Organizers of the new Hamptons Jewelry Show (HJS) are billing it as a must-attend jewelry event of the summer that will surprise and delight jewelry lovers, with more than 80 exhibitors across 17 green acres of the Southampton Fairgrounds in New York.
Exhibitors at the July 24-27 show, on the east end of Long Island, about two hours from NYC, will include designers and dealers offering selections that span eras, aesthetics, and price points, according to show producer Rick Friedman and curator Hilary Joy Diaz.
“Frankly, a direct-to-the-public, high-caliber jewelry sale where our guests meet with the creators is a wish come true for locals,” Friedman says. “Each and every designer at the HJS, quite frankly, is worth publicizing.”
Friedman expects this year’s inaugural event to draw about 4,000 visitors—big enough, he says, to be exciting but small enough that you can visit favorite vendors and gab with friends along the way yet still see most of the show.
Scottsdale, Ariz.–based jewelry designer Cornelis Hollander is bringing his handcrafted, artisan pieces like this diamond ring to the Hamptons Jewelry Show.
“There will be 600,000 folks in the Hamptons that weekend, looking for things to do, and we appear to be the lead event that weekend,” he says.
The location will also make the event enjoyable, Friedman adds. The fairgrounds are set up with climate-controlled, gallery-style tents, as well as outdoor dining and a bar.
Participating dealers include the Mahnaz Collection, Rick Shatz, and Phigora Watches; designers set to exhibit at the Hamptons show include gemstone specialist Tamsen Ann Ziff of Tamsen Z, De Beers Award winner Cornelis Hollander, and Thailand-based Mousson Atelier.
Friedman also produces the Hamptons Fine Art Fair (taking place at the Southampton Fairgrounds this weekend), which has grown from 3,000 to 15,000 attendees since he founded it, as ArtHamptons.
“After 19 years of producing the major fine art fair here in the Hamptons, we know what your guests want. And we have an enormous respect for the Hamptons branding,” says Friedman. “So with our new HJS, we are shifting from fine art to wearable art and presenting the best and most respected artists, artisans, and goldsmiths in the nation.”
For the jewelry show, “our primary target are our affluent art fair guests who love jewelry,” he says. “There is a second and third tier of jewelry collectors throughout the region and all of Long Island, and even New York City.”
Sixth Sense ceramic ring in 14k yellow gold with baby blue ceramic and white lab-grown diamonds ($4,800) by Sean Hill, an exhibitor at the upcoming Hamptons show
He adds: “The timing is perfect, as all our 15,000 [art fair] guests are invited gratis to the Hamptons Jewelry Show two weeks later at the same location. We also bolstered the Hamptons Jewelry Show solo ad campaign by including it with the art fair ad campaign.”
The Hamptons are an ideal location for both shows, especially in the heart of the summertime, says Friedman.
“Hamptonites are basically fashion-forward, jewelry-savvy, demand beautiful things, and can acquire what they please. This is the perfect setting for buyers and sellers of jewelry and watches, and opens up and defines an important product category here locally,” he says.
The jewelry show includes fundraising “for two popular local cultural institutions,” says Friedman, noting that guests will appreciate those charitable efforts.
“The July 24 opening benefits Longhouse Reserve,” he says, “and Saturday, July 26, is the Going for the Gold party, which benefits the Parrish Art Museum and is hosted by Hamptons magazine.”
Top: Earrings from the Mahnaz Collection, a gallery created by Mahnaz Ispahani Bartos that is scheduled to be one of the exhibitors at the Hamptons Jewelry Show later this month (photos courtesy of the Hamptons Jewelry Show)