JA cash-and-carry show opens with positive energy

New York--JA New York opened its Special Delivery show to a good buzz Sunday at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan.

As the day went on and attendance increased, many of the attending exhibitors said they felt positive about the start of the show and how selling would go over the next several days.

“We already wrote an order at 10:17 in the morning, so things are looking good,” said Steven Berkowitz of Sterling Reputation. “We’re still doing well with the rose gold-over-silver merchandise. People are still looking for long necklaces. Multi-color is still doing well, too.”

He added that the company has expanded its diamond collection over the past few years because more retailers are looking for pieces with silver and diamonds.

Meanwhile, Samuel Klagsbald of Catena de Oro told National Jeweler that the gold business has been picking up as of late due to the metal’s falling price.

After nearly reaching $2,000 an ounce in recent years, the cumulative average price of gold is $1,442.21 year-to-date, according to Kitco.com. The metal’s per-ounce price has dipped as low as $1,192 this year.

“We went back into the gold business since the price of gold went down, and we’re doing very well with that,” he said, noting that darker-colored pieces sell better in the winter while lighter colors are more popular in the summer.

Also commenting on winter trends, Stefanie McKoin of Nashville, Tenn.-based Vincent Peach noted that “leather, pearls and fur are huge this season. With the colder months coming, people are leaning toward a natural, organic look.”

“We’re looking forward to more traffic (at the show),” she added. “There’s been a lot of interest in our pieces.”

Creating a buzz on the show floor all day on Sunday was the attendance of Ashley Broad, buyer for American Jewelry & Loan in Detroit. Broad and her family star on the truTV show Hardcore Pawn, which has 3.5 million viewers, and she came to Special Delivery to shoot some footage for her show. Her presence garnered a lot of excitement as attendees stopped to take pictures with her.

JA New York Show Director Drew Lawsky said that show organizers feel positive about the start of Special Delivery and optimistic for the remaining days.

“We’re very pleased with the buzz and early activity on the show floor,” he said. “The exhibitors seem quite pleased so