Well we went to the JCK Las Vegas Jewelry buying show this past weekend. We flew out Friday night and got to our hotel around midnight. Our rooms were not available so they bumped us up to the presidential suite. Just for one night though. The next two nights we stayed in just the standard rooms.
The first day of the show we woke up and headed down about 9am. This was my first Vegas show. I have been to different shows throughout the US but I was told that this is nothing like the other shows. I was told to prepare myself for how BIG this show was. We got to the buying room floor and man oh man was it amazing. It was probably 20 times the size of a big Bridal Fair. There was one room with over a thousand vendors and then there was another room below that with the same amount and that was not the end of it. And when it come to what vendors were there, EVERYONE. There was everything; store displays/fixtures, wrapping paper/jewelry boxes, repair tools/custom design programs, and the actually jewelry itself (loose gemstones/diamonds, handbags, jewelry already made up). Each vendor has a booth. They can have a standard 10'x10' booth or some vendors like PANDORA Jewelry have a whole room the size of our store. It was just jaw dropping.
While there we did go to the PANDORA booth (room). We had to meet with our rep to talk about upcoming PANDORA events and merchandise. We were introduced to Michael Lund the creator and owner of PANDORA Jewelry. Not what I pictured. I do not know how to describe what I pictured but he was not like what I thought he would be. He is tall, really tall. Michael Doland (Doland's Owner) is 6'7" and he was just as tall if not it was darn close. Really nice guy with a great accent ;). We got our picture taken with him.
Lucas Doland, Michael Doland, Michael Lund, Crystal Doland, William Doland
We also met with some new people. Lucas Doland is right now going to GIA (Gemological Institute of America). It is located in Carlsbad, CA. He met up with us at the show and a couple of his friends came with. One of his friends, Jeremy, was really good at making conversation with anyone. We were taking a little break having a bite to eat when we saw Gabi Tolkowsky (the world's most renowned diamond cutter) walking by. Jeremy went up to him and started talking to him. The next thing we knew we had a 20min conversation with him on diamonds and life in general. We got to hold in our hands the world's first properly cut brown diamond. Gabi, told us all about how brown diamonds trap light in the stone and have to be cut differently then white diamonds in order to make them sparkle. He told us how he came up with the different facets a brown diamond needed to have and where they needed to be placed to make a brown diamond "shine." It was one of the highlights of the show.
Mike, Lucas, Gabi, William
Then to top it all off we got to meet Debbie Brooks from our Debbie Brooks Handbags that we carry in both of our stores. She is so nice and down to earth. She had just as much fun showing me all of her new products as I was looking at them. She really has a passion for all of her artwork and an enthusiasm to be right in the mix of things with her customers that, I have found, you do not find in all designers. It was a great time. (And in the picture, she made the guys all hold one of her handbags:):))
Lucas, Mike, Debbie Brooks, Will, Crystal
So to wrap up, we did get a few things new for late summer early fall. This show was more to look at what is out there and what was new in the world of jewelry. We have two or three more shows we need to get to this year and will be buying even more at those shows. We do like to here from our customers and what they find interesting and what they would like to buy, see in our store. You can email us at dolandjewelers@qwestoffice.net.
