JCK 2009

[John P]

A better look at another Pricescope friend, Jonathan Klemt who posts as Diamond Explorer with yours truly.

(no, he's not standing on a phone book)

 

[John P]

Many forum regulars know the name of Richard Homer, master colored gemstone cutter. We tackled Richard and forced him to let us examine his incredible sapphire ring.

 

[John P]

Note to readers; if you plan to ambush Richard and restrain him in order to see his jewelry it will take several people to hold him down. In addition to his unbelievable concave faceting innovations I think he works out. Just a FYI.

(PS: having an Australian on your side will help)

 

[John P]

After Richard was released. Garry taught us all some new game of chance. I was listening to Lieve talk about her new colleague Brock so I missed hearing the rules, but people seemed to prefer Garry’s odds to those in the casino.

 

[John P]

A very diverse and envelope-pushing session involving Peter Yantzer of AGS, Dr. Lalit Aggarwal of Imagem, Garry Holloway of Pricescope & NextDiamond and Akiva Caspi of Sarin Technologies.

I have notes about this session but believe Wink and Garry can give more thorough comments via video and narrative. I’ll wait to see if I have anything to add.

 

[John P]

The education sessions I attended were, on the whole, better-attended than last year. Unfortunately, “better-attended” is relative. Each year I’m surprised by the small numbers, especially in topics having to do with the latest ideas and innovations regarding studies of cut!

Over the last week I performed an informal survey of retail jewelers who didn’t fly in for the education days. The overwhelming reason for missing the ed sessions is scheduling; they don’t want to miss Thursday-Friday in their stores so they arrive Saturday (also the first day the exhibit halls where buying takes place are open). A second comment was that, frankly, they’re uninterested in the topics. Those who know me can imagine the grinding of teeth that ensued at this response.

 

[John P]

A nice dinner at Bradley Ogden in Ceaser’s with friends and colleagues (more to come).

 

[Lorelei]

This is great Sir John, I always enjoy your write ups and photos, plus the contributions of the other experts every year, it really gives us back at camp a good flavour of what goes on there and a share of your adventures! Very kewl.

Good to see Jonathan K on board too!

 

[WinkHPD]

Date: 6/3/2009 3:11:28 PM
Author: Diamond Explorer
I just arrived back in Chicago late last night after what I thought to be a very successful JCK show.(my mothers company had its best show ever!) I was also able to attend quite a few conferences, including the one with Garry as a primary speaker. I had the pleasure to go out afterwards with many of the pros here, Garry, Paul, Andrey, John, Dave, Wink and many more people that I look up to on Pricescope. It was a lot of fun to say the least.

I will add more to this thread when I get a bit more time, I have a lot of following up to do!!.

Missed this Diamond Explorer. Thanks for the shout out! I enjoyed meeting you too and look forward to your report, now get cracking!

Wink

 

[WinkHPD]

Another well known Pricescoper, Antwerp Paul. Towards the end of the interview he gives some excellent advice for both retailers and suppliers.

http://www.screencast.com/t/BtZHnFfLe4

Wink

 

[WinkHPD]

The sound in this interview with Vatche of DVatche is horrible, but he has some good things to say if you are willing to listen hard.

http://www.screencast.com/t/Jxkn2v68

Wink

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 6/6/2009 5:30:47 PM
Author: Wink
The sound in this interview with Vatche of DVatche is horrible, but he has some good things to say if you are willing to listen hard.


http://www.screencast.com/t/Jxkn2v68


Wink

Thanks Wink, he is an interesting guy.
I used to think that they were just another name and over priced.
I still think the price is on the high side but after talking to a lot of people you start hearing stuff like:
They are the only one that always stands behind their products.
I can actually reach someone there if I call.
You don''t get swore at if you contact them with a problem ?!?!?!?! (yes that is a direct quote and it makes you wonder just who they have been dealing with)

 

[WinkHPD]

Date: 6/6/2009 6:00:02 PM
Author: strmrdr

Date: 6/6/2009 5:30:47 PM
Author: Wink
The sound in this interview with Vatche of DVatche is horrible, but he has some good things to say if you are willing to listen hard.


http://www.screencast.com/t/Jxkn2v68


Wink

Thanks Wink, he is an interesting guy.
I used to think that they were just another name and over priced.
I still think the price is on the high side but after talking to a lot of people you start hearing stuff like:
They are the only one that always stands behind their products.
I can actually reach someone there if I call.
You don''t get swore at if you contact them with a problem ?!?!?!?! (yes that is a direct quote and it makes you wonder just who they have been dealing with)

LOL! I would say that someone was not playing nice. I can not imagine a supplier doing that, but it must have happened, that is not something you ever think to make up.

I would say that the "we can take care of it" attitude from Vatche is part of the difference between price and value.

Wink

 

[WinkHPD]

This is an excerpt of the Monday presentation by Martin Rapaport. The presentation was an hour or so long and covered a myriad of topics, including fair trade diamonds (making sure that the natives who mine them actually make a living), why the present economy is NOT a crisis (covered in this excerpt I believe) and the need for producers to quit using memo as a crutch and move back to a cash economy in the jewelry trade, and the need for total transparency in the market place.

It was a fascinating look into the inner workings of both the trade and the mind of Martin Rapaport. In speaking with him after the presentation he revealed that he had been up ill most of the night and was thus speaking much more slowly than normal. I assured him that this was great for those of us trying to take notes.

By the way, John Pollard took copious notes and promises to cover this session much more thuroughly than I have done here.

Wink

http://www.screencast.com/t/h10hUy81Dat

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 6/7/2009 12:43:51 PM
Author: Wink
This is an excerpt of the Monday presentation by Martin Rapaport. The presentation was an hour or so long and covered a myriad of topics, including fair trade diamonds (making sure that the natives who mine them actually make a living), why the present economy is NOT a crisis (covered in this excerpt I believe) and the need for producers to quit using memo as a crutch and move back to a cash economy in the jewelry trade, and the need for total transparency in the market place.


It was a fascinating look into the inner workings of both the trade and the mind of Martin Rapaport. In speaking with him after the presentation he revealed that he had been up ill most of the night and was thus speaking much more slowly than normal. I assured him that this was great for those of us trying to take notes.


By the way, John Pollard took copious notes and promises to cover this session much more thuroughly than I have done here.


Wink


http://www.screencast.com/t/h10hUy81Dat

I bet that went over real well. lol
Looking forward to hearing more.
Right or wrong he is always interesting.

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 6/6/2009 4:52:35 PM
Author: Wink
Another well known Pricescoper, Antwerp Paul. Towards the end of the interview he gives some excellent advice for both retailers and suppliers.


http://www.screencast.com/t/BtZHnFfLe4


Wink

Hi Paul good to see you looking well :}
It is always a pleasure to hear from you.

 

[Diamond Explorer]

Rapaport's message to the diamond community was clear to me. The old way of doing business is on its last legs. The entire emphasis of the business and the way its currently financed, or not financed as the case may be now, is under going a metamorphosis. No longer can dealers rely on memo programs to fuel their business's. There is major credit call in the business and those who don't have the cash to pay up may find it harder and harder to continue. I heard stories from jewelers about the great diamond deals there are to be had if you pay cash. Many jewelers have the cash and are ready to play, but those who are over leveraged will find it difficult to dig themselves out of the hole.

In terms of the broader jewelry industry, I felt the outlook was somewhat brighter. Respectable jewelers are still doing business, the price-points may have come down, but customers still want what we have to offer. Designs that illustrated fine craftsmanship and both high perceived and intrinsic values sold well.

The market has changed, there is still room for the odd broker here and there, but for most jewelers, playing for free is a thing of the past.

 

[WinkHPD]

Date: 6/7/2009 5:29:38 PM
Author: Diamond Explorer
Rapaport''s message to the diamond community was clear to me. The old way of doing business is on its last legs. The entire emphasis of the business and the way its currently financed, or not financed as the case may be now, is under going a metamorphosis. No longer can dealers rely on memo programs to fuel their business''s. There is major credit call in the business and those who don''t have the cash to pay up may find it harder and harder to continue. I heard stories from jewelers about the great diamond deals there are to be had if you pay cash. Many jewelers have the cash and are ready to play, but those who are over leveraged will find it difficult to dig themselves out of the whole.

In terms of the broader jewelry industry, I felt the outlook was somewhat brighter. Respectable jewelers are still doing business, the price-points may have come down, but customers still want what we have to offer. Designs that illustrated fine craftsmanship and both high perceived and intrinsic values sold well.

The market has changed, there is still room for the odd broker here and there, but for most jewelers, playing for free is a thing of the past.

Well said Diamond Explorer. Did you also observe at the show that the quality booths seemed to be quite busy, while the cheap vendors were literally chasing people down the hallways to try to get them to look at things?

Wink

 

[Diamond Explorer]

I almost feel bad for the vendors there that made inexpensive low quality jewelry. The market for that stuff seems to have evaporated. Jewelry demand is shifting away from mass produced schlock to more specialized and highly crafted items of quality. All jewelry buyers can''t purchase something that''s hand-made by a master, though many would certainly prefer it, they can at least be content that their jewelry was machined with a high degree of expertise and precision.

Those who are still trying to make a profit from the ignorant are quickly learning a hard message... No one wants to buy that $*iT!!!

 

[diagem]

I agree with Rap..., times are changing..., better yet times have been changing for this industry for quite a few years already..., this ''crisis'' just made it a hard fact faster!

Changing means new rules!

These rule have nothing to do with cheap or expensive..., low or high quality!
You can see this while reading this article thoroughly...: http://www.idexonline.com/portal_FullNews.asp?SID=&id=32461

Even the high end is in turmoil.

The whole business model and its practices is changing...

Time will tell

.

 

[Diamond Explorer]

Part of Rap's speech emphasized the shift from a luxury orientation of the jewelry business to one which value is much more important. Value means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. However, jewelry is one of those things you can value pretty easily... The principles of beauty, design, rarity, and value will all remain in determining jewelry's future allure and demand.

 

[coati]

Coati goes to JCK!

I had the opportunity to attend JCK last Monday, and it was incredible. I met Andrey, Garry (the cut nut), Sir John, Sir Wink, Paul, and Jerg. I also had the pleasure of meeting Angela, Drena, and Lieve—and of course, I got to admire their beautiful jewelry in person. Ah, the glimmer of diamonds by the light of the casino is a wonder to behold.

This was my first visit to JCK, and it was incredibly vast. There were aisles upon aisles of diamonds and jewelry that seemed to stretch for miles. It’s Heaven for any PS’er, and getting to see JCK with our resident experts was eye opening and endlessly entertaining. I also got to attend the AGTA gem show—gems galore! We were not allowed to take photos. I really wish I could''ve whipped out my camera. There were some incredible gems at the show.

This was also my first visit to Las Vegas. It’s fitting that they hold the show in a casino, because you lose any concept of time. Who needs time when you are surrounded by diamonds and gems? I certainly don’t!

It was a brief but fantastic visit.

Thanks so much! It was wonderful to meet you all!

Here''s an (iphone) pic from lunch. I''m the shady character in between Andrey and Wink. haha

 

[WinkHPD]

Date: 6/8/2009 7:04:02 PM
Author: coatimundi
Coati goes to JCK!

Here''s an (iphone) pic from lunch. I''m the shady character in between Andrey and Wink. haha

It is always so nice to meet a fellow Pricescoper. I was glad that you were able to come and that I was able to now put a face to the name. I look forward to seeing you in future shows.

Wink

 

[coati]

Thanks Wink! It was a pleasure meeting you, and it was lovely chatting with you at lunch. Looking forward to future shows!

 

[debi wexler]

Hey Wink!

It was nice seeing you last week! I like the attempt to video Vatche!

Did you notice his new fashion line? I thought it was Van Clef reminisent. Hope the retail on this new fashion line isn''t too outrageous.

Besides being a sweetheart, Vatche knows how to design and create beautiful bridal settings. We will be bringing up a few of his pieces next month and I know you are happy about that

. The finish on his goods compared to some of the other design lines is a delight!

As for the rest of the design lines - they still have their head in the sand about allowing e-tailers to bring them up on the site.

Wishing you safe travels in the coming weeks

Hi John,

That Richard Homer ring - that''s a sapphire - looks like my Manderin Garnet only the cut is splendid! Love the gold against the rich orange. Bob would say that is one scrumptious stone

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/8/2009 7:04:02 PM
Author: coatimundi
Coati goes to JCK!

I had the opportunity to attend JCK last Monday, and it was incredible. I met Andrey, Garry (the cut nut), Sir John, Sir Wink, Paul, and Jerg. I also had the pleasure of meeting Angela, Drena, and Lieve—and of course, I got to admire their beautiful jewelry in person. Ah, the glimmer of diamonds by the light of the casino is a wonder to behold.

This was my first visit to JCK, and it was incredibly vast. There were aisles upon aisles of diamonds and jewelry that seemed to stretch for miles. It’s Heaven for any PS’er, and getting to see JCK with our resident experts was eye opening and endlessly entertaining. I also got to attend the AGTA gem show—gems galore! We were not allowed to take photos. I really wish I could''ve whipped out my camera. There were some incredible gems at the show.

This was also my first visit to Las Vegas. It’s fitting that they hold the show in a casino, because you lose any concept of time. Who needs time when you are surrounded by diamonds and gems? I certainly don’t!

It was a brief but fantastic visit.

Thanks so much! It was wonderful to meet you all!

Here''s an (iphone) pic from lunch. I''m the shady character in between Andrey and Wink. haha

Hehehe! Love the super kewl shades Coaties!!

Mwah!

 

[John P]

Date: 6/6/2009 4:16:14 PM
Author: Lorelei
This is great Sir John, I always enjoy your write ups and photos, plus the contributions of the other experts every year, it really gives us back at camp a good flavour of what goes on there and a share of your adventures! Very kewl.

Good to see Jonathan K on board too!

It was great to get to know JK a bit.

I met several other people who confess that they lurk on PS without posting. While this is well and good, there are a few pros (you know who you are) whom I think would provide a new and fresh outlook here (shameless hint).

By the way, I notice you've adopted a specialized spelling of "cool" lately. Shall we expect Karl to incorporate "colour" or "rumour" into his posts anytime soon? Just wondering how far this cross-pollination goes ya know.

 

[John P]

Date: 6/7/2009 5:29:38 PM
Author: Diamond Explorer
Rapaport's message to the diamond community was clear to me. The old way of doing business is on its last legs. The entire emphasis of the business and the way its currently financed, or not financed as the case may be now, is under going a metamorphosis. No longer can dealers rely on memo programs to fuel their business's. There is major credit call in the business and those who don't have the cash to pay up may find it harder and harder to continue. I heard stories from jewelers about the great diamond deals there are to be had if you pay cash. Many jewelers have the cash and are ready to play, but those who are over leveraged will find it difficult to dig themselves out of the hole.

In terms of the broader jewelry industry, I felt the outlook was somewhat brighter. Respectable jewelers are still doing business, the price-points may have come down, but customers still want what we have to offer. Designs that illustrated fine craftsmanship and both high perceived and intrinsic values sold well.

The market has changed, there is still room for the odd broker here and there, but for most jewelers, playing for free is a thing of the past.

I thought his emphasis on this point was far stronger than in years past. He has tracked globalization of demand before, but the juxtaposition of where the economy and credit/memo are taking US retailers with the stats regarding India and China's emerging economies was sobering.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/9/2009 2:19:26 PM
Author: John Pollard

Date: 6/6/2009 4:16:14 PM
Author: Lorelei
This is great Sir John, I always enjoy your write ups and photos, plus the contributions of the other experts every year, it really gives us back at camp a good flavour of what goes on there and a share of your adventures! Very kewl.

Good to see Jonathan K on board too!

It was great to get to know JK a bit.

I met several other people who confess that they lurk on PS without posting. While this is well and good, there are a few pros (you know who you are) whom I think would provide a new and fresh outlook here (shameless hint).

By the way, I notice you've adopted a specialized spelling of 'cool' lately. Shall we expect Karl to incorporate 'colour' or 'rumour' into his posts anytime soon? Just wondering how far this cross-pollination goes ya know.

You got me there Sir!

Wouldn't it be kicken if Karl did start incorporating colour, humour, rumour, or even saying blast or pants instead of sux ???

 

[John P]

Date: 6/8/2009 7:04:02 PM
Author: coatimundi
Coati goes to JCK!

I had the opportunity to attend JCK last Monday, and it was incredible. I met Andrey, Garry (the cut nut), Sir John, Sir Wink, Paul, and Jerg. I also had the pleasure of meeting Angela, Drena, and Lieve—and of course, I got to admire their beautiful jewelry in person. Ah, the glimmer of diamonds by the light of the casino is a wonder to behold.

This was my first visit to JCK, and it was incredibly vast. There were aisles upon aisles of diamonds and jewelry that seemed to stretch for miles. It’s Heaven for any PS’er, and getting to see JCK with our resident experts was eye opening and endlessly entertaining. I also got to attend the AGTA gem show—gems galore! We were not allowed to take photos. I really wish I could''ve whipped out my camera. There were some incredible gems at the show.

This was also my first visit to Las Vegas. It’s fitting that they hold the show in a casino, because you lose any concept of time. Who needs time when you are surrounded by diamonds and gems? I certainly don’t!

It was a brief but fantastic visit.

Thanks so much! It was wonderful to meet you all!

Here''s an (iphone) pic from lunch. I''m the shady character in between Andrey and Wink. haha

Hi Coati - it was so nice to meet the lady behind the bunny and spend a bit of time with you.

A few years ago the show officials were not so strict about photos but I fear ease-of-sharing this digital age and the internet provides has some designers worried about creations they''ve taken "fresh from the oven." I was told by a well known setting designer that in past years he has seen (his) brand new rings copied by a particular company in China within a week of their introduction at large trade shows. I used to enjoy capturing a lot of images from the floor but respect the issue, so now I just burn them into my brain now.