by Julius Zheng, GIA GG, Accredited Senior Gemologist (AGA)
A trade show is only as strong as the industry it serves. If our retailers and suppliers face a challenge, we want JCK to be part of the solution, not just a place to discuss it. – Sarin Bachmann, Senior Vice President of the RX Jewelry Portfolio
For Ms. Sarin Bachmann, Senior Vice President of the RX Jewelry Portfolio, JCK and Luxury 2026 exceeded expectations on every level. The energy throughout the week was extraordinary, with very strong attendance, packed show floors, and meaningful business taking place at every turn. In this exclusive interview, Ms. Bachmann shares her insight from the organizer’s view.
1. JCK and Luxury 2026 were reported as exceeding expectations, with strong attendance and positive sentiments. Looking ahead, what do you see as the biggest potentials and challenges for B2B jewelry trade shows: the ceiling on physical scale, or the need to keep proving that a trade show remains the most valuable place for the industry to gather?
We see far more potential than challenges. Our focus has been and continues to be, remaining the event, the industry can’t wait to attend and can’t afford to miss. That comes from two things working together, real business results and an experience the industry looks forward to all year. People come because JCK is good for business, and they come back every year because they also love being there. Nothing matches the energy of thousands of industry professionals and businesses coming together to see new products and trends, and to experience the incredible enthusiasm and buzz of the show floor, education and events. When retailers and exhibitors leave with new partners, new orders, deepened relationships and fresh ideas and inspiration, they are already planning their return for the next year before they even leave Las Vegas!
For B2B jewelry trade shows, AI is changing how we work and connect, and that makes meeting in person more valuable than ever. Across the trade show industry, attendees are becoming more selective about where they travel, and they are prioritizing the larger events that deliver the greatest value. For the jewelry industry specifically, the pandemic reinforced that nothing could replace in-person buying and discovery. Retailers need to see, touch and experience the product firsthand, discover new designs, and build relationships with the people behind them. As one of the industry’s most important global gatherings, JCK is very well positioned for all of these reasons.
If you look at major events such as the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which spans multiple venues across Las Vegas, physical scale does not necessarily have a ceiling when an event continues to deliver value. However, size alone is not the measure of success. As a show grows, the challenge is ensuring that it remains easy to navigate, productive and focused on meaningful business outcomes. That is a major priority for JCK. We are focused on creating curated destinations, delivering education that helps retailers run stronger businesses, and providing year-round connection through JCK Online, JCK Magazine and JCK PRO. In 2027, we will be unveiling a revamped floorplan layout, with exciting new neighborhoods added and some existing ones modified, with a focus on ease of navigation and ease of doing business for our attendees.
This year, despite a challenging market, historically high gold prices and global trade uncertainty, retailer and buyer attendance increased. That tells us the industry continues to see JCK as the place where business gets done, in both strong and difficult markets, and as an event it needs and does not want to miss.
2. JCK’s stated focus is on “growth, innovation, and value” for exhibitors and attendees. In the current jewelry industry landscape, which areas do you believe have the greatest room for improvement, and how do you plan to drive progress through specific measures?
I see three areas where the industry has real room to grow.
The first is technology. Many independent retailers are still early in using AI, data, and analytics to understand their customers and manage inventory. That’s why our JCK Talks program leaned heavily into AI and business strategy this year, and why we created the JCK Talks Signature Series for buyers who want a deeper dive.
The second is clarity for buyers. With natural and lab-grown diamonds both growing in the market, retailers need to source with confidence and speak to their customers with confidence. We give each category a dedicated destination on the show floor so buyers can find exactly what they need. We also provide the latest industry news and trends on this topic and many others through JCK News Daily, our JCK podcast “The Jewelry District” and our JCK Talks education alongside partner education and breaking industry updates at the show.
The third is the next generation, both the next generation of consumers and the next generation of talent. Younger shoppers want pieces that feel personal and tell a story, and the industry needs fresh designers and new leaders to meet that demand. Areas like the JCK Design Collective, including the Black in Jewelry Coalition, as well as our partnership with NouvelleBox at Luxury, introduced emerging and design-forward brands to retailers, and we will build on those areas in 2027.
3. JCK is described as a gathering for the entire industry, while Luxury is a highly curated experience and by invitation-only for the first two days. How do you ensure that the two events co-exist, but maintain distinct identities without creating tension or confusion in how the market perceives them?
We’ve never seen them as competing. They serve different purposes and offer buyers and the exhibitors different opportunities throughout the six show days every year.
Luxury gives high-end brands and top retailers a secure place to do business before JCK opens its doors to the wider industry. It’s a quieter, more focused environment to meet by appointment, before the full show opens. Exhibitors go through a selective review, and the invitation-only retailer guest list is vetted. That exclusivity creates opportunities for even more business.
JCK is the global gathering for all to source, network and connect. It is where a buyer can source loose stones, find a new bridal line, discover an emerging designer, and visit international pavilions from Hong Kong to Italy, all in the same day. JCK attendees can also explore Luxury during the JCK days after the invitation-only days.
Having both in the same destination, in the same week, is the advantage. A retailer can do their high-level appointments in the intimate environment at Luxury and then shop the breadth of JCK in the following days. JCK retailers can shop Luxury alongside their JCK vendors all at once. Our entire audience gets to explore both shows conveniently under one roof, helping them maximize their time and focus. Clear criteria, clear positioning and consistent communication define the two main show identities and allow us to continue to offer targeted positioning for other key segments.
We just completed a rebrand for both JCK and Luxury for the 2027 events which will be unveiled soon and will even further show how distinct yet intertwined the two shows are. The result is one of the most complete buying experiences for the jewelry trade industry and the most important to be a part of annually.
4. The 2026 edition introduced “Timepieces at Luxury & JCK” as a dedicated watch destination, and a new “Lifestyle Pavilion”. What signals from the retail and brand communities told you the time was right for the new additions, and what will determine whether it becomes a permanent part of the show?
Watch brands told us they wanted one dedicated environment in North America to meet with retailers, in an area focused on watches and built around how their business works. Retailers told us they would love to source new watch brands and meet with existing watch brand partners to plan their assortments, while already at JCK and Luxury. When you hear the same need from buyers and sellers, you act on it.
The response to the new Timepieces area was overwhelmingly positive. Brands including Movado and Citizen joined us, retailers were pleased with the quality of meetings, and media treated the area as a key destination for watch stories.
Timepieces is here to stay, and it is growing. For the 2027 show, it moves to the newly renovated Level 3 ballrooms of The Venetian, steps from the Luxury floor. It will be a dedicated floor for Timepieces, with education, activations and networking events. It will function as a true show within a show, and will open Thursday, June 3, overlapping the second day of Luxury and running through the JCK show days.
The Lifestyle Pavilion is here to stay too and is the destination for all things accessories, gifts and complementary non-jewelry items. Nothing is more important than driving traffic to retail stores, and offering a breadth of products within a store’s collections is key. Stores from boutiques and small jewelry retailers to multi-store majors benefit from shopping other items to extend their sales opportunities, including accessories like sunglasses and scarves and gifts for the holidays and special occasions.
5. You chair the JCK Industry Fund and serve on multiple industry boards. How do these external governance roles inform your management decisions for the shows? Can you point to a specific initiative or change that emerged from that broader industry perspective?
Those roles keep me close to the pulse of what is happening in our industry and what it needs. I also care deeply about the industry and the people in it and want to do all we can to continue to lift it up to its highest potential. Serving on industry boards and committees such as American Gem Society, Diamonds Do Good, 24 Karat Club of New York, Jewelers’ Security Alliance and the GEM Awards committee, I learn firsthand the challenges the industry is facing and can play a part in working to resolve those challenges. Through the JCK Industry Fund, I see which organizations are doing the work that keeps our industry strong and innovative and where support is needed most.
For example, serving on several industry boards, I kept hearing the same concern: we don’t have enough bench jewelers. Retirements are outpacing new talent, and the industry needs an estimated 4,000 new bench jewelers each year just to keep up. The JCK Industry Fund has given grants to organizations that recruit and train bench jewelers, so when Jewelers Mutual launched its partnership with Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), it was an easy decision to put the JCK team’s support behind it. Jewelers Mutual committed $10 million over 10 years to SCAD’s jewelry program, the largest in North America, with a goal of doubling enrollment by 2030. The funding covers scholarships, curriculum, and new equipment, and other industry donors are now adding to the program’s scholarship endowment. It takes on the problem from a new direction by building the talent pipeline at the university level.
A trade show is only as strong as the industry it serves. If our retailers and suppliers face a challenge, we want JCK to be part of the solution, not just a place to discuss it.
6. What is your outlook for the 2027 edition of JCK and Luxury? Will there be new growth points, and possibly new pavilions for your team to explore?
The expanded Timepieces destination will be one of the biggest changes for 2027, and we expect it to bring even more watch brands and retailers to the show. We’ll also continue to invest in education, with JCK Talks covering the topics retailers care about most, from technology to trends to the economy.
We’re making many changes to the show floor that reposition existing segments such as trending collections and fashion bridge jewelry products into one “Grand Plaza” – the true heart of JCK. Other sections will fuse into turnkey areas that offer upscale booth displays and more. It’s all a part of the exciting brand refresh that JCK and Luxury are both going to be launching in the new year.
International growth is another priority. This year we continued to partner with delegates and showcase key pavilions from around the world including Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Turkey, and Thailand. For the Asian jewelry community in particular, JCK is the most efficient way to reach North American retailers in a single week, and we want to make sure that connection is strong.
JCK show runs Friday, June 4 through Monday, June 7 at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas. Luxury opens the week by invitation only on Wednesday, June 2 and Thursday, June 3, 2027. Timepieces will open on Thursday, June 3 along with other select pavilions, including AGTA and GEMS, Hong Kong and The Lifestyle Pavilion. Education sessions also open on Thursday with select JCK Talks 101 sessions welcoming early attendees to learn. These areas and sessions are open to all JCK and Luxury badgeholders.
We look forward to welcoming the industry back in 2027!
Save the Date for 2027💎
JCK and Luxury will return to The Venetian Expo and The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas in 2027, with JCK taking place Friday, June 4 – Monday, June 7. AGTA & GEMS, The Hong Kong Pavilion, The Lifestyle Pavilion and select JCK Talks sessions will open on Thursday, June 3. Luxury invitation-only days are Wednesday, June 2 and Thursday, June 3.
Visit lasvegas.jckonline.com to learn more about pre-registering or securing a booth space to exhibit.
Articles about JCK & Luxury:
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Articles about trade shows by RX:
https://gem-spectrum.com/tag/rx
