Jewelers of America (JA) is currently hosting their annual "Summer Show" in New York's Javits Center, July 26-28th.  Several hundred jewelry exhibitors are participating, including international pavilions from Hong Kong, Italy, Thailand, India, Brazil and Korea.  As the Las Vegas "Couture Show" is presented by JA as well, this New York Show also featured a Couture Pavilion containing those fine jewelry designers and manufacturers.
 
In addition to the "usual" diamonds, pearls, and gold jewelry - the jewelry trade show also focused on designer jewelry and specialized products which were presented in unique pavilions such as "Inner Circle" (fine, high-end jewelry), "Designer Showcase" (new designs and trends), "Boutique Pavilion" (more specialized and handcrafted designs) and "Concourse d'Elegance" (fine watches).  Two new pavilions were debuted this year: "Industry in the Round" - which combined such auxiliary services such as tools, supplies, machinery and other services, and the "Design Lab" - which presented a collaborative environment for select designers to showcase new collections and designs to retailers.
 
In a sign of positive trends to come, this week's JA New York Trade Show seemed cautiously optimistic. Speaking with exhibitors, there were mixed sentiments regarding the outcome of the jewelry show thus far. Some were very encouraged at the growth of the show, especially compared the recent JA Winter Show in New York, which attracted fewer jewelry exhibitors and retailer attendees.

The upscale pavilions featuring designer jewelry and fine watches were also positively noted. Some jewelry manufacturers stressed the importance of the JA New York Shows, which are vital to keep in touch with existing customers, "Fewer retailers are traveling throughout the year, to save costs," said one, "It is also much easier to showcase all of my jewelry ranges and lines here at the JA Show.  It would take me two hours in my office to display everything to a customer."
 
A couple of jewelry exhibitors mentioned, however, that the overall atmosphere was somewhat more reserved than in previous years - with fewer orders and smaller purchases being made. One jewelry manufacturer from the West Coast explained "This year, I am selling two or three items at a time, people don't want to place an order of 20 for their stores, like they did three years ago." Another large New York based diamond jewelry manufacturer said "I am making good orders of $50,000 or so to my existing customers, but not to new customers - they hesitate to buy and we are not eager to do such large business with newer people."  In what could be seen as a vote of confidence from among the industry's own ranks, many jewelry exhibitors reported steady sales of individual pieces from retailers who were purchasing fine jewelry items for the buyers themselves, although not yet pre-ordering for their fine jewelry stores. 
 
The expectations at the diamond and jewelry show were largely exceeded by several of those exhibiting and attending. A large jewelry retailer from the East Coast told the IDI that there has been a noticeable uptick in the retail jewelry market recently.  "We've been seeing very encouraging jewelry sales in the store, even compared to the last couple of years," he explained. "We will be very happy if this continues."