With a new streamlined look and a strong new focus, the Jewelers of America New York show gears up to make a comeback. The show runs from Sunday, August 1 through Wednesday, August 4 at the Jacob Javits Center.

The DRB spoke with Drew Lawsky, show director for JA/NY about the new direction and marketing for the show. New events, including the combined Miller Freeman Jewelry Group and International Jewelry Design Guild (IJDG) debut of the guild’s new design exhibition, will be added to this summer’s show and the seminar aspect promises to be a draw all by itself.

Lawsky and his staff are making use of the technology available: the show’s own Website can be viewed at www.ja-newyork.com and telemarketing has been implemented to beef up customer numbers. Lawsky was enthusiastic in talking about the show, "We’re moving in the right direction. As everyone does, we have to move with the times and this show...well, we’re a hell of a lot better than we were 3 years ago!"

That certainly seems to be the case. Where JA/NY used to be the biggest show in the world, bigger even than Basel, only a few years ago JA sold the show to Bleinheim Expositions – a large conglomerate which did everything but run it into the ground – for close to $70 million. The JA show started to lose steam while, adding insult to injury, the JCK show in Las Vegas simultaneously exploded. Then, steadily losing ground, JA/NY seemed on the brink of disaster. Miller Freeman bought the show back and it and National Jeweler have been worked the show back to regional status. Now, under the guiding hands of Lawsky and his new marketing organization Trent & Company, JA/NY seems well on its way to good health and prosperity again. "Never be #1 based on size alone, the quality of this show far exceeds any other," said Lawsky.

However, the new smaller-is-better theory seems based on a New York concept of smaller – smaller like Central Park? The tiny Twin Towers? Merely Macy’s? More than 1,600 leading jewelry companies will exhibit their most innovative jewelry designs. Indeed, Lawsky said that no major company will go unrepresented. For those looking to sell, the buyer numbers are growing rather than shrinking: more than 11,000 buyers are expected to attend August’s show and, as of press time, registration was up from last year’s show by a full 21%. Also typical of New York, the attendees will also see an expanded international presence this summer. More than 20 countries will participate in JA New York this summer, making JA’s international representation the largest of any show.

In addressing very directly the needs and interests of the industry, the JA/NY show hopes to be more in touch with both the jeweler and the customer than any other. Lawsky says the show will continue its tradition of highlighting estate and antique jewelry. "We’re observing more and more women who are discovering the timeless beauty of antique and estate pieces," said Lawsky. It’s expected that the availability of the panel of experts for appraisal and examination will be another big draw.

JA remains committed to addressing the needs of the industry with the educational programs that will be presented throughout the show in the JA Retail Learning Center. Excellence throughout the industry seems to be the bottom line here and educational opportunities include the Jewelry 101 and 501 seminars, both well received at the winter show.

In a sweeping move to "bring design back to New York," said Lawsky, 76 designers, winners of the juried IJDG competition, will be represented in an exclusive exhibit on the entire Galleria level. There will be an additional 125 designers in showcase on the selling floors. In connection with the this innovation, IJDG will present Designer Jewelry In the Millennium, a panel discussion on selling and marketing designer jewelry.