Using the Tubogas tubular technique, brothers Giorgio and Costantino Bulgari (sons of Bulgari’s founder, Sotirio) created the slithering, wraparound wrist pieces. Serpenti has since changed forms, shed its skin (so to speak), and come anew multiple times over, forever maintaining its cult status—it’s been beloved by everyone from Diana Vreeland to Elizabeth Taylor.

To celebrate the design’s 75th anniversary, a pop-up show featuring 25 rare Bulgari pieces has been created in collaboration with multisensory artist Refik Anadol (who also currently has an AI-enhanced installation at MoMA). The immersive AI-generated exhibit “Bulgari Serpenti: 75 Years of Infinite Tales” is on view through July 16 at 70 Gansevoort St. in Manhattan.

“In the last 75 years, women have affirmed the right to be independent, cultivate their talents, pursue their dreams and live a life that aligns with their desires,” reads Bulgari’s website. “From the red carpet to the office, Serpenti has been their faithful ally, evolving side by side with confident women proud to reveal their magnetic charm.”

The “Bulgari Serpenti: 75 Years” exhibition includes a suite of seven one-of-a-kind high jewelry pieces created specifically for the anniversary. In the show, Bulgari jewels are positioned amid Anadol’s artwork exploring the inspiration, heritage, and history of the Serpenti design—engaging and honoring the past while embracing and adapting to the future. That’s something Serpenti, as a design, is no stranger to. Here’s to another 75 years of Serpenti!

Top: Some of the pieces on display in Bulgari Serpenti’s 75th anniversary exhibit in New York City’s Meatpacking District

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Below are five gold trends we spotted at the shows. May they serve as a helpful cheat-sheet for your fourth-quarter shopping spree!

Mixed Metals

The two-tone trend we noted earlier this year continues to build momentum. Whether it’s a pricing tactic, designed to make a collection more affordable by combining karat gold with silver, or a bold style statement, à la the Ricky hoop earrings by New York–based Jevela, the mixed metals look is a sure bet.

Line Bracelets

Along with big gold hoops and big gold collar necklaces, big gold line bracelets are back, in a big way. The classic linked style features prong-set gems—diamonds or colored stones—for a timeless look destined to be passed down for generations.

Birds

Last year’s animal jewelry trend has a splendid new spin-off: jewels featuring images of birds, including hummingbirds and swallows, as shown in Dorian & Rose’s new line of 18k gold medallions. Rife with symbolism (both hummingbirds and swallows are associated with good luck), the bird motif feels just right in a year when many of us simply want to take flight.

Bugs

Jewelers are channeling the Victorian era’s obsession with nature in all its creepy-crawly splendor. At least that’s our takeaway after seeing a swarm of new insect-inspired jewels in Las Vegas. Bees, butterflies, and beetles—especially of the stag variety—are all trending. Not only are the pieces genderless, they make for excellent brooches, another style that’s in vogue (see Suree Jewelry’s charming critters at top and below).

Chain Necklaces and Bracelets

Chunky handmade gold chains, in both necklace and bracelet form, were everywhere in Vegas. The chicest styles incorporate diamonds or charms, like Metal X Wire’s sophisticated toggle bracelet below.

Top: Beetle pin in 18k gold, $1,100; Suree Jewelry

“While the most well-known green gems are emerald and peridot, ‘Garden of Green’ brings additional green stones, with their beautiful, diverse shades, into the spotlight,” said George Harlow, curator emeritus of the museum’s Allison and Roberto Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals, in a statement. “Green stones and minerals owe their unique colors and patterns to various causes—malachite from the copper in its chemical composition, and peridot from the minor quantity and ionic charge of iron in the stone—and each specimen in this exhibition is a beautiful example of the amazing products of natural Earth processes.”

The museum’s president, Sean M. Decatur, said in a statement: “We hope that with their curiosity piqued, our visitors will explore further throughout the Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals and enjoy learning about the physical properties of gems and minerals, their intriguing qualities, and what they tell us about our planet and its history.”

Below is a closer look at some of the incredible Van Cleef & Arpels jewels in the exhibit.

Carpenteria clip from the California collection in platinum and yellow gold with peridot, white opal, garnet, and yellow sapphires

(Photos courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels)

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“Accessible design benefits everyone,” said Tiffany Yu, an entrepreneur and disability rights advocate. She cited electric toothbrushes, curb cuts, and speech-to-text functionality as innovations originally created with disabled people in mind. “The takeaway here is when you focus on designing with different disabilities or accessibility in mind, you open up your product to so many others.”

Yu, whose right arm was paralyzed in a car accident when she was 9 years old, gave the example of a company that makes a wristwatch for blind people. “Someone who’s blind is able to wear the watch and tell the time, but I still can’t put it on,” she said. “What is inclusive and adaptive for one person may not be for another. We talk about universal design, accessible for everyone. I’m a big fan of inclusive design.”

Molly Kettle, COO of Gamut Management, a talent management company that represents people with disabilities, said making a business inclusive starts with understanding the needs of employees, partners, and customers.

“Are you creating a safe and secure culture where people can disclose they have a particular disability?” Kettle said.

She referred to a recent conversation in which a woman with a disability told her that she didn’t see herself in a jewelry company’s advertising and assumed the product “was not for me.”

“There’s a whole new customer base you can reach by providing products they might need or targeting them in a different way,” Kettle said.

Both speakers underscored the business case for disability inclusivity. “We, as disabled people, control about $21 billion of discretionary income,” Yu said. “We’ve got some money and we want to spend it.”

Top: Molly Kettle, Tiffany Yu, and WJA executive director Jennifer Markas (photograph by Camilla Sjodin)

Many exhibiting brands showcased an understanding of sustainability—the two key r words, recycled and responsible, were tossed around a lot. That was reflected in numerous collections around the show floor, and in one key way that was less expected than the recycled gold and responsibly sourced gemstones we have become so familiar with: multi-use products.

Sustainability has much to do with source, yes, but it’s also about quantity. In fashion, brands preach fewer, finer pieces, while a trend among younger generations promotes thrifting—secondhand is in utmost vogue.

In jewelry, that might translate to a bump in vintage and pre-owned purchases, but it also encourages investing in versatile pieces that cover a wide range of wear. And that speaks to shoppers spending consciously, in part because of the current tricky economy that has consumers putting a lot of consideration into their purchases.

Convertible jewelry was huge on the show floor this year, though it’s far from a new concept. I have to wonder if this “trend” is in fact having a renaissance, or if I was subconsciously seeking it during my time at the show—I suspect it’s a bit of both.

You’re undoubtedly familiar with convertible brooch/pendant combinations. They’ve been around forever, and the style endures—brooches are thriving. Clip-on pendants were also frequently seen, in a spectacular array of looks and price points. Parlé showcased an incredible diamond necklace with removable Australian opal pendant. John Atencio delighted with a long chain necklace that could be worn doubled or long, with an optional clip-on tassel that would make as lovely an earring as it does a pendant. Norman Silverman stole the show with a detachable yellow pear-shape mega-diamond.

Reversible styles were also big. Picchiotti debuted a collection of flexible jewelry that featured diamonds on one side and gold on the other (the Italian jeweler showcased at Couture this year). Several medallion-style pendants spotted throughout had meaningful imagery and words on either side.

One of the biggest hits—or maybe the one I found the most intriguing—were the clickers. True to their name, these are little hoop-shape pieces that click closed, worn on a charm bracelet or chain or even as earrings. Alp Sagnak had them as snakes, in white or yellow gold, and demonstrated how the adaptable piece can turn a long chain into a Y-shape necklace or be worn with an assortment of chain lengths and layers or a multistrand bracelet or as a huggie earring. Dorian & Rose had such pieces lined with pavé diamonds, to be used on a chain or bracelet (as pictured at top), allowing the wearer to change out the charms without visiting a jeweler. Aurelie Gi had them displayed along with their large collection of whimsical charms, to be worn on necklaces or bracelets, or in the ear. For such a small item, it’s very powerful.

Never has such versatile jewelry been quite so compelling, and based solely on my short time in Las Vegas, we’re just getting started with its surge in popularity. Styles like these let the consumer take ownership of not only what jewelry is worn but how the jewelry is worn. As more shoppers look to stretch their money further, you’ll find their potential will only grow.

Top: A medallion pendant from Dorian & Rose attaches to one of the brand’s chains with a diamond clicker.

Aida Leisure, founder and owner of DBS Fine Jewelers in St. Michaels, Md., said she appreciated the JCK Talks educational sessions for helping her understand what is new when it comes to lab-grown diamonds.

“My interest for this show is how lab-grown diamonds are being marketed: Should it fall under a fine jewelry category or bridge fashion?” she said.

Dan Dement, owner of Stone Oak Jewelers in San Antonio, said there’s a “lot more acceptance of lab-grown diamonds. People are coming in asking for them.”

But he wishes for greater clarity on prices. “Prices are scary,” Dement said. “I don’t see how they can continue to fall at the rate they have. I think it’s time to have some stability.”

Jeffrey Cohen, president of Craft Lab Grown Diamonds, acknowledged that prices are not moving in the same direction as demand for lab-grown diamonds, which is rising.

“Right now in the lab business we are in the Wild West,” he said. “You have people who are out there dumping goods without thinking of the long-term business. They are taking the value out of the product. Consumers don’t even want it that cheap.

“People ask me where’s the bottom. I don’t know. There’s still labor costs. I don’t think consumers even want the product that cheap.”

Vinit Jobanputra, president of Sanghavi Solitaire, said the trick to handling lab-grown diamonds is to “parachute down.”

“You buy quick, sell quick,” he said. “Replenish lower. People who don’t sell quick enough are taking the biggest hit. We keep lowering prices. We want to be the cheapest.”

He noted that a 3.12 ct. F VS1 he was selling for $2,500 last year now sells for $1,250.

Jobanputra added that retail margins for lab-growns have held up, but he expects that will change as online competition intensifies.

Another diamond-related subject on the minds of many JCK attendees: possible sanctions on Russia.

Though the recent G7 summit did not come out with an expected ban on Russian polished gems, participants in JCK’s “Natural Diamond Updates” panel warned show attendees to expect sanctions.

Tiffany Stevens, president and CEO of the Jewelers Vigilance Committee, explained that the traditional way U.S. sanctions work is they start small, then “ratchet up.”

All of this has meant improved provenance tracking. “Knowing where a diamond comes from has become increasingly important,” said De Beers CEO Al Cook at a ceremony opening his company’s booth, which was touting the company’s Code of Origin services.

He added that De Beers, like the rest of the industry, has become more committed to sustainability—right down to the decor at its Vegas booth. “Even the plants will be replanted and donated to local organizations.”

On another buzzy topic—the economy—JCK buyers generally agreed that the jewelry business had fallen from the heady days of 2021 and 2022, but some said their sales are still strong, especially on the high end.

“Customers are buying like crazy,” said Cathy Calhoun, owner of Calhoun Jewelers in Royersford, Pa. “Custom design work is crazier than ever. We are having trouble keeping up with it.”

She said she’s continuing to buy, if a little more “cautiously” than she did at the peak of the pandemic.

Mehul Shah, head of Shivani Gems in New York City, believes people are ready to spend on jewelry again. “After COVID, there was a boom in traveling,” he said. “But now it’s calmed down. I see the fares, they are very cheap.”

Top: Earrings with 4 cts. t.w. lab-grown round brilliant diamonds in 14k white gold, $3,700; Lightbox 

However, “sometimes I show my Olympic fall for speaking engagements,” said Dawes, now 46 and owner of a gymnastics academy owner in Maryland. At the Luxury keynote, you could still see a flicker of the leotard-clad teenager she once was: She wore a lilac jumpsuit paired with a gold lariat and, because she had forgotten earrings, a borrowed pair of hoops by Lika Behar.

Dawes’ “Olympic fall” was just a slight stumble during another floor exercise, also at the 1996 Games. But it meant she would not win the individual gold medal in the all-around competition that year. She shows the moment, Dawes said, to illustrate that “life is full of setbacks, challenges, and struggles. That’s part of your journey—and part of your success if you choose to learn from that painful experience and continue to persevere.”

Throughout her remarks, Dawes returned to a theme of success being a journey, not a destination.

“My journey as an athlete was that of an individual—gymnastics is an individual sport. But in 1996, all of us knew that if we wanted to be the first-ever [U.S.] women’s gymnastics team to win gold, we had to lean on one another,” she recalled. There would be no fame, no glory, no Wheaties box for the Magnificent Seven “if we didn’t take our large egos and put them off to the side.”

The takeaway for jewelers? Hire the right people, trust, and delegate. “Each and every one here is part of a team, something bigger than yourself.”

Dawes also urged the audience to abandon “the world’s definition of success: money, fame, power, prestige. Success is making an impact in someone else’s life.”

She compared the piles of fan mail she has received over the years to thank-you notes a jeweler might receive. “When was the last time you really thought about the impact that you not only made with that one person but that person’s family and its generations to come?”

You might be wondering—where does she keep that gold medal? In her kitchen junk drawer (“So I always know where it is,” she explained). But she makes exceptions for special events: At the close of her Luxury speech, Dawes posed for photos while holding her Olympic gold “jewel” and all that it symbolizes for her, for all of us.

(Photograph by Camilla Sjodin)

From the moment the doors opened at Luxury last Wednesday and the crowds poured in for the JCK show on Friday, “booths are selling,” said Joe Mares, manager of Mark Diamond’s Jewelers in Albuquerque, N.M. “Vendors are doing business, which is good for the industry.”

His fellow retailers agree: This year’s JCK feels big, bold, and lavish in terms of both the pieces on display and the ways designers are approaching their craft. Mixed cuts, scattered stones, extravagant link chains, and personalization are among the trends retailers are picking up for fall, the holiday season, and beyond.

Daring to be different is what consumers are looking for from brands and jewelers, said consultant, gemologist, and NYC Jewelry Week editor Nicholas Hyatt, whose gospel on trendspotting fired up his audience at JCK Talks.

As examples, Hyatt pointed to luxurious stone-set-in-stone looks at Novel Collection, such as its natural orange pear-shape diamond set on an opal. He also highlighted Novel’s abundance of colored diamonds, including a jaw-dropping 2.07 ct. fancy ­orangey-red natural diamond.

Hyatt gave five stars to Misfit Diamonds for ­“doubling down” on unique cuts and salt-and-pepper diamonds and providing retailers with fresh product for consumers, especially in a time when everything is shared on social media.

Retailers also gathered for the vibrantly colored diamonds and gemstones at exhibitors such as Hajibay & Co., reading more like a candy store stocked with plump emeralds and fancy green diamonds plus lots and lots of yellow gold.

“Bold yellow jewelry has been coming back for a while now, but it’s particularly strong this year,” says Danielle Sanchez, chief brand officer of family-owned Diamonds Direct Fine Jewelers in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Another notable trend Sanchez says she’s seeing: the men’s brooch, which she describes as a great accessory for a classic suit and as a wedding alternative. “We love the idea of a groom opting for an elaborate brooch in lieu of a boutonniere,” she says.

Retailers say they appreciate the statement-style pieces that have been shown at Luxury and JCK. Having these designs to layer among dainty chains, rings, or bracelets gives customers a chance to create exciting new looks, says Julie Rybacki, head “blingologist” for Bling Jewelers in Schofield, Wis. “Color is coming back,” Rybacki says, and customers at her store are excited to add into their jewelry wardrobes.

Looks such as herringbone, pear-shape diamonds, and rose gold are proving their staying power at JCK 2023, says Charles Ebenstreit of Elgin Jewellers in Port Elgin, Ontario. “What’s old is new,” Ebenstreit says.

Seeing everything on view at JCK makes retailers excited about what they can do in-store, says Anne Russell, executive vice president of Hamilton Jewelers, a New Jersey–based chain.

“We try to look for updates on the classics, which perform very well for us,” Russell says. “We like to find new styles that can be easily incorporated into new or existing clients’ jewelry essentials. We also are looking to buy gemstones for our fall/holiday 2023 collections. Mixed cuts like emerald and oval and yellow gold jewelry are still very strong for our markets as well.”

That feeling of discovery and excitement is what keeps her coming back to Luxury and JCK year after year, Russell adds: “We get the opportunity to meet with partners, develop new collections, discuss growth opportunities, see what is new and different, and connect with our peers in the industry.”

Top: Jellybean necklace with 183.94 cts. t.w. mixed cabochons in 18k yellow gold, $60,000; Rahaminov 

“We went in cautiously optimistic, but so far it’s been very steady and we’ve seen big orders—very much like last year,” said Brecken Farnsworth, creative director and vice president of Parlé, a Luxury exhibitor based in Pocatello, Idaho. “In the overall business, we are seeing a pullback, but we’re not seeing it here.”

That sentiment held true among a cohort of exhibitors polled by JCK, and doubly so among those targeting the high end.

“So far we’ve had great success with the Vela collection,” said Rebecca Foerster, president of Hearts on Fire North America, referring to the brand’s new bridal collection.

In the ballroom where Le Vian showed its 2023 collections, half of the space was occupied by private clients trying on the brand’s trademark colored stone jewels, while a back room buzzed with retailers, press, and clients who’d come to see Le Vian’s expanded showcase of high jewelry, which it defines as pieces retailing for $20,000 and above.

The collection included a wide ­assortment of paraiba tourmaline ­jewels, “unicorn” gems set in platinum, and large yellow diamonds. The most expensive piece Le Vian offered was a layout of loose diamonds centered on a 15 ct. fancy yellow stone on a matching parure of white diamonds totaling 42 cts. Retail price? $3.7 million.

“We made a $100 million investment in our high jewelry,” designer and CEO Eddie LeVian told JCK. “We believe that segment of the market is still very vibrant.

“It’s our biggest showing of high jewelry ever,” he added. “It’s the largest investment we’ve made to help stores capture high-ticket sales.”

While business at Luxury was brisk, it did not exist in a vacuum, devoid of concerns about persistent inflation or the erratic stock market.

At Omi Privé, owner and designer Niveet Nagpal said that unlike the last couple of years, when retailers were desperate to replenish their sold-out showcases (“ ‘I need inventory, I’ll take it!’ ” he recalled), the buyers who visited his booth this year were more cautious.

“Everyone seems to be quite conservative in their total spend,” he said. “We’re not seeing lower price points, but overall they’re more picky. There’s a lot of uncertainty, but still a lot of excitement.”

In addition to showing its familiar ­selection of high-value gems—such as ­alexandrite, spinel, rubies, and opals—Omi Privé highlighted pieces featuring blue sapphires set in 18k gold with a striking blue-colored rhodium finish.

New York City–based Nigaam, another Luxury exhibitor, took the monochromatic rhodium theme and ran with it across its collection, pairing rubies, sapphires, and emeralds with their respective shades of colored rhodium in a diverse range of styles, from serpent-style cuffs to sapphire-and-­diamond rivière necklaces.

Founder Prateek Nigam said that along with validating the bold unicolor ­approach, buyers endorsed another enduring style: “Heart shapes are trending.”

Also rising in popularity: figurative jewels representing animals, insects, even natural phenomena. Farnsworth described the growing category as “dopamine jewelry” and pointed to a line of free-form opal cloud pendants complete with golden bolts of lightning and sapphire drops of rain.

“It’s jewelry that just makes you happy,” she said. “And the clouds do that.”

Butterflies have long provided that ­symbolic punch, and their ubiquity on the show floor proved they’re not fluttering away anytime soon. Lauren Kessler of New York City–based Lauren K showed what remained of a range of one-of-a-kind butterfly pendants set with wings of opal or paraiba tourmaline. Available with or without diamonds, the pieces retail from $6,000 to $12,000.

“We have very few left,” Kessler said.

She paused to contemplate the day’s buying mood. “For opening day in a year when you didn’t know what to expect, it’s been fantastic,” she said.

Top: One-of-a-kind necklace with 5.18 ct. free-form Australian black opal, 0.41 ct. briolette sapphire, and 0.03 ct. t.w. diamonds in 14k yellow gold, $8,345; Parlé 

For starters: “Last year our footprint was 6,000 square feet, and this year we’re up to over 25,000 square feet,” says AGTA board president Kimberly Collins, a gem dealer based in Reno, Nev.

Buyers who attended last year’s show may recall the long, Instagram-friendly corridor that led them to the entrance of AGTA’s temporary home, Hall D. If they thought that was great, this year’s version is going to be next-level.

“It’s a light show—almost like something out of Coachella—where lights change color as you walk into the gem arena,” Collins says. “It’s a great way to get you prepped for seeing some of the best colored stones at JCK.”

The gems pavilion also is home to a number of new exhibitors this year, including two that specialize in emeralds: Arthur Groom & Co. and Gad Enterprises. Their participation in the show, alongside other well-regarded colored stone dealers such as A. Hakimi & Sons (rubies) and Ijadi Gem (sapphires), will be a boon for buyers seeking the “finest no-heat stones, the best of the best,” Collins says. “Because of inflation,” she adds, “we have a lot of uncertainty, so people are looking to invest in very fine gemstones, the ones that are going to continually increase in value over time.”

Another stone that is ascendant at the connoisseur level is malaya garnet from Tanzania. After seeing a spike in demand at the Tucson gem shows earlier this year, Daniel Assaf of the Tsavorite Factory is expecting the peachy-pink color-change gems to perform well at JCK.

“The luxury market is trending toward more unique colors, colors that are not run-of-the-mill,” Assaf says. “Malayas are very rare, they sparkle a lot, and I find that there’s a lot of demand for light pink and peachy colors. Many of them also have a color-shifting quality, which is really beautiful.”

One overarching color trend that still has legs, especially for bridal, is teal, particularly in the sapphire family. “A lot of people refer to these stones as mermaid or peacock blue-green, whether it’s of Montana, Madagascar, or Sri Lanka origin,” Collins says.

This is good news for dealers such as Dudley Blauwet—provided they have sufficient inventory. “We will have a good selection of Montana sapphire from Dry Cottonwood Creek, as my cutting factory is processing rough from one of the miners there, and I am buying all of the production,” Blauwet tells JCK. Another standout in his inventory: a 54 ct. unheated teal pear-shape sapphire from Ethiopia.

Meanwhile, the inflationary environment means some buyers are looking for bargains. Most AGTA sellers don’t deal in commercial-quality material, but even among these prestigious exhibitors you will find some good buys and sleeper hits. For example, rhodolite garnet has been slow to move, according to Assaf. He adds that he will have smaller sizes of just about everything available for the production of more commercial collections, especially pieces that require matched pairs. 

There is also some preshow buzz about a variety of peridot from the upper Kaghan Valley in Pakistan that has an appealingly minty cast. “In the past five years, the miners hit some pockets which had a distinctively different color, more of a lime green with a hint of blue, the best of which is very similar in color to the famous Merelani mint grossular garnet from Tanzania,” Blauwet says. “But it’s a fraction of the price. When I asked my supplier for more of it earlier this year, there was none available. I have approximately 50 stones left for Las Vegas.”

In other words, if you see something you like, don’t dither. The good stuff won’t wait.

Top: 18k yellow gold cigar bands with 0.74 ct. hexagon blue sapphire, 0.78 ct. emerald-cut emerald, 2.28 ct. oval rubellite tourmaline, and 2.46 ct. oval mint tourmaline, $4,875–$7,125; Kimberly Collins