Highlights from the Polygon Conclave & Trade Event - March 22-24 2025, Irvine CA

The Polygon Conclave & Trade Event took place March 22-24 at the Hyatt Regency Irvine, and brought together members of our industry for fun, networking, learning and business.

Networking

There were ample opportunities to build new and old relationships with industry peers. A relaxed Welcome Reception kicked off the event on Saturday evening, and Sunday featured a dinner event in the evening. Connecting and developing strong relationships that can go from business to friendship is one of the biggest benefits of Polygon Conclaves.

Seminars

Polygon revealed a new design and tools on the member home page, featuring a live dashboard, marketplace featured ads, diamond reports and a diamond calculator. We also heard from the Supporting Associations – GIA, DCWC, DDCNY and JA.

An informative seminar from Jen Cullen Williams looked at new AI tools for building your brand and telling your story. Jen suggested many tools, including Claude, Beautiful AI and more! She noted that these tools can be very useful for getting started, brainstorming and saving time on tedious tasks, but still noted the importance of bringing a human touch.

Panel: Perspectives from the Industry

This panel featured industry experts Kalpesh Jhaveri (President DCWC & CEO of K.R. Gems and Diamonds), Rebecca Boyajian-Pecnik (Director Market Development, North America, GIA), Adam Small (Managing Director & General Counsel, DDCNY), and Kathleen Kimball (Owner George Thompson Diamond Co.). Topics covered diamond prices, lab grown and natural diamonds, current regulations for imports and tariffs, and the secondary market. Key takeaways included staying nimble and agile, being ready to adjust to see what diamond shapes and sizes are going strong (hint: trend is towards larger, solitaire rings), using secondary market as a key source, and differentiating rather than comparing lab grown with natural. All panelists also strongly agreed that testing is necessary, and GIA spoke about their iD100 and MatchID.

Polygon Members Honored

Long-time Polygon members were recognized: 21 members were awarded with 25, 30, 25 and 40 years of membership. B.G. Gems International (Los Angeles) was honored as the main event sponsor, while Hess Fine Art (St-Petersburg, FL) and Verma Group (New York & Atlanta) were recognized at Top Polygon Contributors. Tilayoff Diamonds (Boca Raton, FL) was recognized for his Special Contributions over the years.

Active Trading Trading

day took place Monday, and saw plenty of action. There were lots of estate goods trading hands at great prices, in addition to loose diamonds, colored stones and some watches. Some service providers – like the Diamond Club West Coast, Diamond Club New York and Jewelers of America – also had tables for attendees to come chat and learn about their services.

Thanks To Our Sponsors!

• Main Event Sponsor - B.G. International Gems (Los Angeles, CA)
• Diamond Sponsor: SHR Precious Metals (Champions Gate, FL)
• Sapphire Sponsor: Verma Group (New York, NY & Atlanta, FL)
• General Sponsors: Doner Diamonds (Los Angeles, CA) & Hess Fine Art & Jewels (St-Petersburg, FL)

Thanks To Our Supporting Associations!

Diamond Club West Coast (DCWC), Diamond Dealers Club New York (DDC), Gemological Institute of America (GIA), Jewelers of America (JA), National Pawnbrokers Association (NPA)

Despite softer market conditions, attendees reported active trading at the Conclave & Trade Event last week. More importantly, the event and others like it provide the opportunity to come together, make business happen and strengthen our industry.