The last of the Charles & Colvard “team moissanite” has returned from participating in the 5-day Las Vegas JCK (Jewelers Circular Keystone) Show. We met with our U.S. manufacturing customers as well as our international customers and we talked with many retailers who are interested in carrying moissanite jewelry. We all left Las Vegas with stories and as promised, some of these tales aren’t staying in the “City of Lost Wages”.

From the perspective of jewelry and fashion trends, here are a few observations from the show floor. And, I’d like to share some “new” news in general.

While the price of gold has dropped a bit from its earlier high of $1000 an ounce in March and platinum being nearly $2000 an ounce, we noticed a lot of jewelry manufactured using alternative metals such as titanium, tungsten, copper and silver. Plus some manufacturers have turned to designing lighter weight styles for necklaces, bracelets, earrings and rings. One of our Hong Kong customers who exhibited at JCK launched a new collection of moissanite jewelry set in chocolate-colored titanium, a tri-colored combination of titanium in yellow, pink, and white and other moissanite jewels set in black titanium. Another Charles & Colvard customer revealed a stunning collection of moissanite bracelets and rings designed with an open, lace-like motif. And, we noticed a lot of color in jewelry this summer featuring the use of colored gemstones as well as colored diamonds.

We unveiled the Charles & Colvard Authorized Internet Retailer (AIR) Program. You might wonder what that is. Simply put, this program has been designed to build consumer confidence when shopping for moissanite jewelry on the Internet. The C&C Authorized Internet Retailer is a special designation earned by Internet retailers who are committed to moissanite and who qualify for the status after meeting a set of requirements. As the program unfolds and our manufacturers sponsor online retailers, you will see the special AIR designation as you shop for moissanite jewelry online.

We met with a brilliant young woman, actress and jewelry designer, Ms. Shea Curry at the show. If you are a film and movie fan, perhaps you might have seen her on an episode of CSI: Miami or in: Princess Diaries 2, and Georgia Rule (just to name a few she’s appeared in).

In addition to her successful acting career, Shea is launching Aspire,–her collection of moissanite jewelry exclusively available online. Aside from being a talented actress and jewelry designer, Shea is a woman with a big heart…and she has tremendous passion for her favorite charity, Safe Passage Home. In weeks to come, you will hear more about this charity as it supports the transitioning of women and their children from a life of domestic abuse to one that is safe from violence. Shea has pledged 10% of all her moissanite jewelry sales to support Safe Passage.

So if you are in the Los Angeles area this weekend please don’t miss, a special Safe Passage fundraising luncheon, “Light Up a Life” starring Grammy Award winning recording artist, Debby Boone. Don’t miss this special opportunity on Saturday, June 7 at 11:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills. Shea will be the guest emcee–unveiling her moissanite jewelry collection and there will be both a live and silent auction with proceeds going to this noble charity. Make a difference with Moissanite this weekend!

When we launched of BrillianceofMe.com several months ago, we created “Behind the Scenes Blog” and it was designed as an insider’s look at what’s happening in the world of jewelry, the land of moissanite and with Charles & Colvard. You probably have noticed from blog entry to blog entry, that the topics vary based on the news of the week, stories shared and events on the Charles & Colvard calendar. And, from time to time we’ll feature guest bloggers with their own perspective on a woman’s life. The blog itself will evolve and in the future you’ll have an opportunity to share and write your thoughts on topics we discuss.

Now with the annual shareholders meeting over, the Charles & Colvard sales team will be participating in the JCK Las Vegas jewelry trade show. Considered by many in our industry as the most important (definitely the largest in the U.S.), the show begins on May 30 and is attended by jewelry retailers and buyers from across the country. While we aren’t certain to how many buyers will attend, last year over 20,000 attended the show held at the Las Vegas Sands Expo and Convention Center.

The show provides Charles & Colvard with an opportunity to discuss sales plans and marketing initiatives with our U.S. distributors and manufacturers. Plus, this is an excellent opportunity to speak with retailers who currently sell moissanite jewelry and new retailers who are interested in adding a collection of moissanite jewelry. While our main clients are distributors and manufacturers, this trade show environment provides our sales team with a unique opportunity to maximize a limited amount of days to meet with many manufacturers and their retailers. In addition, the JCK Show provides our marketing department with an opportunity to visit with editorial staffs from various fashion, women’s lifestyle and general consumer interest publications.

On the fun and business side of Las Vegas, I understand the Plumb Club (an organization of large jewelry manufacturers) is hosting a night of glitz and glamour with special entertainment by Cher. And, a trade publication group hosted a private concert by Seal. I’ve heard several talking about Seal and some of the men in the industry were hoping that Heidi Klum would be present!

Nevertheless, I’ll sign off now as I am somewhere over the nation flying between Raleigh and Las Vegas.

You’ll hear more from the road in a few days…as with this blog, “What goes on in Vegas, won’t stay in Vegas!”