I am perpetually in awe of the talent, creativity and innovation that jewelry designers continually display. While there is some debate surrounding the consideration of jewelry as art, my personal view, when it comes to certain designers and brands, is that jewelry is art whose medium just happens to be precious metals and gemstones. On their own, these mediums have inherent value, yet just as the artist brings a canvas to life with paints and brushes, jewelry designers apply their unique point-of-view when taking a gemstone or a diamond and actualizing their vision in tactile form. From an elaborate collar necklace to a demure but meaningful pendant, it all starts with a stone.

When I look at the loose gemstones and diamonds on display at the JA New York Show, I see pretty, sparkly things. I can wax poetic about the clarity or color of a stone, I can marvel it its unique shape or extol a gemstone’s metaphysical properties. What I cannot do is picture it playing the starring role in a unique design. Jewelry designers, on the other hand, often say that the stones dictate a design. They see a specific diamond or a gemstone and it’s almost if the stone is speaking to them, telling them “Turn me into a ring!” or “I’d make an amazing pendant!” When viewed from the practiced lens of a fine jewelry designer, specific colors or unexpected cuts can also become the centrifugal force around which entire collections are built, strands of beads suddenly taking shape into a new color story that defines a brand’s aesthetic.

At the upcoming fall event, JA New York will have an even broader selection of loose stones to entice designers, manufacturers, brands and retailers with in-house bench jeweler offerings. In addition to stalwarts like Manak and Stone U.S.A., the new International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA) Pavilion will showcase loose gemstone offerings from dealers hailing from across the globe. Additionally, the 47^th Street section of the show, “The 47^th Street Experience,” will play host to a number of diamond dealers offering a wide variety of the 4 C’s and demonstrations of state-of-the-art technology, including live diamond cutting sessions by Diamex.

Having the ability to mine through a multitude of loose diamonds and gemstones in not only an invitation to get creative, it is also a unique opportunity to forge important relationships. When a designer or retailer is commissioned to create a custom piece, having a trusted vendor from whom they can source the exact stone they need is instrumental to keeping a client happy, and knowing the right person to contact to secure diamond options for an engagement ring can secure a sale. Just as a piece often starts with a stone, the vitality of one’s business can be enhanced by the connections one can make at the JA New York Show.