【USA】’The Jewelry District’ Podcast: 2026 Predictions

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Editor’s Note

In this episode, our editors peer into the near future of the jewelry industry, examining the forces shaping luxury demand and the potential paths to recovery for key categories.

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Podcast Overview

JCK editor-in-chief Victoria Gomelsky and news director Rob Bates make their predictions for 2026—however murky the future may be. The hosts share their observations on how the bifurcation of demand and the strain on the middle class have affected luxury categories. Rob wonders if this year will bring more stability to the diamond industry, enabling it to roll out marketing campaigns that could usher in a natural diamond revival. Victoria covers the colored stone and metal trends she’s tracking, and how the gold price is shaping designers’ choices for materials. She and Rob also discuss how tariffs will affect the upcoming Tucson shows, what 2026 means for the watch business, and the future of the jewelry market in the Middle East. The year is already off to an exciting start.

Show Notes

01:30 Victoria’s visit to the Fontainebleau Las Vegas
03:30 Diamond industry outlook for 2026
05:10 The bifurcation of demand in luxury categories
08:05 The great wealth transfer
11:15 What to look for at the Tucson gem shows
14:13 Color trend forecast: seeing red
16:00 How the price of gold is shaping design trends
18:43 Gold price speculations
20:46 The relationship between crypto investors and the watch business
21:51 What 2026 means for the watch business
25:30 The jewelry market in the Middle East

Episode Transcript Excerpt
“I just did a podcast, or I think it was a webinar. I did one of those LinkedIn things with Avi Krawitz, who’s a well-respected industry analyst. And we did about an hourlong thing on what we expect for the coming year. And I guess my take was that there’s so many variables, and that the world situation is so unpredictable, that it’s very hard to kind of make those predictions.”
“I think, as far as the diamond industry, a lot of people are wondering when there’s going to be a natural diamond revival, if there’s going to be a natural diamond revival as far as demand, as far as regaining some of the lost market share to lab-grown.”
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⏰ Published on: January 14, 2026