Editor's Note

The Las Vegas Shows Mean It’s Time to Recognize Our Design Award Winners

Our competition received a record number of entries in 2022.

Published

2 years ago

May 26, 2022

Trace Shelton Instore June 2022 Issue

IT’S THE MOST wonderful time of the year: Jewelry Week in Las Vegas! We look forward to reuniting with many of you on those bustling trade show floors.

As always, we like to commemorate this season by recognizing the most innovative and beautiful new jewelry designs with our annual INSTORE Design Awards competition. The incomparable and multi-talented Jennifer Heebner took the reins of the contest this year, and she did a fantastic job with it. Not only did we receive a record number of entries, but we’ve expanded the story so that you, our readers, can see even more detail in these stunning pieces.

But I would be remiss if I didn’t also recognize the contributions of our former colleague Donna Borrelli, who passed away due to complications from COVID-19 last November. Donna, who served as the longtime associate publisher at JCK, began managing our Design Awards in 2019, and she immediately raised its profile by adding fresh categories and a slew of new benefits to entrants. No detail was too small for Donna, and she really cared about giving the most exposure possible to every designer who entered. We miss her terribly, and we know her former colleagues around the industry do as well.

If you see me or any of our team at the Vegas shows, please stop us and say hello. We would love to meet you. And for those who still miss our Chicago show, keep your eyes peeled for an announcement coming soon!

The Las Vegas Shows Mean It’s Time to Recognize Our Design Award Winners

Trace Shelton

Editor-in-Chief, INSTORE
trace@smartworkmedia.com

Five Smart Tips You’ll Find in This Issue

Make six-month service calls to everyone who purchased jewelry in December. (Manager’s To-Do, p. 36)
Use your engraver to print clients’ pets’ paw-prints on jewelry and promote the service on social media. (Bill Warren, p. 94)
Carry engagement rings with live centers to help prevent comparison shopping. (Megan Crabtree, p. 100)
Use terms like “best-selling,” “sold out” and “wait list” to build value in your inventory. (Kathleen Cutler, p. 98)
Allot one day a week for appointment-only business. (Brainstorm, p. 97)

Looking for a Seamless Sale? Call Wilkerson

After almost 60 years in business, Breakiron Jewelers in Erie, Pennsylvania, was closing its doors. And the store’s owner, Linda Breakiron, was ready for it. She had run the store as its sole owner since the beginning of the millennium and was looking forward to a change. Of course, she called Wilkerson. Breakiron talked to other jewelers who had used Wilkerson and was satisfied with their response. “They always had positive feedback,” she recalls. With the sales, marketing and even additional inventory that Wilkerson provided, Breakiron insists she could never have accomplished her going-out-of-business sale without Wilkerson’s help. She’s now ready for the journey ahead, but looking back, she’d be sure to recommend Wilkerson. “They just made the whole process very seamless.”