Inside the JCK Diamond Trade Show Jewelry Expo, Las Vegas 2013

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June 1

Blue Nile Diamond I1 Clarity 1-carat East West Engagement Ring.

I1 Clarity 1-carat Diamond Ring from Blue Nile.

Yesterday marked the kick-off of the 2013 JCK Diamond and Jewelry trade show in Las Vegas, everybody who is anybody in the industry is here!

Well except for my buddy Wink Jones from High-Performance Diamonds, who told me that he’s not attending the show this year because I am.

Okay, that’s a bald-faced lie, but we’re friends and he expects to be slandered by me on a regular basis.

Also not in attendance is Paul Slegers of Crafted by Infinity. However, he sent the lovely Lieve who selects their diamond rough, so I’m good with it. And of course, John Pollard from CBI is also in attendance!

The JCK Show is a Feast for the Eyes:

Fancy Vivid Yellow 50 carats at the JCK Trade Show.

50+ carats, Fancy Intense Yellow Diamond.

One of the things which I love about coming to the JCK diamond and jewelry show in Las Vegas is that I get to meet new people and play with diamonds like this fancy intense yellow diamond which weighs just a little more than 50 carats!

It also gives me the opportunity to catch up with old friends in the diamond industry and make some new friends, like the diamond cutter who produced this beautiful diamond and with who I established a new affiliate relationship!

Now I’m not ready to tell you who it is yet, but suffice to say that I scoured the JCK Trade Show to find the best source for fancy colored diamonds and I am thrilled to be able to finally be able to help you with fancy color diamonds.

Meeting Up with Brian Gavin:

Todd Gray and Brian Gavin at the JCI Show 2013.

Todd Gray and Brian Gavin at JCK 2013.

While it’s certainly fun to have the opportunity to play with diamonds and check out all the jewelry, what I really look forward to is having the opportunity to meet up with friends from all over the world!

I bumped into Brian Gavin of Brian Gavin Diamonds (right) while he was running from meeting to meeting, just long enough to snap a picture with him and get a sneak peek at his latest creation which is a proprietary diamond cut that is going to be announced in the next few weeks!

Now if you’re looking for a round brilliant cut diamond, stick with the Hearts and Arrows from the Brian Gavin Signature or the Brian Gavin Blue collections.

However, if you’re looking for a spectacular looking, UH, oh shoot, that’s right, it’s a secret.  I’m so not good at keeping secrets!  Why did he have to wave that diamond under my nose?

Getting Crafty with Crafted by Infinity:

Todd Gray, Lieve Peters, and John Pollard from Crafted by Infinity.

Todd Gray, Lieve Peters and John Pollard.

Speaking of the crew from Crafted by Infinity, that's Lieve Peters (center) and John Pollard (right) pictured with me (left).

Lieve is the person who selects every piece of diamond rough for Crafted by Infinity and John is the U.S. representative in charge of distribution and education for CBI. Many thanks for lots of great conversation, great food and lots of laughter!

Become a Fan of Fancy Colored Diamonds:

Fanned Out Fancy Colored Diamonds JCK Show 2013.

Fanned Fancy Colored Diamonds.

How cool is this fanned-out collection of fancy colored diamonds? This is a picture of an actual tray of fancy colored diamonds from a company called Novel.

They do not sell to the public. However, they were kind enough to allow me to snap this picture with permission to publish it online.

As it turns out, a good friend of mine works for this company, but we didn’t figure that out until after they had agreed to let me take this picture.

Cool people and beautiful diamonds. Let me know if you’re looking for a fancy-colored diamond and we can source it through one of the companies I work with.

Burning the Midnight Oil with PriceScope:

Garry Holloway and Andrew Pilipchak of PriceScope with Todd Gray of Nice Ice Diamonds.

The Guys from PriceScope and Todd Gray of Nice Ice.

You know that whole “What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas” advertising campaign?

Well in the spirit of honoring the premise of that concept, I got permission from the boys to post this picture of us burning the midnight oil.

In order of appearance from left to right: That's Garry Holloway, inventor of the Holloway Cut Adviser (left). Andre Pilipchak of Pricescope (center), and myself (right) hanging out at Red Square in the Mandalay Bay.

That place has a phenomenal filet mignon in case you’re interested!

Wrapping Up Vegas with a Bang:

MGM Skytowers PriceScope Party

View from the MGM Skytowers.

Special thanks to the crew from Pricescope for throwing an amazing get-together at the top of the MGM Sky Tower this past Saturday night!

Amazing people and incredible views! I had a great time hanging out with many of the regular contributors to the forum and spent some time with James Allen and talked late into the night with the peeps from White Flash. Good times!

About the Author

Dive deep into the glittering world of diamonds with Todd Gray, the CEO of Gray Matter Development, LLC. Todd has 35+ years of experience as a diamond buyer and trade consultant. He ghostwrites content for several online vendors and is an avid Freediver, currently exploring the Cenotes of Yucatan, Mexico. Dive into brilliance with Todd Gray!