Hello Orchid—
Internation Gem and Jewelry Show came to Denver this weekend…I went
down for two days and here are some random impressions:
Vendors said, on the whole, that they were doing well there. The traffic
flow was uneven, and the weekend was slower than expected, but the first
two days earlier in the week were very strong. Everyone I spoke with
reported doing better than last year on the average. Steady growth was the
theme. Some people were very happy, and one vendor claimed to have done
one and one-half the business of last year’s show on the first day.
Discounting a percentage for brag, it’s still a good show, but definitely
still a “regional” orientation.
Some subjective highlights:
Horizon Mineral Custom Lapidary, out of Houston TX was, IMHO, the hottest
booth there, in the sense of new shapes, colors, textures, unique minerals
and great cutting. Drusy quartzes in particular, combining matte textures,
current colors and contemporary shapes, orange drusy looking like citron
gum drops particularly exciting and selling strongly… catch them in
Tucson or call 713-522-0125, in Houston.
Carollo’s Gems, based in Denver, also made a strong showing with their
terrific lapidary approach. Lots of great matched pairs, their specialty,
but every stone they do has personality…not a factory feeling. Crystal
and Gina Carollo were at the booth throughout the show, they are very
professional and a pleasure to deal with. Contact them at 303-744-3731.
For good value on semiprecious stones in various cuts, no one could beat
Sunil Jain of Indojewels, Inc. and I get a strong impression from talking
to various jewelers that this is usually the case. Sunil does it all with
low-key charm. Call Indojewels at 212-944-7122.
Special cuts & one of a kind stones were strongly in evidence,
represented particularly well by Larry Winn, of AJS Enterprises, Inc. from
Grand Junction, CO. AJS has been cited as an AGTA Cutting Edge Award
Winner in '92, '93, & 94. Neat shapes include his variation on the
triskelion (sp?), a quadraskelion which has achieves a balance between
strong dynamic feeling and a serene, balanced beauty. Another neat shape
is a crescent curve… I said it reminded me of a caterpillar and he was
not too pleased but it is, nonetheless, charming. Larry can be reached at
303-523-0815
Eleven:Eleven with principals based in LA and Marin made a very strong
style showing overall, with unique cut minerals in very current
colors and shapes,copper pearls and other treats. Innovative contemporary
materials. Call Guy Paul at 213/461/5830
These are some of the high points out of a welter of impressions.
Overstimulation every once in a while can’t be beat. It was funny though,
after a while, so much richness is like a dessert counter stretching on
forever. So many stones without the metal is like pate without crackers,
or sauce without pasta. I’m suffering from a surfeit of beauty now. No
regrets!
Eve Wallace