New Venue Boosts Buyers at Las Vegas Antique Fair

Foot traffic at the Las Vegas Antique Jewelry & Watch Show was steady throughout the four-day event, and the mood was mostly upbeat, according to exhibitors — many of whom pointed to the fair’s new venue as a reason for their improved business.

This year was the trade fair’s first time at the Wynn Las Vegas resort. It had occupied a number of other venues in the Nevada city over the years — most recently the cavernous Las Vegas Convention Center — but the Wynn proved more convenient for those who also wanted to attend the Couture show in the same building and the JCK shows at the Venetian Las Vegas resort next door.

The fair, which ended Sunday, hosted approximately 400 exhibitors specializing in period and vintage jewels, timepieces, and other precious objects. Many of the vendors have been exhibiting at the annual show for more than two decades.

“This is the best year for us,” said dealer Edward Faber on the third day of the gathering. He and his wife Patricia own and operate Aaron Faber Gallery in New York, which specializes in 20th- and 21st-century fine jewelry and collectible watches.

“We’ve had far more interest here” than at previous years’ venues, he added, observing that people were in a buying mood.

Echoing this sentiment was Tyler Moradof, head of sales and marketing at estate dealer Yafa Signed Jewels. The company, which is located in Palm Beach, Florida, has been exhibiting at the show for over 25 years.

“We’re pleasantly surprised to see the traffic that’s come in,” he remarked. “It’s really interesting to see that [since] the venue changed, the traffic is actually improving. It’s more convenient, it’s more luxurious, it’s more inviting.”

And those who came brought good business, he added. “It’s not just higher traffic for the sake of higher traffic. We’re also noticing a lot of quality individuals who are serious buyers.”

Sales were also going well for Ankit Jain, a partner in family-owned jeweler Fei.

“So far, so good for us,” reported Jain, whose company specializes in investment-worthy colored gems and pearls, as well as antique Western jewels such as pieces from historic French houses.

For fair newcomer Greg Kwiat — owner of the Kwiat diamond brand and of New York estate jeweler Fred Leighton — the proximity to the other jewelry shows and his existing Kwiat boutique inside the Wynn were what enabled him to attend the antique show. He was using the fair to sell excess Fred Leighton product, he said. Apparently, buyers were interested: He attracted a crowd around his shop.

Image: Participants at the 2023 event. (Las Vegas Antique Jewelry & Watch Show)