Video: Vegas Show Sees Light Traffic

RAPAPORT... The JCK Las Vegas show ended Monday, with participants notinga decline in buyer traffic and exhibitors at this year's event. Sentiment amongdiamond suppliers was relatively weak, as buyers were conservative, and overalldealer trading was quiet."You can't come to this show and rely on foot trafficanymore. Neither can you expect to sell big volumes in the loose-diamond section,"explained a Mumbai-based exhibitor who requested anonymity. "It's not atransactional show. We measure success by our ability to showcase our goods andour brand, and in terms of lead generation."Most diamond suppliers viewed the US market in a positivelight, and there was good activity in the finished-jewelry section of the show.That this didn't translate to improved diamond trading reflected an imbalancewithin the trade and weakness in the midstream, rather than softness in USdemand, diamantaires noted.Buyers were serious but more selective in the goods theywere looking for, focusing on nice makes and clean goods within a certain categoryrange. There was steady demand for 0.60- to 1.99-carat, F to J, VS2 to I1diamonds. Other categories remained weak, with continued declines in prices of0.30-carat goods, as well as for large stones above 3 carats.Diamond dealers expressed concern about profitability andthe rising popularity of synthetics, with more exhibitors in the lab-grownpavilion of the show. Traceability was another issue on suppliers' minds, with manyfocused on showcasing their tech-enabled programs that empower retailers totell the story of their diamonds in a more effective manner. "After all, ourjob is to make the jewelers' lives easier," concluded another Mumbai-baseddiamantaire.Organizers announced that next year's show will takeplace from Tuesday, June 2, to Friday, June 5, which excludes a weekend due tothe Jewish Shavuot holiday.Watch Avi Krawitz's video blog from JCK Las Vegas:Image: Sands Expo and Convention Center, the venue for the 2019 JCK Las Vegas show. (JCK)