Beers. Lorraine recounts the early days of selling her designs on the street in Soho, the bold moves that helped launch her successful career and convinced a music icon to become an early supporter, the unexpected gift she still treasures, and the art of giving back.
Sponsored by De Beers: institute.debeers.com -
JCK editor-in-chief Victoria Gomelsky and news director Rob Bates dive into the hottest trends ahead, from more Barbie-fueled obsession with pink to nostalgic necklaces. (Think Rubik’s Cubes, robots, and all things ’80s.) Equally newsworthy is the luxury world’s laser focus on bigger, better brick and mortar—a high-end land grab that belies the digital-first future predicted during the pandemic. Finally, some of the world’s most elite watch brands are tuning in to hip-hop, EDM, and both genres’ massive hype-building power.
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JCK editor-in-chief Victoria Gomelsky and news director Rob Bates sit down with Jeffrey Post, research associate and curator emeritus, to hear where his love for minerology began. Jeffrey describes a visitor’s experience to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History as well as some of the stories attached to the gems he has encountered over the course of his 32 years as its curator of gems and minerals (including a once-in-a-lifetime chance to study the famous Hope and Wittelsbach Graff diamonds side-by-side).
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JCK editor-in-chief Victoria Gomelsky and news director Rob Bates discuss Victoria’s recent custom ring experience, the State of the Art Jewelry Summit, and commemorate the 100th episode of The Jewelry District.
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JCK editor-in-chief Victoria Gomelsky and news director Rob Bates sit down with Jeffery Bolling of Colorado-based Jeffery B. Jewelers about his journey from serving in the U.S. Army to selling diamonds to becoming Colorado’s only African American–owned fine diamond, full-service jeweler.
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Just back from JCK Las Vegas, JCK editor-in-chief Victoria Gomelsky and news director Rob Bates recap highlights from the big event, where they were delighted to see a return to the liveliness of pre-COVID shows. Diamond trends were a hot topic among attendees and exhibitors, so Victoria and Rob delve into a range of buzzworthy diamond-related observations from Vegas. Among them: Lightbox’s foray into lab-grown engagement rings and how intensifying focus on the three P’s (provenance, people, and planet) is reshaping the industry.
Sponsored by De Beers: institute.debeers.com -
JCK editor-in-chief Victoria Gomelsky and news director Rob Bates sit down with Jeffery Fowler, CEO of the influential watch website Hodinkee to learn how the company got its unusual name and to hear about the path that led him to it. Jeff also speculates on the reason mechanical watches inspire such lasting passion (they’re science projects wrapped in history projects wrapped in art projects), offers predictions for the booming pre-owned watch market, and explains why good retailers are the best brand ambassadors.
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JCK editor-in-chief Victoria Gomelsky and news director Rob Bates recap highlights from Tiffany & Co.’s star-studded party to mark the reopening of the Fifth Avenue flagship store, where a once homey vibe has been replaced by a sleek temple to luxury. Rob shares an update from AGS Conclave along with insights about the trending topic of ChatGPT and its potential for the industry. Finally, the two compare notes on which events they’re most excited to check out at JCK Las Vegas.
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Victoria Gomelsky and Rob Bates catch up with Lawrence Hess, executive director of The Plumb Club, as the organization finalizes plans for JCK Las Vegas.
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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.com
Show Notes
00:49: Tiffany & Co. Reimagines its Famous Flagship
05:30: Rob Heads to AGS Conclave to Gauge the State of the Industry
07:10: Rolex Brightens a Busy Watches and Wonders Exhibition
15:18: What’s New at Signet Jewelers
Episode Credits
Hosts: Rob Bates and Victoria Gomelsky
Producer and engineer: Natalie Chomet
Plugs: @jckmagazine; institute.debeers.com
Show Recap
Tiffany Offers a Sneak Peek at its Reimagined Flagship
Victoria 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 Panel
Victoria’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 Wonders
The 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 Luxury
Turning 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.
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Victoria Gomelsky and Rob Bates talk with two guests who are a married couple: Feriel Zerouki, Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs at De Beers Group, and Mahiar Borhanjoo, CEO of UNI Diamonds.
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JCK editor-in-chief Victoria Gomelsky and news director Rob Bates talk with Tom Nolan, CEO of Kendra Scott, a billion-dollar brand with a legendary origin story that started with a single mom selling her designs door to door. Tom recounts his own unlikely path to Kendra Scott and shares the inside scoop on the company’s formula for connecting with customers by creating emotional experiences. He offers a look at the 130-store chain’s successful growth strategy, its formula for weathering hard times, and a few clues about what’s ahead for the Texas-based powerhouse.
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What was hot at the Tucson gem shows, diamond supplier news, and Chat GPT.
Any views expressed in this podcast do not reflect the opinion of JCK, its management, or its advertisers. -
JCK editor-in-chief Victoria Gomelsky and news director Rob Bates talk with Malyia McNaughton, founder of Made by Malyia. The self-taught jewelry designer and Black in Jewelry Coalition board member is proof that trusting your gut can be the key to creative success. When Malyia couldn’t find the jewelry she wanted, she designed her own—and wore it. Demand for her designs inspired her to launch her brand and has made her a rising star whose looks have been worn by Lizzo and other celebrities.
Sponsored by De Beers: diamondeducation.debeers.com
Show Notes
1:53 From body chain to brand launch
5:09 Expanding organically
8:04 Turning obstacles into opportunities
10:53 Finding creative inspiration
13:57 High-profile partnerships
17:58 In the spotlight on SNL
20:51 The Black in Jewelry Coalition: making a difference
23:52 Tips for aspiring designers
Episode Credits
Hosts: Rob Bates and Victoria Gomelsky
Producer and engineer: Natalie Chomet
Plugs: jckonline.com; @jckmagazine; madebymalyia.com; diamondeducation.debeers.com [Use promo code JCKPRO_15 at checkout for 15% off workshops.]
Show Recap
From body chain to brand launch
Victoria introduces Brooklyn-based designer Malyia McNaughton, founder of Made by Malyia, and asks how she started creating jewelry. The daughter of Jamaican immigrants was born in the Bronx, raised in Florida, and attended Florida State University, where she studied fashion merchandising and product development. After graduating, she moved back to New York to pursue a career in fashion, starting in sales and product development for Nicole Miller and eventually designing for another fashion brand.
In 2014, Malyia had tickets to a music festival in Philadelphia. She wanted to make a statement by wearing a body chain but couldn’t find the right piece. Undeterred, she sourced materials and designed her own. Little did she dream she was making her first item of jewelry. “I got stopped by so many people asking me where I’d gotten it,” Malyia recalls. “After the fifth or sixth person, my friends said, ‘You might be onto something.’ We went to lunch, and they helped me come up with the name Made by Malyia.’ It was one of those Oprah aha moments.”
Expanding organically
After months of trial and error, Malyia developed a body chain she felt was ready to put on Etsy. To her delight, orders poured in. Still, she viewed Made by Malyia as a creative outlet, not a business. Gradually she added products based on buyers’ feedback. When a client asked if she could make a temporary nose ring, Malyia branched into nonpermanent nose and body jewelry. Next someone asked for a ring. “It started to expand very organically,” she says. Eventually, growing demand persuaded her to build a collection and a website.
“Etsy was a great launching pad,” she says. “I credit my customers [there] for amplifying my voice and bringing me to market.” Though she has moved away from the platform, she hopes to do another Etsy-specific collection.
Turning obstacles into opportunities
Rob asks what challenges Malyia faced as a newcomer to the industry. She points out that the jewelry business is famously generational. While those family bonds are admirable and she hopes to build her own legacy, they have a downside: They create a major entry barrier for self-taught designers of color and anyone else who lacks personal connections.
Malyia turned the disadvantage into an advantage. As a newcomer, she felt less pressure to put out product than established insiders might. This freed her up to focus intensely on design. She is very intentional in the projects she takes on, releasing small, effective capsule collections that will sell through.
Finding creative inspiration
Malyia has said her work celebrates the intersection of art, nature, and culture. Victoria wonders how this translates into her creative process. The designer starts by placing raw materials in her workspace and spending a week surrounded by them. She also immerses herself in nature, drawing particular inspiration from the movement of water. Sometimes weeks go by before an idea strikes her—then ideas come fast and furious, and she finds herself making 100 sketches in a row. Her rough sketches go up on the wall, where she can study and tweak them. Next she engineers her designs to ensure they’re structurally sound before sending them to her CAD designer to see what they look like in 3D. “It’s a pretty unique process, but I’ve learned to embrace it,” she says.
On her inspiration board, Malyia keeps an old magazine article about Monique Péan that she clipped when Made by Malyia was taking root. “She really is a trailblazer,” says Malyia. Other role models include Sheryl Jones, “a phenomenal designer” and personal mentor, as well as Elsa Peretti. She feels a kinship with the late Peretti because, like Malyia, the designer saw herself as an artist.
High-profile partnerships
Victoria points out that Malyia has done quite a few well-publicized collaborations despite being relatively new to the industry and asks how these came about.
In 2021 the Natural Diamond Council launched an emerging designer initiative. Eager to explore the fine jewelry space, Malyia applied. She not only got accepted, she impressed the council enough with her sketches that they commissioned her to design an 11-piece collection as part of a global ad campaign featuring actor Ana de Armas. “I was ecstatic because, if I do say so myself, it was a hit,” says Malyia.
That success led to other opportunities, including partnering with nationwide chain Banter by Piercing Pagoda and its creative director, Grammy-nominated rapper, songwriter, and artist Tierra Whack. “I’m a huge fan,” says Malyia. Being entrusted to execute Whack’s creative vision was an honor. So was revisiting her roots with a trip to a Banter store in the Bronx. “I brought my nieces, my nephews, my sister,” Malyia recalls. “It was such an amazing experience to walk into the mall and to see…pieces that I was responsible for designing. If I’ve had an Oscar moment, that was it.”
In the SNL spotlight
Malyia enjoyed another star moment recently when Lizzo wore her earrings on Saturday Night Live. Rob asks for the backstory. A stylist contacted Malyia and asked to borrow a pair of her Wave Hoop earrings with channel-set baguettes but refused to name the event or the celebrity she was dressing until the day the episode taped. “I was in disbelief when it came on the screen,” says Malyia. “To have one of the biggest stars of our time wear my earrings on SNL, I don’t know if I can top that.”
Celebrity placement is influential, especially for a smaller brand like Malyia’s, she says, because it piques the interest of the public and the media. Reposting the coverage brings people to her site, which translates into sales and visibility.
BIJC: making a difference
In the wake of George Floyd’s murder during the 2020 pandemic, Malyia was working from home when fellow Black jewelry professional Elyssa Jenkins-Pérez reached out with a timely question: Would Malyia join a conversation about how the industry could help move the Black community forward? “I immediately said yes,” she remembers. Soon, she, Jenkins-Pérez, and others who shared their concerns were brainstorming strategies. They formalized their efforts by founding the Black in Jewelry Coalition (BIJC) and assembling a nine-member board that represents all aspects of the business. “We’ve been on calls once a week for about two hours for the last two years,” says Malyia. “It’s been phenomenal work.” BIJC has collaborated with industry organizations on initiatives to help advance Black professionals in gems and jewelry, partnering with New York City Jewelry Week on an event last year. Plans are also in the works to have a BIJC presence at the JCK show in June.
Tips for aspiring designers
For younger creatives hoping to follow in her footsteps, Malyia offers these words of wisdom: Trust your instincts. She credits her intuition with guiding her from the initial decision to make and market a body chain to her current thriving career. “I just trusted that what I was creating was worth sharing. Don’t wait to have it all figured out. Go for it. You never know where you can end up.”
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Join JCK editor-in-chief Victoria Gomelsky and news director Rob Bates for a roundup of buzzworthy industry updates. Victoria reports on the recent VicenzaOro fair, where the halls were crowded, the mood upbeat, and the looks big and bold. She updates listeners on a rare timepiece collection from the archives of Jaeger-LeCoultre. It’s the first significant effort by a Swiss watchmaker to sell vintage pieces and may herald a burgeoning trend. Rob analyzes what Israeli equipment maker Sarine’s purchase of the family-owned lab GCAL means for the future of diamond grading—and artificial intelligence’s growing role in it. Finally, the two discuss the Federal Trade Commission’s proposed ban on noncompete clauses.
Sponsored by De Beers: institute.debeers.com
Show Notes
2:22 A lively January VicenzaOro fair
7:21 Jaeger-LeCoultre unveils first vintage watch collection
12:22 What Sarine’s purchase of GCAL means for the future of diamond grading
18:09 The FTC’s move to ban noncompete clauses
Episode Credits
Hosts: Rob Bates and Victoria Gomelsky
Producer and engineer: Natalie Chomet
Plugs: @jckmagazine; institute.debeers.com
Show Recap
Viva VicenzaOro
Just back from Italy’s January VicenzaOro goldsmith and jewelry fair, Victoria says she was delighted to find the show packed and the mood optimistic. She had expected inflation, the war in Ukraine, and fear of recession to trigger cautiousness and a comedown from the boom the industry has enjoyed since the pandemic started. However, this was the best-attended VicenzaOro ever in terms of both exhibitors and attendees. Victoria spent most of her time in the crowded hall where Roberto Coin, Damiani, Fope, and other luxury brands that export to the United States were exhibiting. Also bustling was the adjacent T.Gold show, featuring jewelry machinery and technology for everything from engraving to laser welding.
Victoria is still amassing information on the show’s top sellers, but one trend is certain: Big, bold pieces are replacing the small, delicate ones favored during quarantine. Understated jewelry suited people well when they were working from home, she says, but now subtle looks (such as stacking multiple delicate bracelets on the wrist) are making way for powerful statement pieces—especially cuffs and collar necklaces.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Unveils Vintage Collection
Victoria’s recent European trip included a visit to Geneva to learn about Jaeger-LeCoultre’s first-ever vintage watch collection. She explains that the Swiss company is known as the watchmaker’s watchmaker. The brand has made all of its timepieces in its own workshops in the Vallée de Joux since its foundation in 1833, and Jaeger-LeCoultre calibers and movements have powered many other brands’ watches over the years. Now Jaeger-LeCoultre has mined its own rich history to create The Collectibles, 17 models from its archives produced between 1925 and 1974. Each reflects a watchmaking innovation from the 20th century. Twelve of these models were sourced from auction houses and vintage dealers and are available for purchase. Included are the Reverso, the company’s best-known model, and several interesting watches from the 1950s and 1960s, according to Victoria. The Collectibles is an evolving collection, so the models will remain the same, but different editions may be introduced along with new capsules, she says.
This is the first time Victoria has seen a Swiss watchmaker invest such effort into selling vintage pieces rather than new models. She likens it to Rolex’s Certified Pre-Owned program and points out the advantage of having such treasures returned to the workshops where they were created to be fine-tuned with the very tools and components that were used to build them. How will other brands respond? Victoria is eager to find out. She predicts that we’re on the brink of a new era of modern-day Swiss watchmakers taking much more care with vintage pieces that have potential to be resold.
Sarine Acquires GCAL
In other news, Rob reports that Israeli equipment manufacturer Sarine has bought the family-owned diamond-grading lab Gem & Certification Assurance Lab (GCAL). Though GCAL is relatively small, it is widely respected for giving tough grades based on GIA standards and offering a certificate guaranteeing those grades.
Rob finds the acquisition intriguing, given that Sarine uses machines that rely on artificial intelligence (AI) to grade diamonds. This allows them to grade gemstones in the factory rather than sending them to a lab, as Rob reported last year. The fact that Sarine is using a well-established lab to roll out its AI approach and promising to honor GCAL’s grading guarantee shows how much confidence they have in the technology, he says. Clearly, Sarine believes its technology can match GCAL’s standards. Rob and Victoria say the acquisition will help the industry get used to the concept of AI grading, a method many labs are exploring. How will AI play out in the industry? That’s anyone’s guess, but Victoria predicts it will become increasingly important throughout the supply chain.
Rob also notes that International Gemological Institute (IGI), a well-known and profitable appraisal lab focused on lab-grown diamonds, has been put up for sale by its owner, the Fosun Group. He and Victoria are interested to see who purchases it.
The FTC Moves to End Noncompete Clauses
Victoria mentions a recently proposed rule by the Federal Trade Commission to ban employers from issuing noncompete clauses. Rob explains that many workers miss clauses hidden in the fine print of employment contracts and find themselves hamstrung when they lose or quit a job and want to find new employment in their chosen field. For CEOs at high-profile companies, noncompetes might make sense, he says, but for the average person, they’re problematic—and widespread: Data suggests that one in five American workers is subject to a noncompete clause.
Despite objections from business groups and possible court challenges, the FTC rule could be enacted before year’s end, phasing out existing noncompete clauses and prohibiting new ones. If so, Rob envisions sweeping changes in the economy.
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Gearing up for JCK Tucson 2023? Dave shares expert insights on what to expect at the show as well as which stones and colors are trending this year.
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