Founded by New York-based jewelry industry veteran Howard Hauben, Centurion jewelry Show held its 20th annual Business-to-Business Trade Show May 22-25 in Phoenix, Ariz., JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort and Spa. Traditionally occurring on January closing days shortly before the annual date Tucson Gem Show, Centurion has been a must-attend event for high-end jewelry designers, high-end retailers, gemstone dealers, the jewelry business and the mainstream fashion media for 20 years. Due to the timing of the show, the sunny locations and the diversity of the characters, including representatives of the Gemological Institute of America, Centurion is known for launching design-driven jewelry trends, launching engagement and bridal jewelry creations, educating attendees with business and gemology seminars, as well as launching innovative collections and unique treasures. .

While the COVID-19 pandemic postponed the Centurion 2021 event for four months and required daily COVID testing and the wearing of masks for attendees and staff, the show demonstrated resilience, resolve and lasting relationships of those in the high-end jewelry sector. According to Hauben, “Centurion 2021 has attracted over 200 retailers who have placed orders for loose jewelry and / or gemstone designs from over 100 exhibitors. Considering the tragedies and challenges of 2020, “continued Hauben,” I am happy that we were able to stage this show and unite again as a community.

Relieved that hundreds of business relationships between jewelry designers and retailers, as well as the ties between manufacturers and designers remain as strong as ever, Hauben added, “Despite the complications of 2020, new collections are making their Centurion debut this year. year, longtime exhibitors like Gumuchian and YAEL Drawings have returned, while legacy businesses such as OakGem luxury and designer jewelry and Cuervo y Sobrinos presented for the first time. While this year’s edition of the show had fewer exhibitors than last year’s, some notable trends (one is reluctant to use the term “trends” in these extraordinary times) have been spotted at the Centurion. These included historical references in watches and jewelry, as well as abundantly colorful and even psychedelic jewelry designs that seem well suited to today’s increasingly relaxed lifestyles.

According to Marek Chmiel, president and owner of ProvenanceGems LLC, who is the official distributor of Cuervo y Sobrinos United States, “This heritage business embodies a vibrant chapter in Havana’s rich cultural history. Cuervo y Sobrinos watches have been worn by everyone, from Albert Einstein to Ernest Hemingway at Winston Churchill. Cuervo y Sobrinos belongs to this rarefied realm of the luxury watch world that enjoys making limited edition timepieces of historical significance for watch collectors with a passion for history. “Our Churchill watch features the special crown adaptation that was created to help Winston Churchill’s arthritic fingers set the time and wind the watch,” explained Chmiel. “The crown removal tab is flush against the case,” he explained during the demonstration. “To wind the watch or change the time, day or date, pull the tab with the side of your fingernail, handle it in the correct position for the chosen function, then wind the tab until you are ready.”

The creations of the New York master jeweler and manufacturer Michael bondanza are also imbued with a myriad of historical references and, in the case of their piece jewelry, genuine ancient artifacts. (Bondanza once made coins for Cartier and Bulgari in his New York studio.) In addition to sourcing antique coins for his jewelry, the family business also showcased a particularly poignant range of coins: 14 karat gold reproductions of each type of coin. New York subway tokens that were used before smooth paper computer-assisted subway maps were gradually introduced in the 1990s by New York and its boroughs.

Based in San Francisco Design YAEL revealed a field of glamorous jewelry that included a collection of purplish blue Tanzanite, a collection of roaring red rubies as well as collections of natural sapphire and new collections of fire opal. While designer / founder Yehuda Saketkhu ‘s vision is illuminated by fine artists such as Salvador Dali and architects such as Antonio Gaudi, his opal and diamond necklaces in cosmic colors shine with multicolored hues reminiscent of Claude Monet’s “Water Lilies” paintings. YAEL offers important jewelry, such as a 2.72 carat GIA certified emerald cut emerald ring flanked by 0.61 carats of Cadillac diamonds in G VS clarity. (The Cadillac Cut is five-sided. One long side forms the base. While both sides narrow at exactly the same angle, two other sides narrow and come together to form a top.) Set in platinum and 18 gold karat, the the ring is priced at $ 167,950.00.

While images were not available at the time of publication, the New York-based master jeweler Charles Krypell unveiled a vibrant new gold collection, “Ceramics”, which is a stylistic departure from its previous collections. As Krypell’s nephew Brian explains, “This elegant dimensional collection of gold and diamonds incorporates deeply colored, smooth and light ceramic coatings in various design styles. Charles sculpted all of the prototypes for these graceful shapes. Notably light and fluid (Krypell wore one of its Ceramics bracelets with other jewels of its design), the Ceramics collection is a stylistically elegant jewel at an affordable price for our increasingly relaxed moments. With over 100 outlets nationwide and a new flagship store in Long Island, New York, Krypell remains a family business.

Based in Los Angeles, Diamonds and Kattan jewelry exposed to Centurion for the first time this year. One of Kattan’s motto is “Living in Color” and indeed, Kattan presents a wide range of natural fancy yellow diamonds, natural colored sapphires and color enhanced diamonds at a more affordable price that are created with a color treatment by ionic induction. This radiation-free treatment process produces pink grade 2P diamonds; while ion induction produces a color quality that closely approximates that of natural pink diamonds, The most common The HPHT treatment uses radiation to generate darker colored pinks and even purples, thus imbuing the stones with hyper-saturated hues of artificial appearance. Ionic Induction Treated Diamonds remain heat stable, and since HPHT stones are comparatively more heat sensitive, their color may change when exposed to heat. Also on the positive side: the ion induction can be reversed and the stone can be treated again for better results, but the HPHT treatment is irreversible.

While the Centurion Show is very concerned with high-end design, it also aims to help retailers, including heritage and family-owned jewelry stores located in cities large and small, shop smart and stay up to date. Like Jeffrey Haring, third generation jeweler and owner of Haring Jewelers in Mansfield, Ohio, explained to this author, “Centurion is a relevant show where jewelry professionals get a glimpse of high-end jewelry trends. This year, I bought parts from partners that I have known for years: Simon g., Frédéric Sage, A link, DA gold, Roberto Demeglio and Spark Creations. “