Some things never…

It’s already mid-October and things are already percolating on the island, the 2022 season will be upon us before you know it! (I’m still wondering if the previous 2021 season even ever ended) Things were definitely different than previous seasons here. The real estate biz was never so explosive as here, that ancient outhouse up on Indian hill would have probably listed for 1.2 million and sold for more, selling point…breathtaking panorama views while seated. I was tempted to sell my house here in this crazy market but where would I go afterward?

On the jewelry front, I just returned from the J.I.S Show (International Jewelry Show) located in South Beach Miami, accompanied by my daughter Lindsay and my store manager, Annette. We were on a serious mission to stock up with the unusual for the holiday gift giving and upcoming season. I still regret I could not make it to Europe to visit my usual haunts and I almost always discover new sources for unique jewelry for my discerning clientele. Hopefully, I can return next year when the pandemic is under control over there.

The J.I.S. show does not disappoint - there is a whole pavilion of international jewelry manufacturers both large and small from Italy, France and beyond. The selections of fine (and not so fine) jewelry is endless, and yes, I do feel like a kid in a candy factory when I attend.

It was a larger show than the past two years. Our usual game plan is we always split up and go in different directions and inspect each and every aisle and hundreds of vendors, meet later for lunch and compare notes on which jewelry vendor to sit down and place orders with. It’s amazing how many of the same booths we visited individually and mutually listed to go back to and buy from. It was a bit grueling being on our feet all day…bottom line, it proved to be a very rewarding and fruitful buying trip 

I rewarded my fellow treasure seekers a wonderful dinner at the “Hosteria Romana” on Espanola Way in South Beach. If you have never been it is a fun gastronomical experience with over-the-top professional service you will never forget! 

They say some things never change. In my industry it changes on a dime, styles come and go (new and upcoming styles a bit slower here on our island “Mayberry with Sand, Florida”) Sorry, it was certainly true the island as a whole was behind the times for the nearly three decades I’ve been here. Now that we have acquired some new blood, people’s tastes are more hip and it shows. On my previous European buying trips, I brought back so many cutting-edge jewelry styles and trends most of this country had not even seen yet!

That included my finds in the trey chic cities such as Milan, Florence, Paris and Dusseldorf, and numerous cities in Spain and the Netherlands.

When I brought what I considered the coolest new jewelry styles on the planet, the islander’s reactions back then (early 2000’s) were mixed, some folks scratched their heads when I brought back large bulky women’s watches from Italy and contemporary designed gold jewelry from Germany. Months or as much as a year later, they hit the U.S. fashion magazines and after that, visitors and some locals bought them up as fast as I put them in the showcase. I will admit many jewelry pieces gathered dust until my premature soon-to-be-trendy jewelry became the “I have to have” items.

Hey, I always bought what I thought was cool and exciting and found out being ahead of the learning curve is a crap shoot as to whether my buying customers feel the same as I do about the “cool” and expensive merchandise I choose in my inventory.

It was another exciting buying experience in Miami. I will be well stocked for the upcoming season - come in soon to get first pick and see what will be the new and exciting jewelry trends for the coming season!

Richard Alan is a designer/goldsmith and owner of The Harbor Goldsmith, purveyor of fine diamonds and gemstone jewelry for Marco and Naples guests and residents since 1994 and celebrating his shop’s 25th anniversary this year. He welcomes your questions and comments about “All That Glitters” www.harborgoldsmith.com.