5 companies back in JA New York’s Inner Circle

Five companies are returning to the Inner Circle at the upcoming JA New York Summer show, a pavilion that features high-end products from an array of designers and manufacturers.

Brecken Branstrator brecken.branstrator@nationaljeweler.com

These bangles are by Yoko London, one of the brands that is returning to JA New York’s Inner Circle pavilion at this month’s show.

New York--Five companies are returning to the Inner Circle at the upcoming JA New York Summer show, a pavilion that features high-end products from an array of designers and manufacturers.

Among the companies returning is Yoko London, previously known by its parent company’s name, Euro Pearls. The brand said it is refocusing on the increasingly important American market.

“The U.S. market during the recession wasn’t exciting for us, so we pulled away to put the focus elsewhere,” said Yoko London CEO Michael Hakimian, noting that the brand’s recent designs featuring colored pearls have been successful and the company is focusing on the U.S. market in order to capitalize on that success.

“America is now hugely important for us. And American consumers are responding well to colored pearls. They’re not looking to buy the same thing as everyone else.”

Hakimian also said that the company wanted to participate in the show because they feel it has been attracting more and more international buyers. He said that the company feels very confident with how the show will go for them with the fresh new pieces they have to display.

A renewed focus also brings New York-based sales and marketing company ViewPoint back to the show this summer as the company returns to doing more regional shows.

“In that mix, we decided that JA (New York) was a good one to return to,” said Anna Martinez, director of social media at ViewPoint.

She added that there also are a lot of new and exciting designs from the brands they are bringing and are excited about what they have in store for JA New York.

One of the brands that will be in ViewPoint’s booth is Lego Watch System, which features buildable watches that Martinez said she thinks will be perfect for the gifting season. The links snap on and off at a 90-degree angle and the bezel twists off, so the watches can be built any way the wearer wants.

The second brand, Rhyme & Reason, comes to the show after a recent re-launch (it was formerly known as G&G Creations). It just released three new collections that will be showcased, “Swirls,” “Synergy,” and “Imprint.”

“Rhyme & Reason has gotten a lot of acclaim lately. We’re expecting good things for them,” Martinez added.

Philip Stein, the third brand to be included at ViewPoint’s booth in Inner Circle, also went

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through a recent re-launch, and the company is now pushing its “Live in tune” messaging. They also recently launched two new wearable tech items, which they will showcase at JA New York.

“We’re really excited to be back. It’s usually a great show for us, so we can’t wait,” she said.

The other businesses that will be returning to Inner Circle this month includes packaging company Boxco International, bridal jewelry brand A. Jaffe and colored gemstone fine jewelry brand Vianna Brasil.

Additional information on the JA NY Summer show, which is scheduled for July 27 to 29 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, can be found here.

Brecken Branstratoris the senior editor, gemstones at National Jeweler, covering sourcing, pricing and other developments in the colored stone sector.