Scenes from JCK 2010

[John P]

I was asked to start a thread for this year's JCK-related activities - so here we go.

Each year this is one of the jewelry industry's largest events. Over 2500 companies from 22 different countries are exhibiting at the Sands Expo in Las Vegas this year. Attendance is expected to be in the 30,000s. A number of Pricescope contributors are here, as usual. The presentations and industry dialogue have us talking to one another and I'm sure others will have comments and images to add here, for those interested.

If you have specific questions we can answer while on-site feel free to post them here.

If you're in Vegas and have not linked-up, look for us in La Scena in the Venetian each afternoon prior to dinner. It's not always Algonquinian conversation, but it's reliably fun...  And to friends and colleagues who aren't attending this year - you are missed!

 

[John P]

GIA hosted a “Rock the Beach” opening reception on Friday night at The Beach at Mandalay Bay. The JCK show will be moving from the Sands Expo to Mandalay Bay this year, so it was a nice opportunity to check out the new ''digs.''

 

[John P]

Live music, dancers and fire jugglers featured onstage as guests cooled their heels.

 

[John P]

Lifeguards?

 

[John P]

Cheers to GIA on a fun and well-attended event.

Meanwhile, during the day some notable education sessions and panels have taken place.

This was a notable session on The Kimberley Process and Consumer Confidence, with Noorah Jamsheer of the United Nations, Brad Brooks-Rubin of the US State Department, Dorothee Gizenga of the DDI (Moderator), Cecilia Gardner of the JVC, Eli Izhakoff of the World Diamond Council, Matt Runci of JA, John Hall of Rio Tinto and Frank Govic of BHP Billiton.

 

[John P]

Noorah Jamsheer, who is specifically on the UN Panel of Experts on Cote D''Ivoire, and Brad Brooks-Rubin.

 

[John P]

Some familiar Pricescope faces: With me are Lieve Peeters from Infinity Diamonds, Andrey and Coati from Pricescope, Paul Slegers of Infinity Diamonds, Garry Holloway - Celebrated Man of the World, Peter Yantzer of AGS Laboratories and Wink Jones of High Performance Diamonds.

 

[HeartingDiamonds]

Hi John,

Nice photos

!

Erica and I were there yesterday, but really only very briefly as it was only a day trip for us both, and we had to hoof it down to the MGM for the Antique and Jewelry Show there.

Perhaps next year, we can join you guys for a drink

*Hiya, Coati*

 

[Hest88]

Date: 6/5/2010 2:54:59 PM
Author: John Pollard
Some familiar Pricescope faces: With me are Lieve Peeters from Infinity Diamonds, Andrey and Coati from Pricescope, Paul Slegers of Infinity Diamonds, Garry Holloway - Celebrated Man of the World, Peter Yantzer of AGS Laboratories and Wink Jones of High Performance Diamonds.

Oh my! Isn''t she gorgeous?!

 

[coati]

Date: 6/5/2010 3:11:14 PM
Author: HeartingDiamonds
Hi John,


Nice photos

!


Erica and I were there yesterday, but really only very briefly as it was only a day trip for us both, and we had to hoof it down to the MGM for the Antique and Jewelry Show there.


Perhaps next year, we can join you guys for a drink

*Hiya, Coati*

Hi Grace!

I''m hoping to hoof it down to MGM today or tomorrow.
Hope you had fun!

 

[coati]

More pics to come...

Here''s a fun set of bands from Steven Kretchmer-made with a new magnetic platinum alloy. DH liked these.

 

[coati]

Going to take more pics now...Any requests?

 

[arjunajane]

um..everything?

. You know you must take lots at the antique show.
Hope you are having an awesome time coats, and cheers john for the thread.

 

[luv2sparkle]

yeah, Coati, look for Leon and see what he has got! Any amazing sparklies would be sooo appreciated!

 

[coati]

Date: 6/5/2010 7:08:32 PM
Author: arjunajane
um..everything?

. You know you must take lots at the antique show.

Hope you are having an awesome time coats, and cheers john for the thread.

hehe-trying to get over there!

Cheers AJ!

 

[coati]

Date: 6/6/2010 10:15:45 AM
Author: luv2sparkle
yeah, Coati, look for Leon and see what he has got! Any amazing sparklies would be sooo appreciated!

Leon is not presenting this weekend-sorry!
We should have some things to share in a bit...stay tuned!

 

[angeline]

Date: 6/5/2010 4:01:43 PM
Author: coatimundi
Going to take more pics now...Any requests?

Coati!!! Our gal on the ground... PLEEEEEEEEEEEASE visit MaeVona and check out their new collection - ''Scottish Wildflowers'' for us?

Also any pics of the Soay with bands would be wildly appreciated! Can you ask her if a 2.2 would be okay in the Soay? On the website it suggests up to 2ct only. (Yes I am considering another reset!)

Thank you a thousand times!!

 

[Regular Guy]

John, thanks for your reporting, and Andrey, thanks for requesting the same from him.

I know you are finely attuned to what Pricescopers are interested in. That said, I appreciate already your mention of the education session of note on the Kimberly Process and consumer confidence...

Date: 6/5/2010 2:48:24 PM
Author: John Pollard
Cheers to GIA on a fun and well-attended event.

Meanwhile, during the day some notable education sessions and panels have taken place.

This was a notable session on The Kimberley Process and Consumer Confidence, with Noorah Jamsheer of the United Nations, Brad Brooks-Rubin of the US State Department, Dorothee Gizenga of the DDI (Moderator), Cecilia Gardner of the JVC, Eli Izhakoff of the World Diamond Council, Matt Runci of JA, John Hall of Rio Tinto and Frank Govic of BHP Billiton.

and can''t help but notice that the person they chose as moderator is Ms. Gizenga, with DDI, who Pricescope chose for its Rock Wall Album.

Despite this vote of confidence, I continue to get mixed signals about their work, both within and without Pricescope.

Any additional intelligence you''d like to lend either about DDI in particular, or more broadly, the take-away from this session, is most welcome.

I do find it ironic for these sessions to be happening coincident in time with what seems to me the most important decision-making also occurring with the Kimberly Process, and its present day processes and practices with respect to Zimbabwe, as seen for example, here....

 

[coati]

Date: 6/7/2010 10:21:39 AM
Author: Regular Guy
and can''t help but notice that the person they chose as moderator is Ms. Gizenga, with DDI, who Pricescope chose for its Rock Wall Album.


Despite this vote of confidence, I continue to get mixed signals about their work, both within and without Pricescope.


Any additional intelligence you''d like to lend either about DDI in particular, or more broadly, the take-away from this session, is most welcome.


I do find it ironic for these sessions to be happening coincident in time with what seems to me the most important decision-making also occurring with the Kimberly Process, and its present day processes and practices with respect to Zimbabwe, as seen for example, here....

Hello Ira,

I had the pleasure of interviewing Ms. Gizenga from DDI over the weekend. I will be posting this interview along with other information soon, and hopefully this will address some of your concerns. Ms. Gizenga’s extensive experience with the complexities of artisanal mining practices worldwide is impressive and illuminating.

I’m confident that DDI is the right choice for the Rock Walk Album.

Stay tuned for the interview and further discussion.

 

[coati]

Date: 6/6/2010 9:37:53 PM
Author: angeline

Date: 6/5/2010 4:01:43 PM

Author: coatimundi

Going to take more pics now...Any requests?

Coati!!! Our gal on the ground... PLEEEEEEEEEEEASE visit MaeVona and check out their new collection - ''Scottish Wildflowers'' for us?


Also any pics of the Soay with bands would be wildly appreciated! Can you ask her if a 2.2 would be okay in the Soay? On the website it suggests up to 2ct only. (Yes I am considering another reset!)


Thank you a thousand times!!

Angeline! At the airport-leaving Las Vegas now. I wish I could''ve visited MaeVona for you. Next time!

Another reset, eh? Can''t wait to see the next one!

 

[angeline]

Date: 6/7/2010 2:05:26 PM
Author: coatimundi

Date: 6/6/2010 9:37:53 PM

Author: angeline

Date: 6/5/2010 4:01:43 PM


Author: coatimundi


Going to take more pics now...Any requests?

Coati!!! Our gal on the ground... PLEEEEEEEEEEEASE visit MaeVona and check out their new collection - ''Scottish Wildflowers'' for us?



Also any pics of the Soay with bands would be wildly appreciated! Can you ask her if a 2.2 would be okay in the Soay? On the website it suggests up to 2ct only. (Yes I am considering another reset!)



Thank you a thousand times!!

Angeline! At the airport-leaving Las Vegas now. I wish I could''ve visited MaeVona for you. Next time!


Another reset, eh? Can''t wait to see the next one!

Oh darn!! Thanks anyway. You are so lucky to have been there, I wish I could see all that up close and personal.
Have a great trip home!

a

 

[John P]

Date: 6/5/2010 3:11:14 PM
Author: HeartingDiamonds
Hi John,

Nice photos

!

Erica and I were there yesterday, but really only very briefly as it was only a day trip for us both, and we had to hoof it down to the MGM for the Antique and Jewelry Show there.
Perhaps next year, we can join you guys for a drink

Grace - Absolutely.

We actually diverted to another gathering spot around the corner since La Scena had a baccarat tourney going, but our usual group is pretty "find"able. The normal number of Pricescope contributors-in-attendance was down this year...we were forced to order extra rounds to keep our reputation intact.

Looking forward to seeing more folks back in 2011.

 

[WinkHPD]

It was an exciting week with a LOT of work mixed with a tremendous amount of camaraderie both during and after hours.

The Giants of the industry were here and spending time with so many of them in such a short time is incredibly energizing.

I had the pleasure of attending some good educational seminars at JCK and a very detailed presentation off strip by the Accredited Gemologists Association on lead filled glass rubies. WOW! This stuff is not only NOT suitable for use in jewelry, it is toxic. To make matters worse, it is being sold by industry big wigs such as Macy''s who should be ashamed of what they are willing to do for money.

I will have an article for Andrey later this week, although it may be a week or three before he is printing any new articles.

Synopsis, this is not just a new glass filling, it is an unstable glass filling that will come out with minimal heat, any acid, such as the pickling acid that nearly all jewelers use after working on a ring and even a splash of lemon juice. If it is hit by a torch, even for a few seconds, the lead in the glass vaporises, making toxic fumes for the jeweler to breathe, which may be detrimental to his long term health.

I have been given permission to use photos from the presentation that show the shocking before and after images of these poor leaded glass and ruby composites. It is shocking how good such a horrible fraud can look until it is taken from the store and worn.

Wink

 

[John P]

Date: 6/7/2010 10:21:39 AM
Author: Regular Guy
John, thanks for your reporting, and Andrey, thanks for requesting the same from him.

I know you are finely attuned to what Pricescopers are interested in. That said, I appreciate already your mention of the education session of note on the Kimberly Process and consumer confidence...

You're welcome. There is a lot to relay. I'm in the process of organizing notes and images, which will be a larger task than it's been in some prior years.

Questions surrounding social responsibility were of great prominence, in sessions and on the floor. Between Thursday's Kimberley Process panel and Sunday's Rapaport State of the Union and Fair Trade Jewelery conference there was no lack of passionate dialogue and debate. There were also some fireworks.

I know Coati will cover Fair Trade Jewelery and I'll provide a synopsis of Rapaport's State of the Union. There was a fantastic conference on Diamond Certification Sunday and I'm hoping Neil Beaty will remark on it here as he did yesterday with our dinner group. There were a number of useful sessions and I have no doubt other attendees will have thoughtful comments to add.

I do find it ironic for these sessions to be happening coincident in time with what seems to me the most important decision-making also occurring with the Kimberly Process, and its present day processes and practices with respect to Zimbabwe, as seen for example, here....

No coincidence. The world is getting smaller and the issues must be faced with transparency. That's not the way some governments in question operate, and with so many stakeholders involved the establishment of policy will be a herculean task. I find it encouraging to see these topics on the schedule, especially hit head-on as they were in some cases.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Date: 6/7/2010 2:00:24 PM
Author: coatimundi

Date: 6/7/2010 10:21:39 AM

Author: Regular Guy

and can't help but notice that the person they chose as moderator is Ms. Gizenga, with DDI, who Pricescope chose for its Rock Wall Album.



Despite this vote of confidence, I continue to get mixed signals about their work, both within and without Pricescope.



Any additional intelligence you'd like to lend either about DDI in particular, or more broadly, the take-away from this session, is most welcome.



I do find it ironic for these sessions to be happening coincident in time with what seems to me the most important decision-making also occurring with the Kimberly Process, and its present day processes and practices with respect to Zimbabwe, as seen for example, here....

Hello Ira,


I had the pleasure of interviewing Ms. Gizenga from DDI over the weekend. I will be posting this interview along with other information soon, and hopefully this will address some of your concerns. Ms. Gizenga’s extensive experience with the complexities of artisanal mining practices worldwide is impressive and illuminating.


I’m confident that DDI is the right choice for the Rock Walk Album.


Stay tuned for the interview and further discussion.

Hi Ira,
I sat in on a panel discussion that Dorothee chaired and she was very impressive, even exceptional.
If you value my judgement then please be assured - she is smart and understands the deep complexities of these matters.
KP did a good job within the limitations that it had, but it was never designed to police rogue states nor was it designed as a humanitarian directive.
It would be better if Zimbabwae could stay within KP - but the issues are very complex and people like Dorothee are part of the solution. A lot of other well meaning NGO's (and there were others there) were like xxx xxxx xxxxx

 

[Hest88]

Thanks all, for the updates. I''ll be really interested to watch the development of the Kimberley Process as well.

Date: 6/7/2010 5:38:22 PM
Author: Wink

I had the pleasure of attending some good educational seminars at JCK and a very detailed presentation off strip by the Accredited Gemologists Association on lead filled glass rubies. WOW! This stuff is not only NOT suitable for use in jewelry, it is toxic.

Oh, that''s outrageous! Can''t wait to read the article. Ugh!

 

[Regular Guy]

Garry, thanks for your comments.

I think they are important, and consequently, have started a new thread on this, here. I hope you and interested others will go there to explore and explain further.

However, where you have noted...

Date: 6/8/2010 10:04:55 AM
Author: Garry H (Cut Nut)

It would be better if Zimbabwae could stay within KP - but the issues are very complex and people like Dorothee are part of the solution. A lot of other well meaning NGO''s (and there were others there) were like xxx xxxx xxxxx

...that is a turn of phrase I''m not getting (xxx?). Maybe you can just say that another way here.

But, more detailed background in the other new thread would be welcome, there.

Regards,

 

[John P]

Synopsis of the annual Rapaport breakfast address here: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/2010-rapaport-state-of-the-diamond-industry-new-opportuniti.144415/

 

[John P]

A couple of fun photos from the show. Here are two fashionable ladies - Coati and Lieve.

 

[John P]

...And a rare photo opportunity with the typically stoic and unflappable Neil Beaty.

Apparently Neil can accomplish what all the king's horses and all the king's men could not.