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Thursday, May 29: What’s on tap today
The Couture show opens today with Janelle Monáe, while DEF gets down at its annual gala, the antique and estate jewelry show starts at the Paris and the AGA has a day-long conference on lab-grown diamonds.
Las Vegas--Each day during market week, National Jeweler will bring its readers a list of five events they need to know about for the day.
Today’s lineup includes the first day of the Couture show, which will be followed by the event’s annual pool-side opening night party, headlined this year by a six-time Grammy nominee.
1. Couture opens at the Wynn Las Vegas. The Couture show opens today with more than 60 new exhibitors set to display their jewelry in what is considered the industry’s top trade show for trend-setting design.
For those attending the show, there’s a chance to win a Vespa scooter, as well as the opportunity to snag other prizes via the show’s various social media contests. Engage with Couture on Twitter and/or Instagram using the hashtag #Couture2014 for a chance to win gift cards and an iPad mini. Read more about the contests on the show’s website.
2. Singer Janelle Monáe performs. After the Couture show floor shuts down for the day, the Kansas City, Mo.-born Monáe will take the stage for show’s pool-side opening night party, scheduled for 7 to 10 p.m. at the Wynn’s Sunset Pool Deck. The party is private and by invitation only.
Couture continues through Monday at the Wynn.
3. The antique show starts. The Las Vegas Antique Jewelry & Watch Show, which now is owned by the same company that owns Couture, the JA New York shows and National Jeweler, opens at the Paris hotel on the Strip.
Nearly 400 exhibitors are set to display jewelry from a variety of time periods at the show, which is operated by U.S. Antique Shows. Registration is $50 for all four days and show hours are from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and until 4 p.m. Sunday.
The Las Vegas Antique Jewelry & Watch Show continues through Sunday.
4. AGA gives a day-long lesson on lab-grown diamonds. The focus of this year’s Accredited Gemologists Association’s Las Vegas conference will be lab-grown, or synthetic, diamonds.
Scheduled speakers include James Shigley of the Gemological Institute of America, Tom Chatham of Chatham Created Gems, Dusan Simic, president of the New York-based Analytical Gemology and Jewelry Laboratory (AG&J), and Ronnie VanderLinden, president of the Diamond Manufacturers and Importers Association of America and of diamond company Diamex Inc.
The conference also will include a hands-on session where attendees can examine diamonds
grown using both the high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) methods.
The conference will take place from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Platinum Hotel, with a cocktail reception following. On-site registration still is available and the cost is $105 for AGA and Gem-A members and $150 for non-members.
5. The Diamond Empowerment Fund holds its annual gala. DEF’s Diamonds in the Sky black-tie gala starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Four Seasons Ballroom at Mandalay Bay. The organization is honoring Botswana President Ian Khama and his country’s government with the 2014 global diamond industry achievement award. “I’m Every Woman” singer Chaka Khan is scheduled to perform.
DEF is a nonprofit that support higher education in Africa’s diamond-producing countries.
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