A few times each year at the Javits Center in NYC, there’s a jewelry trade show called JA New York (The East Coast’s Premier Fine Jewelry Trade Show)
It touts itself as “three focused days of buying, trend spotting, treasure-hunting and business-building interaction”.
I went in March and bought an engraving machine which I share with another jeweler friend, Stephanie Maslow-Blackman, owner of Metalicious. If you’re ever in need of your jewelry engraved, please get in touch!
Most recently I went in August when it was sharing the space with NY Now and the National Stationery Show. Both are trade shows which focus on businesses selling their goods to retailers that attend the shows. It’s the perfect time of year as retailers are currently looking for new products for their stores at their busiest time of year: Christmas.
I’ve always wanted to go to NY Now to scout it out and see if it is worth my while exhibiting there, but I’ve never been able to get in since I’m not a retailer, but this was my chance! So, along with Tinika from Glim + Glow we visited the show. The place is massive, with over 2,000 people exhibiting there. We spent about 3 hours there and we didn’t get to see it all. But it was great research for both of us. My thoughts at the end of it were that if I did decide to do it, I would need to share a booth and placement in the venue itself is key.
The following day I went to the jewelry show and picked up some gemstones. One of which I bought to use in this piece (a 1mm sapphire).
I bought some rainbow moonstones (I cant stop buying them, they’re just so gorgeous!
Some melee: blue sapphires, pink sapphires, and iolite.
Some garnet, London blue topaz and some dendritic agate and dendritic opal.
Then I went crazy(!) and bought some Australian Boulder Opals. These pieces are small but gorgeous and I can’t wait to set them... just figuring out what to do with them. They’re expensive, so I want the setting to be extra special. If you have any thoughts - do let me know!
