Rock On, Milan
Milan Jewelry Week returns for the second time on Oct. 20-23. More than 500 exhibitors from 40 different countries will converge on the city with 8,000-plus jewels on display. A calendar full of events is also planned at Milan’s high jewelry ateliers, goldsmith workshops, academies, art galleries and design showrooms. milanojewelryweek.com
Prizewinning Pearls
The Cultured Pearl Association of America has kicked off its Pearl Design Competition. The contest is accepting submissions through Oct. 7. U.S. finalists will be announced on Oct. 17, and select pieces will then be displayed and offered for sale at the prestigious Aaron Faber Gallery in NYC. cpaa.org
Learn More for Less
The Women’s Jewelry Association is offering members a 10 percent discount on one-on-one online jewelry design classes with Rémy Rotenier. Trained in the classical European manner at École du Louvre in Paris, Rotenier is a prolific and in-demand designer known for his teaching prowess. womensjewelryassociation.com
Advertisement
Alumni Opportunities
The GIA Alumni Collective is a network that connects graduates of GIA’s diploma and certificate programs around the world. Its new website not only offers a bridge for alumni to connect with and support each other, it also provides discounted continuing education opportunities. collective.gia.edu
Incredible Interface
Virtual Diamond Boutique (VDB) has announced a partnership with the Jewelers Board of Trade (JBT). VDB is the first to launch JBT’s Application Program Interface, which adds transparency to the digital marketplace by making credit information instantly available to both buyers and sellers. vdbapp.com
Honoring a Legacy: How Smith & Son Jewelers Exceeded Every Goal With Wilkerson
When Andrew Smith decided to close the Springfield, Massachusetts location of Smith & Son Jewelers, the decision came down to family. His father was retiring after 72 years in the business, and Andrew wanted to spend more time with his children and soon-to-arrive grandchildren.
For this fourth-generation jeweler whose great-grandfather founded the company in 1918, closing the 107-year-old Springfield location required the right partner. Smith chose Wilkerson, and the experience exceeded expectations from start to finish.
"Everything they told me was 100% true," Smith says. "The ease and use of all their tools was wonderful."
The consultants' knowledge and expertise proved invaluable. Smith and his father set their own financial goal, but Wilkerson proposed three more ambitious targets. "We thought we would never make it," Smith explains. "We were dead wrong. We hit our first goal, second goal and third goal. It was amazing."
Smith's recommendation is emphatic: "I would never be able to do what they did by myself."
