or much of its early history, the Couture jewellery show, which takes place at Wynn Las Vegas at the end of every May, defined itself in relation to JCK Las Vegas, its bigger, older and more cacophonous neighbour, located at the Sands Expo across the street.

Whereas JCK is home to thousands of exhibitors representing every facet of the global diamond and jewellery industry, from mass market manufacturers to independent artisans, Couture was founded in 1995 by a group of designers who wanted to create a more intimate and refined platform to display their craft.

In 2012, when Gannon Brousseau assumed the role of Couture show director, the annual event was on the brink of a new chapter. “My first year was the same year that JCK moved to Mandalay Bay,” located at the other end of the Las Vegas Strip, says Brousseau, who serves as executive vice president at Emerald, Couture’s parent company.

“Everyone was afraid and nervous, but it was the best thing that ever happened to Couture. We were able to define who we were while JCK defined who they were. And that is when we saw an opportunity to focus on designer fine jewellery.”

Sorellina. Stardust Statement earrings, 18k yellow gold earrings with turquoise and diamonds. ©Sorellina

Today, the show is a bellwether for trends and a can’t-miss buying event for anyone with a stake in the luxury jewellery category. Home to approximately 300 carefully-vetted exhibitors — from big-name brands such as Roberto Coin to if-you-know-you-know designers like Silvia Furmanovich — Couture welcomes some 3,500 attendees representing the most inventive, successful and stylish jewellery retailers in the world.

“We try hard to create an environment where designers feel safe and are surrounded by other designers who have their own unique points of view,” Brousseau says. “It’s not derivative product and no one’s trying to undercut on price. That’s what’s allowed us to build a community where designers are rooting for each other. We’re really specific about the curation and trying to find the best in class.”

Whether exhibitors are part of the Design Atelier, a section of the show dedicated to emerging talents; located on the main show floor next to Couture stalwarts like the Turkish jeweller Sevan Bicakci or London-based Venyx; in the ballrooms alongside brands such as Marco Bicego and Pomellato; or posted in the villas, where designers wine and dine buyers in spacious suites overlooking the new Sphere music and entertainment venue, the vibe at Couture is chic, luxe and ultra-colourful.

That’s especially true in the wake of the pandemic, which coincided with a global racial reckoning spurred by the 2020 murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers. “With everything that happened in 2020, we felt inspired to change the discussion in the industry,” Brousseau says.

That year, Couture formed the Diversity Action Council in order to help create programmes and initiatives to promote and support Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) within the jewellery industry.

“From there, we saw that we could make an impact through mentorship,” Brousseau says. “We rolled out a mentorship programme in 2021 with 13 BIPOC designers and we called them the ‘Radiants.’ We skipped a year to allow for mentorship. This year we presented the ‘Luminaries,’ a group of seven BIPOC designers.”

The push for diversity comes naturally to Couture, which has always hosted jewellers from around the world (Studio Renn in Mumbai, Sophie Bille Brahe in Copenhagen and State Property in Singapore are just a few of this year’s international exhibitors).

Despite the varied nature of their designs, virtually everyone who exhibits at the show aspires to win a Couture Design Award. The awards, established more than 20 years ago, take place on a Saturday evening at the Encore Theater, and have been described as the jewellery industry’s answer to the Oscars.

“We work incredibly hard to curate our event,” Brousseau says. “Our designers, editors and retailers entrust us with providing a platform to view designer fine jewellery and understand that we’re showcasing art.

“I’d like to think we’ve helped provide an awareness in consumers of designer fine jewellery,” he adds. “I’d like to think when a designer says they’re exhibiting at Couture, it means something. We really care about this community, and we don’t take it for granted.”

We spotlight a quartet of rising stars on the American jewellery scene. The fine jewellery market in the U.S. is a cauldron of talent and creativity. Below, we put the spotlight on four designers making their mark among retailers and collectors.

Emily P. Wheeler

From her atelier in Los Angeles, Emily P. Wheeler tells stories about her childhood and her travels in intensely colorful jewels that prioritize precious materials, handcraftsmanship and sustainability. Take her 2024 Southwest collection, for example. Inspired by the azure skies, desert blooms and native artistry of the American Southwest — a setting that made a big impression on her during a family road trip to the Grand Canyon when she was young —Wheeler’s newest line is loaded with deeply saturated gemstones, including turquoise, sapphire and emerald, in designs that recall the region’s rich tradition of Native American, Mexican and Spanish artisanry.

Harwell Godfrey

Whether she’s cruising down the Nile, attending fashion week in Paris or on a family vacation in Hawaii, Lauren Harwell Godfrey is a study in bejewelled maximalism. Known for an aesthetic that emphasizes colour, texture and geometric shapes, the San Francisco Bay Area designer draws on inspirations as disparate as the African diaspora, ancient textiles and her own exotic voyages to create 18k gold jewels that have struck a chord with collectors.

For her latest collection, Supernova, Harwell Godfrey embraced a medley of supernatural and cosmic motifs, including stars, unicorn horns and lucky salt shakers (filled with gems, naturally) to create talismans for modern living. Wish-worthyon every level!

Renato Cipullo

The Naples-born, New York-based designer Renato Cipullo comes from a famous Italian jewellery family (Renato’s late brother Aldo Cipullo was responsible for some of Cartier’s most enduring designs), but his work is steeped in an idiosyncratic mix that reflects his love of classical Italian design as well as the glamour and excess of 1970s-era NYC.

His latest collection, Amor Fati, is named for a Latin phrase that means “love of one’s fate” or “love life as it is.” “This translates to pieces that embrace the idea that past and present generations of our family were all ‘fated’ for jewellery,” explains the designer’s website. As the first collaboration between Renato and his daughter Serena, the line, which takes the flame as its key symbol, mixes metals and textures to create the ultimate example of unisex style.

Sorellina

Beloved for their irreverent design sensibility, Kim and Nicole Carosella, the sisters behind the New York City-based fine jewellery brand Sorellina, play to their strengths in their new collection, Playlist — Among the Stardust. A tribute to David Bowie and the glam-rock movement, the line reimagines his most famous looks in fine jewels, such as the turquoise and diamond Ziggy Bolt pendant evoking the iconic makeup on the cover of Bowie’s 1973 album Aladdin Sane.

The collection’s signature design — an 18k gold cassette pendant featuring diamonds encased in two panes of sapphire glass and accompanied by a pencil-shaped charm that can be used to “rewind” or “fast forward” the “mix tape” — won the Best in Innovative prize at the Couture Design Awards in June, proving that being serious about craft but cheeky about style is a winning strategy for this sister duo.