In This Episode
In this edition of The Jewelry District you’ll hear JCK editor-in-chief Victoria Gomelsky and news director Rob Bates discussing last week’s JCK Virtual Show. There’s much to go over for this first-of-its-kind event for JCK, and Rob and Victoria, who were in on the action, have all of the insider commentary.

Show Notes

00:31 Victoria and Rob discuss JCK’s Virtual Show
04:10 Victoria chats about the trend talks she was involved in
08:58 The entrepreneurial spirit is still at work in the jewelry industry, and Rob is impressed
10:40 Living in a pre-COVID and post-COVID world
14:04 A future of augmented reality may be approaching us. Victoria tells us about an experience she had with some new technology
17:07 Rob and Victoria discuss the importance of your virtual presence

Episode Credits
Hosts: Rob Bates and Victoria Gomelsky
Editor: Olivia Briley
Producer and engineer: Natalie Chomet
Plugs: jckonline.com, @jckmagazine

Show Recap

General Overview of the Virtual Show
Victoria and Rob discuss their experience with their first weeklong virtual show. One of the most convenient parts of it was that they were live—but could also be watched on demand. The Virtual Show also had talks from faces new and old. Rob mentions how he misses face-to-face interactions, and Victoria counters with how she appreciated using the chat function to talk to people she hasn’t been able to recently.

Trend Talks and More
Victoria led a lot of the trend talks with experts from across the board—from gemstone to bridal, from fashion to luxury. Rob also played his part in the Virtual Show by discussing The Industry Report with Yancy Weinrich. Victoria also explains her talk with Chris Walton, a retail strategist from Minneapolis, on his “Ways Retail Will Change Regardless of COVID.” Chris emphasized to her the value of experimentation and social commerce.

The Entrepreneurial Spirit Is Alive and Well
Rob is impressed with innovation in the jewelry industry as it shows off its entrepreneurial spirit virtually. The Industry Trend results show that people who are committed to their company will embrace the coming changes and take the necessary steps to go virtual. Victoria notes that the Virtual Show was pretty optimistic, energetic, and enthusiastic overall.

Sustainability and Overcoming Crisis
The Virtual Show focused on larger topics that still needed to be discussed, like sustainability. Victoria explains that she believes there will always be a “pre-COVID” and a “post-COVID” in our minds—but “post-COVID” encompasses so many necessary things in a slowly changing industry. Rob mentions that we’ve been able to come out of so many crises before in his lifetime, and Victoria wonders what this crisis means for the holiday season.

The Future of Augmented Reality
Victoria discusses a conversation she had with Max Moses, a Ukrainian “tech guy” from the company Atelar, on augmented reality. The technology was impressive—and Moses believes there is a future where we no longer have smartphones, but rather lenses with augmented reality capabilities. You’ll hear about Victoria’s experience using his technology.

Keeping Up Your Virtual Presence
Rob mentions the importance of new technologies like Zoom backgrounds in bringing up a larger conversation about appropriate dress and creating your virtual presence. Victoria discusses her camera readiness for the Virtual Show. Pivoting, Rob discusses how people will likely want to celebrate coming out of this crisis with new jewelry.