Like the little engine that could the Portland Jewelry Symposium celebrated its 10th year of providing an educational forum on important topics related to the jewelry industry. What began as a regional two-day gathering for independent jewelry retailers, designers and manufacturers has now grown to a national event.
Teresa Frye, a platinum casting specialist, said she started the symposium to fill a need in the northwestern United States for discussion and networking among independent jewelry professionals on the issues affecting the industry. It was modeled after the Santa Fe Symposium, founded more than 30 years ago by Eddie Bell of Rio Grande, Inc., a jewelry industry supplier of tools, equipment and know-how in the U.S. Frye has participated in the event as a speaker and attendee for many years.
The Santa Fe Symposium is international and attracts manufacturing professionals from some of the largest jewelry companies in the world. They present highly technical white papers on new findings in jewelry making production.
Frye says the Portland symposium is different in that it is geared toward a variety of small, independent companies and combines technical white papers with artistic and business presentations. It received Bell’s blessing and Rio Grande is one of its major sponsors, providing bench jewelry demonstrations. The symposium prides itself on being a non-commercial venue for jewelry professionals.
The symposium was held October 1 and 2 at the Sentinel Hotel in downtown Portland. Approximately 150 independent jewelers listened to speakers from diverse backgrounds who gave their interpretations of this year’s theme, “Future Think: Innovate, Create, Thrive.”
“It just seemed like so much evolution is going on so maybe we should just focus on the future so everybody can sit here for a day-and-a-half and think about the next 10, 15 years for their businesses,” Frye said in an interview during a break at the event.
Frye, owner and president of TechForm Advanced Casting Technology, said her business is 95% digital. She is most interested in how designers will adapt to new ways of creating jewelry without losing the human aspect of the artistry and design.
“It’s so easy to look at the robots and say that has nothing to do with my craft. Yet we can’t avoid it,” she said. “It’s crucial to our survival that we pick the elements of technology that are going to help us to not just survive but to stay at the top of our game and I think that’s the challenge for the industry because we really are so traditional.”
She says there is no one answer. Designers, manufacturers and retailers will have to adapt various elements of technology in ways that will enhance their businesses.
“Our customers value the handcrafted nature of what we do, yet we’re going to have to give up some of that. All the top brands know that they have to select the elements of technology that is going to help them to remain competitive yet they can’t lose their soul in the process. I still don’t know what the answer because it really lies with the designers as far as the aesthetics of what we’re creating and how do we not lose that in the process.”
The biggest discussion point was 3D printing, many were on display at the event. The technology is being used regularly to produce jewelry models that are used for casting. However, the newest generation of 3D printers can now print jewels using precious metals. The process hasn’t been perfected yet but it will get better.
“I’m thinking about this next evolution of 3D printing,” Frye said. “Is jewelry going to start looking all the same because we’re letting the technology dictate the designs? That’s the challenge for the industry and I fully expect there will be many designers who are going to overcome that challenge but there may be inherent limitations with the technology. There is probably going to be a multitude of solutions and what we’re trying to do here is to get that conversation going. We have the experts here talking about what’s out there and then we have the networking with real world jewelers who will challenge these technologies. That’s when you have the really interesting conversations.”
There were nine presentations, including the keynote, discussing a variety of topics that included digital trends, succession planning for small businesses, social media tips for jewelry designers, responsible sourcing of materials, and the artistic process. Between the presentations there were bench jewelry demonstrations and networking breaks.
Kevin Abernathy of BIS Ventures, in his presentation on trends in digital manufacturing, answered one of Frye’s questions, saying that 3D metal printing is the next big thing and that artificial intelligence, robotics, cloud computing and other technologies are already commonplace in the world’s largest companies and will soon be commonplace in the jewelry industry.
Abernathy, whose company consults with jewelry manufacturers on their automated and digital technology, said he was an early adapter of 3D printing and computer numerical control (computers automation of machine tools). Because of these technologies, “vendors can help you navigate the minutiae of the design in your mind.”
Abernathy assured those in the audience that these technologies will not replace humans.
“At the end of the day it takes a human, an artist putting that love into a piece of jewelry,” he said. “No machine will ever replace that and no robot will ever do it.”
The keynote address for the symposium was delivered by Peter Smith, jewelry industry consultant and author, who discussed the future of jewelry retail. He says the data shows that despite the doom and gloom headlines, retail stores are not dying because of eCommerce.
“This fear that somehow we’re losing business to online is just not based in reality,” he said.
Instead, he argues what is happening is a transformation of the retail business combining the bricks-and-mortar experience with the convenience of eCommerce. However, it’s the retail store that will continue to drive the business. It’s different from the better known Omnichannel retail strategy, which suggests a more robust eCommerce presence.
In most cases, he says, retailers who are losing customers are doing so because they are not providing a high-quality store experience. He said the landscape of the retail industry can be broken down to convenience and price sensitive stores, such as Costco; and stores that focus on experience, such as Apple, Starbucks and Tiffany & Co.
Jewelry retailers cannot compete with price so they have to create stores that provide a better experience for their customers. It includes revaluating everything about the store, from the lighting to the music to the scent (which can be purchased) in a way that creates a story about the retail experience they want to deliver.
Smith also encouraged retailers to streamline their product offerings and focus on what sells and to build eCommerce websites in order to create a well-rounded retail experience.
Responsible sourcing—a voluntary commitment by companies to take into account social and environmental considerations when managing their relationships with suppliers—was the theme of last year’s symposium and it in many ways it is the future of the jewelry industry. Monica Stephenson of ANZA Gems, spoke on this topic. She is a jewelry industry writer and entrepreneur who became an “accidental gem dealer” after traveling to East Africa. She works with artisan gemstone miners in Kenya and Tanzania through fair trade purchasing and supporting mining communities with her profits.
Stephenson said consumers are smarter, savvier and more informed and want to know the origin of their products. She warned that retailers don’t want to be caught not knowing the origin of their products.
“We live in a world with people who want to know where their tomato comes from,” she said. “Do you really want to be the person who can’t answer that question?”
Sherris Cottier Shank, an award-winning gem artist and master gem carver, is an example of the diversity of the speakers at the symposium.
Shank, describes herself as an “odd duck” in the jewelry industry because what she like in gemstone jewelry is rarely displayed in stores.
“If this was the solar system I would be way out there in Pluto,” she said. “If I were to walk in most jewelry stores today I would turn around and leave. Most jewelry stores would have nothing that interests me because I’m an odd duck. There are others like me and I know this because they contact me out of the blue.”
She began her career as a bench jeweler but discovered that she loved the art of gemstone carving. A self-described “girl who plays around in the dirt,” she sometimes goes to the mines to select her gems. She said dealers have mixed reactions when selling to her.
“I’m very careful when I select rough and the sellers either love me or hate me. They usually give me a pad and let me select my own (stones),” she said. “Start with a good piece of rough come up with a good design and polish it right. If you don’t polish it right you lose money.”
Shank, known for a handful of signature of carvings, has received numerous awards. Several of her pieces are on display in museums, including National Gem & Mineral Collections of the Smithsonian and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. She works with exceptional jewelry artists who mount her gems into jewels.
She challenged retailers and others in the jewelry industry to think “beyond mainstream” when specifying jewelry.
“All of this automation is really great but remember there are other people out there beyond mainstream,” she said. “Take the time to talk to them and find out what they like.”
