JTV Blog

JTV Vendor Fair: Day 4 Recap--Color Gems and Diamonds!

It’s now day 4 of JTV's Vendor Fair and many of the vendors scheduled to arrive today came in early this morning to get a jump start on meetings with our buyers. We’ve made lots of exciting purchases…jewelry, gems, beads, tools, semi mounts, castings--you name it, our vendors have traveled far to bring these fantastic products to us. You’ll be seeing these new arrivals soon on air and on JTV.com!  

Jewelry Television buyer Marti is looking at some beautiful pieces of 18 karat gold micron-plated gold over sterling silver jewelry. 

With the skyrocketing prices of gold, we are looking for alternatives to bring you the latest looks at prices that won’t break the bank! Each piece is Italian made, ensuring that it is of the finest quality workmanship. Marti really likes a necklace that features smoky quartz gems.

She also inspected some dazzling electroform pieces made of fine sterling silver. They make a bold fashion statement at a small price. 

Buyer Beth (pictured below) is inspecting the latest designs from one of her vendors, Purvesh. Each design features dazzling diamonds set in sterling silver. This is a HOT category now and Beth is always on the lookout for exciting new jewelry!         

Below, Jessica is excited to see the watch samples that have been brought in for the Vendor Fair by our long-time vendor Barry.

She is wearing an elegant Lucien Piccard watch. It has Austrian crystals on and around the dial and also on the band. A mother of pearl dial completes the tasteful design. Wouldn’t this be perfect to wear for a night out on the town?       

Our two ladies, show host Sheree and buyer Callie, who have helped make Jewel School by Jewelry Television so wildly popular, are in discussion with one of Callie’s major suppliers.  

 

Haley and Kyung Hee found some fun items (pictured below.)  These items have a unique color combination featuring pink opal, almandite garnet and rhodolite garnet. Very striking!   

Jay looked at deeply colored pink spinel. Rich, vivid color is the first thing our buyers look for when purchasing colored gemstones.           

 

As Jay was looking at the spinel, Shawn sat across the table from him inspecting a parcel of Brazilian emeralds.    

    

Diamonds everywhere on this vendor’s table! Blues, whites and gorgeous champagnes in striking designs.

Buyer Tiffany models some of the styles that she thinks our customers will enjoy the most. Tiffany and Rahul teamed up to find just the right styling for our upcoming promotions.      

Chassidy (pictured below) is busy inspecting a large parcel of ocean tanzanite gems. Notice the wide range of colors these rare tanzanite gems have.

Tomorrow, I'll have the wrap up of the JTV Vendor Fair.  Then it's off to Vegas for the jewelry shows!

- Dan

JTV's Vendor Fair: Day 3 Recap--Silver Jewelry, Emeralds, Iolite and More

JTV Vendor Fair: Day 3 recap from VP of Merchandising, Dan Chase

It’s day 3 of JTV's Vendor Fair and our vendors have traveled long distances to arrive at Jewelry Television headquarters here Knoxville, Tennessee. They made us their first stop before they make their way to the city that never sleeps, Las Vegas, for the world’s largest jewelry show.

We are seeing jewelry and gems that have never been showed until now! Vendors have been accumulating inventories and creating new jewelry and gemstones designs to debut in Vegas. Be sure to stay tuned so you too can see them before the rest of the jewelry and gemstone world gets a chance to!    

George, one of our senior gemstone buyers, has the ability to buy and negotiate the best prices on just about any gemstone, but one of his specialties is emerald. He was excited to examine some extra fine quality Zambian emeralds brought in by vendors Kumar and Avi. After determining that these gems met his strict quality guidelines, he struck a deal with the vendors. Notice the exceptionally rich and vibrant greens of these gems!

 George (left) with emerald vendor

Haley, our Silver with Gemstone Jewelry Buyer, arrived early this morning to meet with vendor Margaret, who brought some unique and brand new designs with her. Exotics combinations of gems in jewelry, including rhodolite and iolite, or Swiss blue topaz with sapphire and white topaz. We fell in love with these pieces because you don’t see these gems paired together very often!   

                     Stunning sterling silver work                     

Choi, one of our most experienced Bangkok gemstone buyers, inspected a large lot of larger-than-normal iolite gems. Our vendor Mutha told us that it will take quite awhile to accumulate more iolites of this size and caliber. Watch for these striking iolite gems with their intensely pleasing color, to air soon!

iolite

George and Tom from our Gemstone division are busy in discussion with long-time vendors Julie and Feng.    

                                    

      

Jessica and Skip, our resident watch experts, are busy looking over the goods one of our watch vendors brought in for this event. The watches have decorative and very stylish bands and cases in just about every color! 

 

Skip looks good in a lilac color watch!

The vendor fair was so busy that even Bob, one of Jewelry Television's founders, got in on the act! Bob is working along side Beth who is one of our talented buyers. 

 

Color abounds at this vendor’s table! Purvesh brought in fashion necklaces made from a variety of gem types.       

 

More later on the rest of JTV's Vendor Fair!

- Dan

Jewel School by Jewelry Television: Swarovski, New Book by Dale Armstrong and More!

Hello Jewel Schoolers! 

The mighty month of May has been an exciting one for Jewel School. We're getting ready for THREE new product launches in June! If you have been following our weekly Jewel School blogs, you already know about our upcoming Eco Stone jewelry making line, a brand exclusive to JTV. These beautiful strands and focal pieces are all handmade from recyclable materials found in the Philippines. Mother of pearl, wood, bark, feathers and other materials indigenous to this tropical locale make for unbelievable jewelry designs. 

Eco Stone focal bead and is that sparkly bead what I think it is?

 

JTV's Wendy Coleman takes time to create a necklace using the Eco Stone line

Giving back to Mother Earth is in style in a big way! Stay tuned for the Eco Stone launch on Jewelry Television during our Jewel School Summer Fashion Event scheduled for Friday, June 11 and Sunday, June 13 from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m. Eastern time. Georgi, the creator of this line, will co-host the shows and discuss her inspiration while sharing with us how these pieces are made.

Drum roll please!   Swarovski Elements is coming to Jewelry Television on Sunday, June 20. Our Jewel School show will be premiering the most exclusive brand in jewelry making--Swarovski Elements.

Just a couple of the exciting Swarovski Elements items coming soon to JTV!

Swarovski is the foremost brand of handcrafted Austrian crystals in the world. Each and every element is designed to help you create extremely fashionable, high-end finished pieces. We are so excited to offer a sneak peek. Our project of the month coming up in June's newsletter is a stunning piece made completely of Swarovski Elements beads.  Prepare yourself--you will never create jewelry the same way after introducing yourself to Swarovski Elements.

There’s more good news!  You have been asking, and we are delivering in a big way.  During the Swarovski Elements launch on June 18, we will be premiering our newest educational jewelry making book--Wirework: An Illustrated Guide to the Art of Wire Wrapping by Dale Cougar Armstrong. But the big news is you don't have to wait until June 18th. You can order your copy of Dale's book now--and HURRY! The first 285 copies of item number BOOK53A are autographed! If you miss out on the autographed copy, you can still order BOOK53.

Dale Armstrong is the host of our five-diamond rated Jewel School Wire Wrapping DVD’s.  Her newest book includes 18 new projects with a step-by-step guide and project list of the items you will need to begin designing.  Wirework also introduces several wire wrap ring projects – one of the top educational requests of our Jewel School customers. 

Partnering this book and Swarovski Elements is going to make for a phenomenal Jewel School show on June 18! I’ve included a link to a few pages of the book. Take a look at the detail and clarity in this pdf made directly from the pages in the book: Download WireWork . And even though the launch isn’t until June 18, you may buy the book now, only on JTV.com!

Thanks again for your passion and creativity.  You make Jewel School so much fun and keep me inspired everyday to bring only the best items to all the Jewel School customers.  Please keep on emailing pictures of your finished designs to jewelschool@jtv.com.  Also, include instructions and the list of items you used --we would love to showcase your work for our next Project of the Month!

Until then – happy jewelry making!

- Callie

JTV Vendor Fair: Day 2 Brings Color Gemstones, Diamonds, Jewelry and Tools

JTV Vendor Fair - Day 2 Recap

We’ve had another busy and exciting day at JTV's Vendor Fair! Exhausting for all involved, but well worth it when we can bring you some of the newest and most innovative gemstone and jewelry products and designs in the marketplace! Rather in trays, barrels or bags--this place is loaded with brilliant gemstone, diamond and jewelry opportunities.  We are finding exciting deals and are proud to give you this behind the scenes view into our vendor fair!       

 

Haley and Kyung He were excited to see the jewelry designs that vendor Wais brought in today. Trays and trays of bright, vibrant colors in some of the most popular opaque gems. Haley is assembling complete jewelry ensembles that will soon be available to you! 

Kyung He (right foreground) and Hayley check out the goods

                         

Tool buyer Adam and show host Lance are busy inspecting one of the latest offerings from one of our primary gemstone tool manufacturers, Joanne. They are discussing a magnifying light--perfect for inspecting your gems and jewelry from JTV!  

Lance (far right), Adam and Joanne

Tiffany, one of our diamond buyers, is pictured with Rahul from our Bangkok buying office. They are busy inspecting colored diamond jewelry--champagnes, reds, blues--all the colors of the rainbow were represented on this vendor’s table today!   

  

Tiffany and Rahul work on a color diamond buy           

Color, color, color! Vendors Feng and Julie brought in a wide array of colored gems today for the Vendor Fair. They specialize in masterfully cut gems in both traditional and unique patterns.  

Intriguing specialty cut gemstones and jewelry

Jewelry Television show hosts Lance and Brian were eager to check out the products that our vendors brought in. Judging from the smiles on their faces, they must have liked what they saw!

     JTV's show hosts Brian (left) and Lance

Jay, one of our senior gemstone buyers, is in heavy negotiation with a tanzanite vendor. He is examining just a few of the tanzanite gems brought in specifically for JTV's Vendor Fair.

Jay working his tanzanite "magic"

Dennis and Natalie (below) are very pleased with the diamond solitaire earring purchase they just made. These gorgeous earrings are a full 3 carats total weight--each stone is a large carat and a half solitaire! Set in 14 karat white gold, watch for these earrings to make their debut next week! If you’ve ever wanted a huge pair of diamond solitaire earrings, next week will be the perfect time to purchase!            

                           

Chassidy (pictured below) is sorting gems to find the cream of the crop!  She's got her work cut out for her with the large assortment of gemstones.           

Below, one of our long time suppliers, Anil, has the attention of Jay, Tom, and Jerry!  It was a productive meeting to say the least.         

       

Anil (far left) and Jay with Tom (back to camera) and Jerry on the right

George also met with Anil and found some beautiful sunstone! Anil has been bringing lovely gemstones to the JTV family for ages. It's these kinds of industry relationships that help JTV be the largest retailer of loose gemstones in the world!                     

               

George (left) and Anil inspect sunstone

                               

Some days we feel like pirates. Garr--take a look at that booty, matey!

Another exciting day at JTV's Vendor Fair comes to a close. We have found such great product and we aren't even half way through our vendor fair!  More later on the blog about the Day 3 activities.

- Dan                         

                               

JTV's Vendor Fair: The Gemstone and Jewelry World Comes to Knoxville, TN!

What a day!  People from all over the globe have descended on Jewelry Television's headquarters in Knoxville, Tennessee for our Pre-Vegas Vendor Fair!  We have people here from China, Thailand, Israel, India, and more. (Keep in mind that we have asked our best vendors to come in this week before they head off to the Vegas jewelry and gem shows next week. We want to get “first chance” at the most exciting products they plan to take to the trade show.) Let's get right to it, shall we?

BIG AND BOLD! As you can see from the images, there’s nothing shy about these jewelry pieces! It’s all about making a fashion statement this season and buyer Haley and team outdid themselves. Haley was very excited to see the goods that one of her vendors unpacked from his suitcase as our JTV Vendor Fair began. 

 

Haley made an excellent buy on some necklaces similar to those pictured here. Some of those necklaces will be a featured item during our Jewelry Fest event coming up soon. But you better purchase quickly…she bought limited quantities!

 

Another trend that Haley and her team really liked was the “black and red” look. This color combination provides a dramatic look that can be dressed up or dressed down, depending on the mood you’re in. The JTV buying team was won over by many styles in this color combo, including earrings and bracelets, so there’s sure to be a look to fit every taste.                                 

Perfect for summer, Haley and team also purchased several pieces of chalcedony sterling silver jewelry. Many of the items feature the cool blues and greens that are so popular this summer fashion season! And, to mix it up a little, she also bought some of the multicolor chalcedony pieces that are sure to blend with everything in your wardrobe. Stay tuned for these fashion statement pieces in the very near future!

Every department has been busy with vendors here at the fair! Pictured here are Ryan and Audra, who are our buyers for the Castings and Semi-Mounts division. They are shown in heavy conversation with one of their vendors Graham about a new design concept. Stay tuned for more details!

 

George’s vendor arrived at the JTV Vendor Fair with suitcases of stunning emeralds—and all from the best known source for some of the finest emeralds in the world—Colombia. As you can see in the images, these gems are full of rich vibrant color.

 

Tomorrow I'll share more details with you about Day 2 of JTV's pre-Vegas Vendor Fair. There's a LOT going on around here, so we're doing our best to keep you updated on the highlights of the fair as quickly as possible. Stay tuned to JTV's broadcast or watch us live online at jtv.com/live for up-to-the-minute peeks at all the excitement here at JTV's Vendor Fair.

- Dan

JTV Vendor Fair: Dan Chase Takes Us Behind the Scenes!

It has begun!!! Just as we did for Tucson,  we are getting a jump on the JCK Las Vegas jewelry shows with our own "JTV Vendor Fair." As you will recall, JTV's Vendor Fairs are where we invite our key suppliers to come to the JTV headquarters here in Knoxville, Tennessee BEFORE they go to the shows. Our goal is to buy the "cream of the crop" in gemstones and jewelry designs BEFORE they go to market!

This Vendor Fair focuses on our key suppliers who will shortly be headed to The JCK shows in Las Vegas, Nevada--the largest jewelry shows in the United States. Vendors and buyers from all over the globe descend upon Vegas in hopes of negotiating the next great jewelry buy or sale. We've asked our vendors  to come see us first!

Here' are just a few behind-the-scnenes of today's meetings: 

Shawn inspects an interesting opportunity buy on black diamonds. He is checking for calibration, verifying carat weights and inspecting each stone to insure he has a great value. The same supplier has brought us some London blue topaz, apatite and several varieties of African garnets; including spessartite, rhodolite, and malaya. The one Shawn is most excited about is the color change garnets, pictured below:

Pictured below is a long time friend and supplier for JTV, who brought us some new jewelry designs in a collection using  exotic gemstones. More on that soon!

Shawn has had a busy day! He also inspected a beautiful parcel of aquamarine with origins of Madagascar, Nigeria and Mozambigue. Our supplier, Manoj, has been collecting this parcel for several years--he would save the rough with this color and has finally cut this production into the beautiful stones you see in this picture!

Manoj also brought with him brilliant pink sapphire which were mined in Madagascar. This is yet another example of material he has collected over a long period of time to build a parcel of such stunning pink gems.

 

And here are some beautiful rubellite tourmaline that were found in the same mine that many of our Paraiba tourmaline comes from in Mozambique. These significant stones came from a single piece of rough and were cut into a limited edition lot of significant stones. These won't last!

 

 

Manoj, the supplier of all these items, shake hands with Shawn to seal the deal!

One of the new suppliers we met in Tucson, Georgi, was here and she brought with her some great examples of Jewel School by JTV's new eco-friendly product line. The debut of that line is just days away, so stay tuned! Here's Jewel School's buyer, Callie, with just a few of the eco-friendly pieces.

Callie also met with Mr. K and his team to find great values for our Jewel School by JTV brands. These brightly colored dyed jade carvings (pictured below) were a smash hit the first time you saw them on air! He brought us some production of this Jewel School customer favorite.

 

And here's a brand new find! These pearlized beads come in vibrant fashion colors and are an affordable Jewel School find.

We think these richly colored, hand cut beads below are perfect for designing your own unique gemstone creations. Look for them soon on Jewel School by JTV broadcasts or online. 

   

And last, but certainly not least, JTV's Chassidy inspects a rich parcel of Zambian emeralds. These beautiful gems will make their way on air very soon.

  

We'll have lots more to share with you from JTV's Vendor Fair in upcoming posts on the blog. Stay tuned to JTV's broadcast or watch us live online at jtv.com/live.

- Dan Chase, VP of Merchandising

 

Jewel School by JTV: Behind the Scenes with Callie and Our New Eco-friendly Product Line

Hi, everyone. Here's the latest on the upcoming launch of Jewel School by JTV's new line of eco-friendly jewelry making products. Georgi, the owner of the company we are buying these products from, was in one of our mini studios yesterday filming spots for promos and upcoming shows. I stopped by to chat with Jewel School buyer, Callie Lewis, about the line and grab a few behind-the-scenes photos. - Dana, JTV.com Community Manager

 

Callie watches the filming from inside the booth

 

Georgi, in between takes

One of the many things that drew Callie to add this product to the Jewel School by JTV product lineup was the fact that it is made of recyclable and renewable materials. The artisans creating these products are passionate about making beautiful jewelry pieces out of materials that might otherwise be discarded. Exotics such as eel fish, cowrie shell, Tigerwood, Robles wood, Bicone Rosewood, and more are used to create beads and other jewelry making items.  (No endangered woods or wildlife are affected by the making of these products.)

Some of the products that may be featured in upcoming Jewel School by JTV shows

 

Kristie Rowan (left) and Callie Lewis (right) examine the product

 

another great design using these products

Look for this exciting product to make its Jewel School by JTV debut very soon!

JTV 2010 World Tour: Diamonds are Shawn's Best Friend!

Shawn O'Sullivan's third and final travel journal entry from India during JTV's 2010 World Tour. Diamond news galore! 

March 13-18th

Wow. I can hardly believe that it has been over 20 years since my last visit to India! India is a magical land rich in culture and cuisine; a place where time seems to have stood still. You can visit temples and forts that have been around for hundreds and thousands of years. It is an amazing place.

 

The Gateway of India, built in 1911, is perhaps the most recognizable landmark in the city of Mumbai

Mumbai (formerly called Bombay) is the most populated city in India, and the second most populated in the world. Mumbai is home to one of the four major diamond manufacturing/trading centers in the world (along with Tel Aviv, Israel, Antwerp, Belgium, and New York, NY.)

In 2005, an astounding 92% of all cut diamonds came from India, making it the largest manufacturer of cut and polished diamonds in the world. You can see why we made this one of our stops for JTV's 2010 World Tour: Asia!

 

rose cut white diamonds, Mumbai, India

Most all of the diamonds are traded in what is known as the Opera House area in downtown Mumbai. Thousands of people crowd this area with goods to buy, sell and trade. Rahul--one of our senior buyers from our Thailand Office--and I worked together for several days in this area.

 

JTV's Shawn O'Sullivan (left background) and Rahul

 

What's so funny?

We visited with some of our diamond jewelry manufacturers, as well as many diamond offices. We were able to get some good video footage of the jewelry manufacturing process. and believe me, it is very labor intensive.

On our first day out, we made an excellent buy on some natural fancy pink and yellow diamonds--yes, natural pinks and yellows! Keep your eyes peeled for them! 

 

natural color diamonds

The next few days we spent looking for champagne and mocha diamonds, as well as the irradiated blue, yellow, green and black diamonds. We were really surprised to see the very slim supply of these goods. Where are the champagnes and mochas???

One large diamond manufacturer and site holder stated that these natural colored diamonds may be gone within 1 to 2 years. He also said that the cost of rough across the board has increased some 30% to 40% in the past few months. Demand is strong, cost of rough is high and in short supply, and to top it all off, cutters are limited! Not the best combination of factors for great deals. Then again, if great deals were all over the place, then they would not be so great!

We were able to get some great deals on some gorgeous candlelight diamonds and a small lot of irradiated blue diamonds. Finding the goods was one thing, finishing the deal occurred at 8:30pm. We shook hands and left for the airport--heading home! Talk about the 11th hour!

What we found on the trip to India is that diamond prices are strong and goods are in short supply. The prices are expected to rise again as manufacturers enter the fall buying season. (I would like to point out that we have some natural champagne and irradiated blue diamonds from our super buy last fall. These were bought before two big price increases on the rough--and we have not adjusted the prices up!!!)

For now, we're heading back to where it is all happening--rockin' at JTV!

- Shawn

p.s. Here's some more photos from our time in Mumbai!

view of Mumbai

colorful fashion

The Taj Mahal Hotel, Mumbai, India

Jewel School by Jewelry Television: Countdown to Eco-friendly Jewelry Making Supplies

Hello, Jewelry Makers and Jewel School fans! We've almost made it. Only a week or two to go before we debut one of Jewel School by Jewelry Television's most exciting product offerings to date--eco-friendly jewelry making supplies. Think beads in shell, mosaics, and wood, in unique combinations of exotic materials, all made from recycled "found" objects! In colors ranging from neutrals to bold and bright, you're sure to find unique must-haves in this collection.

I'm excited that the creator of this line, Georgi, will be visiting us at JTV's headquarters in Knoxville, TN very soon. That's quite a trip from her home in the Philippines. I'll have plenty of photos and stories from this visit to share with you on the blog, I'm sure! In the meantime, I hope you enjoy these photos of Georgi's design and operations. I just cannot wait to bring this product to you on Jewelry Television and JTV.com!

 

low tide shell seeker

fish and shell seekers

- Callie Lewis, Buyer, Jewel School by Jewelry Television

JTV's Shawn O'Sullivan Hearts New York: Two Week Gem Hunt in the Big Apple

JTV's Shawn O'Sullivan was in New York City during two weeks in April. He had a jam-packed itinerary but still made time to negotiate some great gem deals! Here's the scoop:

JTV's World Tour is never complete without a trip to one of the largest gem and jewelry trading centers in the world--New York! Jewelry Television buyers have spent much of this year traveling the globe in search of sourcing stones and stories! Sometimes we find that the market is "inverted"...that the prices at the "source" can be higher than in the market. We have found that some of our best deals come from visiting old and new vendors stateside, asking to see what they have in the back of their safes, vaults, cabinets, drawers...and even in their pockets! 

I spent 2 weeks running from office to office and found some amazing buys! I got awesome deals on some low quantity gemstones that will be added to our faceted parcels and kits. I found some old lots of Burma spinel--great looking gems--at "old" prices! I even found a parcel of Paraiba-colored apatite from Madagascar!!! These are getting cut now, so keep your eyes peeled on JTV's broadcast and JTV.com for these. They will go quickly!!!

I also found a great closeout deal on some loose Tahitian pearls--10mm to a whopping 15mm rounds. These are clean, lustrous and soooo affordable I just could not say "no", and neither will you!

Hey, you ruby lovers out there!. You all know how challenging it is to get nice rubies. Well, I came across a few small lots of old stock (pre-trade sanction) Burma ruby! Yes, you read that correctly! Burma ruby is heading to air soon--at old prices, too!

Ahhhh, New York...what a city!