Scenes from JCK 2006

[strmrdr]

Date: 6/5/2006 10:19:56 AM
Author: belle

Date: 6/4/2006 9:21:18 PM

Author: strmrdr

Date: 6/4/2006 9:12:23 PM

Author: Queenofhearts

Actually me thinks he does resembles Henry V. Now alls he needs is a throne.

that was totally distasteful and disrespectful.

for you to complain about an outhouse picture posted correlating to the facesless entity of gia and then post this and attribute it to an active and respected member of our community is beyond dissapointing.

sheesh belle :{
John got the joke.
Must be a guy thing ...
When someone talks bout a guys throne toilet humor is expected :}
ya know.... every guys home is his castle and it has a throne...
I was gonna photoshop diamond grading lights and an IS hehehehehe.

 

[belle]

Date: 6/5/2006 11:47:58 AM
Author: strmrdr

Date: 6/5/2006 10:19:56 AM
Author: belle

Date: 6/4/2006 9:21:18 PM

Author: strmrdr

Date: 6/4/2006 9:12:23 PM

Author: Queenofhearts

Actually me thinks he does resembles Henry V. Now alls he needs is a throne.

that was totally distasteful and disrespectful.

for you to complain about an outhouse picture posted correlating to the facesless entity of gia and then post this and attribute it to an active and respected member of our community is beyond dissapointing.

sheesh belle :{
John got the joke.
Must be a guy thing ...
When someone talks bout a guys throne toilet humor is expected :}
ya know.... every guys home is his castle and it has a throne...
I was gonna photoshop diamond grading lights and an IS hehehehehe.

silly me for not understanding the difference between your outspoken critisism of marty''s gia outhouse photo and the toilet picture you posted. perhaps you could send me 3d scan and your version of crapcalc so i can see the subtle differences between the two.

 

[aljdewey]

 

[WinkHPD]

The picture that got away.

Paul and Lieve and I were walking into the show Saturday morning and there was a painted lady, a very beautiful painted lady, all in gold colored paint directing people to the Cupio booth. We thought about taking a picture of me attempting to get close to her and being held back by Paul, but all agreed that it had to be John Quixote preventing me since he was entrusted by Irina to keep me away from OVERPAINTED ladies. By the time we got together with John, who was asleep after being up posting pictures until nearly showtime, the painted lady was gone, never to be found again.

Highlights in my mind.

Peter Yantzer, Martin De Witt (Hearts on Fire), Paul Slegers (Infinity), John Quixote (Whiteflash) all talking about cutting while I listened. At the same time Jason Quick and Jake from AGS were in the next room holding court with Michael Cowing and ??? (I forget who and sometimes one or another of the participants would wander from one group to the other) . It was to be a common theme for the week, as one evening found me at the China Bar at the exit of the show at the Venetian listening to the gentleman from Diamon Scassi (my brain is fried and I am not coming up with the name at this moment) and Paul as they discussed diamonds and customer satisfaction and marketing. Paul''s sawyer was there also, a gentleman who saws diamonds for many of the cutters in Antwerp. Maurice is a very kind man with a wry sense of humor and we both appreciated some of the same things!

Last year Capitol Bill wanted to introduce me to the Daniel K people. This year I finally got to meet them. OH MY GOODNESS! Their Asscher cut diamonds are INCREDIBLE. So nice! Also their cushions. Sigh, for years I have been sending people to other vendors for these stones as I did not have consistent quality available to me and it was so hit or miss with the whether or not the stone was worthy of being presented. Oh WOW! these stones make my eyes and my heart happy to see.

Meeting with Brian the Cutter and Leslie from WhiteFlash. I was honored to sit at their table while they had lunch (I was still full from the Polygon breakfast, another highlight of my time in Vegas). It was fascinating to talk with this wonderful man and also to hear Leslie talk about how she learned the business from him.

Gary Holloway, what a wonderful wit he has, and what great knowledge too. He joined the Infinity team at the end of a marathon four hour lunch meeting and in only a few minutes he was dissecting our business model and offering suggestions, good suggestions. (Well okay, they were great suggestions, but I don''t want Gary to know that, ssshh!) Having outside imput always brings things to light that insiders may or may not see.

Most special highlight of the show though has to be the time with Paul Slegers. He is a brilliant man in his own right, and what he has done as a small start up cutter is incredible. During our annual Infinity vendors meeting/four hour lunch, he explained to us how diamonds are cut by larger cutters and what he does that is different that allows him to be cutting a diamond that has the tightest tolerances of any diamond on the market. Sitting down with him for that meeting and several times privately was such an incredible high for me.

And of course, lest he think I have forgotten, John Quixote/Mario Andretti. (just try following him in Las Vegas traffic, you will understand what I mean!) That guy is a hoot. Great sense of humor, great integrity and just an all around great guy to hang with. In between good times you can have some pretty intense conversations about diamond cutting too!

Those are just some of the highlights!

Wink

 

[lawmax]

Date: 6/5/2006 10:35:55 AM
Author: Paul-Antwerp

Date: 6/4/2006 8:36:20 PM
Author: canuk-gal
HI:

Dreampt about Garry Holloway last night....I''d share but what happens in my head in bed, stays in my head.....

cheers--Sharon

I would not worry. Garry is very experienced in ''virtual'' action.

Live long,

LOL!

Ask him to send some jokes....

 

[Kaleigh]

Wink,
Nice summary. I perked right up reading about you meeting the people from Daniel K. Loved hearing about the asschers and their cushions. Glad you guys are having fun!!!!

 

[Paul-Antwerp]

Date: 6/5/2006 7:48:37 PM
Author: Wink

Most special highlight of the show though has to be the time with Paul Slegers. He is a brilliant man in his own right, and what he has done as a small start up cutter is incredible. During our annual Infinity vendors meeting/four hour lunch, he explained to us how diamonds are cut by larger cutters and what he does that is different that allows him to be cutting a diamond that has the tightest tolerances of any diamond on the market. Sitting down with him for that meeting and several times privately was such an incredible high for me.

Wink

Hey Wink,

Thank you for that special mentioning.

Now, if I am the brilliant as you say, I suppose that Lieve is the princess, and should I add, perfectly square princess?

Live long,

 

[JohnQuixote]

What a fantastic, busy show. Very easy to run out of posting hours.

I'd like to thank my friends and colleagues for allowing me to snap their photos, and the leap of faith they take by trusting me to caption them!

Some final scenes I have to offer from the last few days...

 

[JohnQuixote]

Overview of exhibits.

 

[JohnQuixote]

These are 2 views of a portion of one level. There is about 10X as much as you can see in these 2 photos.

 

[JohnQuixote]

The AGS booths were common meeting areas for our group of familiars.

 

[JohnQuixote]

AGS.

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 6/5/2006 8:32:27 PM
Author: kaleigh
Wink,

Nice summary. I perked right up reading about you meeting the people from Daniel K. Loved hearing about the asschers and their cushions. Glad you guys are having fun!!!!

me too. His reaction to the stones are what I expected to be the norm on DK cut asschers and cushions and was surprised when Jonathan said otherwise. thanks for sharing wink.

you guys all look like you had a wonderful time in a super fun city..

 

[JohnQuixote]

...And the AGS Advanced Instruments Division booth, just down the way from the main booth.

 

[JohnQuixote]

More on the presentation model ASET. Based on reactions I saw at the booth, retailers approve of the customer-friendly, modern look of this version.

 

[JohnQuixote]

The light is evenly distributed. It’s powered by batteries or a supplied adaptor.

 

[JohnQuixote]

Here it is in the protective case (included). The body comes with an extended collar and translucent adaptors which facilitate viewing of diamonds already mounted in rings, earrings, etc. Loose goods can be set into the transparent strips (bottom), which have a variety of pop-in/out holders (to accommodate different mms).

 

[JohnQuixote]

2 images taken with my Canon Powershot through the tiny aperture.

 

[JohnQuixote]

Comparing the 2 (presentation vs. desktop) the ease-of-use advantage of the desktop model are that the diamond rests on its table, so leveling is automatic if the diamond’s table is level. It has a more academic appearance, larger viewing aperture and controllable lighting (more suitable for photos).

 

[JohnQuixote]

I just love this photo. Jim looks like a rapper preaching the word of ASET.

You’ve heard of ‘Puff Daddy?’ We can gloss Jim ‘Rough Daddy.’

(and remember, RAP is very prominent in the trade)

 

[JohnQuixote]

Crunk.

 

[JohnQuixote]

While ‘Rough Daddy’ was rapping with another convention-goer

Wink helped a couple of guys from the UK with questions about the ASET. Is this guy a natural salesman or what?

 

[JohnQuixote]

Panel discussion in the Galileo ballroom on the benefits of palladium and its rapidly growing popularity(also a hot topic on PS lately). Panelists were Daniel Ballard, Teresa Frye, Stewart Grice and BJ Williams.

 

[JohnQuixote]

GCAL

 

[JohnQuixote]

Safes in a variety of sizes, suitable for addicted Pricescopers.

 

[JohnQuixote]

This one is for the most severe cases (bouncer not included).

 

[decodelighted]

Date: 6/6/2006 2:40:29 PM
Author: mrssalvo

Date: 6/5/2006 8:32:27 PM
Author: kaleigh
Loved hearing about the asschers and their cushions.

me too. His reaction to the stones are what I expected to be the norm on DK cut asschers and cushions and was surprised when Jonathan said otherwise.

Huh? WhaddidImiss? Which Jonathan said Daniel K stones were less than glorious & where? Was it in *this* thread & I missed it?

I will fantasize about Daniel K (''s asschers & cushions) 4-EVAR!!

I also always wonder if he''s related to a gal I used to work with at VOGUE (an ex-Ad Director -- married name: Korren)

 

[JohnQuixote]

For the upgrade-incurable (you know who you are).

 

[JohnQuixote]

I hoped to visit with Udi, but his booth was quite busy.

 

[JohnQuixote]

Tools of the trade. Here’s a challenge for our consumer enthusiasts…

Can any non-pros identify them all?