Recession Vegas Style

Recession...what recession?
The Bellagio was so packed with people yesterday that I had to stand in line for at least 1/2 hour to check in, and they didn't even have a room ready....and how many rooms are there in this hotel.... Admittedly the casino looks a little quieter that usual but there are still loads of the people here, wedding parties, business groups, guys on golf trips, poker players and the usual tourists.

Shopping Spree - Viva Las Vegas 2009

It's Vegas time again!

Seeing the new trends in Couture and Italian jewelry design and shopping for jewelry at the Antique Jewelry and Watch Show in Las Vegas...

Do I have the best job in the world or what!!!

Gems Take Vegas - The JCK Report

Gems Take Vegas
Another year of Vegas jewelry shows has come to an end and, as JCKstyle editors nurse sore feet and overtaxed livers, we reflect on new trends. Happily, in the area of fall fashion, there was much to be found. Among the top trends:

Watery Stones. Faceted gemstones so light they are nearly transparent. Green and purple are the most popular colors, and topaz and amethyst the most popular stones.

Hip Pearls. Black or white, pearl designs are anything but traditional. Keshi and baroque varieties are hot in designs that emphasize their unique shapes.

Stone Layering. Gemstones of all varieties are being dressed up with stone-on-stone creations or metalwork that lies over (or under) gems to add interest to the already-hot color category.

Weekly Gem. The Vegas shows were a week for stargazing. Among the celebs were Russell Simmons, the keynote speaker for the JCK ~ Las Vegas Show, Christina Aguilera and Seal, who both performed for jewelers, and the designers from Badgley Mischka, both on hand to launch their new fine jewelry line.

What Happens in Vegas - The Report

Las Vegas. Admit it...you want to know all.

Here's the highlights.

Antique and Estate Jewelry Show. Lots of exquisite jewelry but my take was not a lot of business except in large stones and watches.

Couture Show. Some interesting new designs and business was brisk.

Italian Show. Emphasis on diamond slice jewelry, snake bracelets and sunburst pendants. Mostly yellow gold, with some great pieces in titanium. I love the Italian manufacturers. They always have a couple of bottles of wine in their booths at lunchtime. So European.

Gems and Diamonds. More supply than can be imagined...so what's up with the Rap price increase?

Technology. Saw my team at Logicmate. New talent has been hired so maybe now I wont have to harass them daily for attention.

Vegas...well it was the same as ever. Hot, crowded, tacky.

I was glad to see my favorite Bartender John at Sensi at the Bellagio. He was, as always, friendly and fun. Dinner at Daniel Boulud at the Wynn was OK but not as good as the New York restaurant. Trying to get an outside table for cognac and cigars was the usual hassle at the Fontana Bar at the Bellagio.

Bars were teeming with the typical New York diamond dealers (not the Hassidic ones of course)...with their wedding rings conveniently slipped off so they could prey on the young and naive. Ah...the typical trade show shenanigans.

Highlights of my trip.

Taking a much appreciated break by the Bellagio pool.

And...getting chatted up by a young-ish diamond dealer from NY who first had to tell me how intrigued he was by the Ashton Kutchner -Demi Moore relationship. Yeah whatever.

Then he told me about how he made the transition from the IDF to M&A at Lehman Brothers to Diamonds. OK, interesting.

Then he told me that he loved old movies...so I'm thinking great, he's got an appreciation for the genius of Preston Sturgis, Stanley Kramer, Akira Kurosawa, etc. He then goes on to say that his favorite "old" movie was The Usual Subjects. I guess when you are 35 a movie that was released in 1995 qualifies as old.

Being a young and cocky guy he just had to make a $500 bet with me on when the movie Papillion was released insisting that it came out in 1963. I was like dude, Dustin Hoffman wasn't even acting in movies in 1963. His big break came much later in The Graduate. But no...he had to insist.

Of course the next day at his firm's booth, when I tried to collect my $500 he was short by about $500.

So Oren, you still owe me.