JIS October show kicks off in Miami

Exhibitors at the JIS Miami show, which opened Thursday, reported that buyers seemed to be looking for classic, wearable pieces at lower price points ahead of the holidays.

Brecken Branstrator brecken.branstrator@nationaljeweler.com

Miami--Buyers and exhibitors hit the show floor Thursday at the Jewelers International Showcase (JIS) October show, making their way out of the heat of the Florida day and into the air conditioned Miami Beach Convention Center.

Exhibitor Robert Madaio of EOS Jewelry said that they're hoping that with more shows coinciding with JIS Miami October, like Luxury, interest in the event from buyers will continue to increase.While a few exhibitors reported that the first day was a little slow for them, they also noted that they felt optimistic for the rest of the show, especially as the weekend allowed more regional retailers to make their way down to Miami.

“It’s been a little slow for us so far, but I think we’ll see a lot more clients fly in for the weekend,” said Robert Madaio of EOS Jewelry International. “It also seems like there is a little bit more interest in this show now that it’s aligned with (Luxury), and the Centurion show is also going on.” He said a number of his clients told him they were going to attend the show for the first time this year.

Reed Exhibitions, operator of the JCK shows, announced in late May that it had acquired Boca Raton, Fla.-based JIS and now would also hold a Luxury show in a different ballroom in the same venue.

For SimplexDiam, the activity in Miami made for a decent first day, with CEO Yogesh Madhvani reporting that the first day was “pretty good” for them, with steady traffic and visits from their regular customers.

In addition to seeing a lot of rose gold selling at the show, Madhvani also said that they were selling a lot of “basics” to buyers--bridal, especially halo styles, stud earrings, bands and bracelets. He also said that colored gemstones of all kinds were doing well for them.

At the same time, he noted that he’s seeing less movement of international goods, especially from Italian designers. He said he thinks the economies in South America have something to do with that and those clients not wanting to buy at that price point, as well as the strength of the American dollar.

Many of their buyers were looking at the below-$500 price point.

At the Dazzlers booth on the JIS floor, Michael Simassian said much of the same. He said during the first day, which was “OK” for

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the company, buyers were heading toward the “everyday use,” basic pieces. He also noted that buyers were attracted to their lower price points, looking at pieces priced around $30 to $40.

At the booth of United Precious Metal Refining on Thursday, Rafael Amador said that the show was going really well for them already.

“We’ve been noticing an increase interest in manufacturing over the past few months,” he said, adding that jewelers have been visiting their booth at the show to see what new items they’ve got to offer ahead of the holidays, which for this show includes a new green gold and a new brown gold that seem to be getting a good response so far.

The JIS Miami show runs through Sunday, Oct. 18.

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