{"id":25958,"date":"2014-06-06T23:05:58","date_gmt":"2014-06-07T03:05:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wendybrandes.com\/blog\/?p=25958"},"modified":"2015-01-14T19:34:21","modified_gmt":"2015-01-15T00:34:21","slug":"what-wendy-wore-platinum-and-bricks-at-jck-las-vegas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/what-wendy-wore-platinum-and-bricks-at-jck-las-vegas\/","title":{"rendered":"What Wendy Wore: Platinum and Bricks at JCK Las Vegas"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Last weekend, I attended <a href=\"http:\/\/lasvegas.jckonline.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">JCK Las Vegas<\/a>, the ginormous jewelry trade show, for the second time. <a href=\"http:\/\/wendybrandes.com\/blog\/2013\/06\/what-wendy-wore-jck-las-vegas\/\" target=\"_blank\">In 2013<\/a>, I was there to speak about the next-generation customer, alongside jewelry expert <a href=\"http:\/\/cherylkremkow.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Cheryl Kremkow<\/a>. This year, I was invited by <a href=\"http:\/\/www.platinumguild.com\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\">Platinum Guild International<\/a>, so, naturally, I wore a lot of platinum!<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_25963\" style=\"width: 508px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25963\" class=\"wp-image-25963 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/platinum.jpg\" alt=\"platinum\" width=\"498\" height=\"664\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/platinum.jpg 498w, https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/platinum-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 498px) 100vw, 498px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-25963\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Four of my platinum ring designs.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The first thing I did was meet up with the <a href=\"http:\/\/idazzle.com\/2013\/06\/06\/las-vegas-jewelry-shows-the-people-edition\/\" target=\"_blank\">Vegas Gems<\/a> at the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.wynnlasvegas.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Wynn<\/a>, where we were again terrorized by a giant singing frog.<\/p>\n<p><center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"vine-embed\" src=\"https:\/\/vine.co\/v\/MdVgzdHI2qA\/embed\/simple\" width=\"480\" height=\"480\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><script src=\"\/\/platform.vine.co\/static\/scripts\/embed.js\" async=\"\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/center><\/p>\n<p>The Vegas Gems are wimmin I know through social media, including designers, journalists, bloggers, sales reps, buyers &#8212; anyone who has anything to do with jewelry is welcome.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_25968\" style=\"width: 508px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25968\" class=\"wp-image-25968 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/wynn2resize.jpg\" alt=\"wynn2resize\" width=\"498\" height=\"374\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/wynn2resize.jpg 498w, https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/wynn2resize-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 498px) 100vw, 498px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-25968\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">At the Wynn. From left: Cheryl Kremkow, Peggy Jo Donahue, and Monica Stephenson.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>As you can see, I was thrilled to see designer <a href=\"http:\/\/www.katrinakelly.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Katrina Kelly<\/a> again.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_25964\" style=\"width: 508px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25964\" class=\"wp-image-25964\" src=\"http:\/\/wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/jckbarbara4.jpg\" alt=\"jckbarbara4\" width=\"498\" height=\"504\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/jckbarbara4.jpg 634w, https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/jckbarbara4-296x300.jpg 296w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 498px) 100vw, 498px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-25964\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Me and Katrina.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Katrina and I have a lot in common when it comes to designing jewelry. We both start by focusing on the metal we&#8217;re going to use, and then find gems to suit the design, rather designing around a big gem. We have our differences as well. As Katrina&#8217;s website says, &#8220;Katrina Kelly celebrates fun, love &amp; wisdom.&#8221; I&#8217;m more of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/store\/products.php?product=Letter-Necklace-%252d-Small%2C-Silver%2C-IDGAF\" target=\"_blank\">IDGAF type<\/a>, and this was the necklace I wore all weekend.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_25965\" style=\"width: 508px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/wendybrandes.com\/blog\/2014\/05\/jewels-of-the-month-boss-and-bossy-necklaces\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25965\" class=\"wp-image-25965\" src=\"http:\/\/wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/bossygold.jpg\" alt=\"bossygold\" width=\"498\" height=\"502\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/bossygold.jpg 634w, https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/bossygold-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/bossygold-297x300.jpg 297w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 498px) 100vw, 498px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-25965\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Click to read more about &#8220;BOSSY.&#8221;<\/p><\/div>\n<p>My<a href=\"http:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/store\/search.php?search_query=letter+necklace&amp;x=0&amp;y=0\" target=\"_blank\"> letter necklaces<\/a> are always popular with airport security. The ladies of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.tsa.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\">TSA<\/a> really flipped for BOSSY!<\/p>\n<p>Barbara Palumbo of <a href=\"http:\/\/adornmentality.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Adornmentality<\/a> was there. We kept up <a href=\"http:\/\/wendybrandes.com\/blog\/2013\/07\/what-wendy-wore-womens-jewelry-association-gala\/\" target=\"_blank\">our tradition<\/a> of taking duckface selfies together. This is from Barbara&#8217;s <a href=\"http:\/\/instagram.com\/adornmentality#\" target=\"_blank\">Instagram<\/a>. Note her caption!<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-25969\" src=\"http:\/\/wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/jckbarbara3.jpg\" alt=\"jckbarbara3\" width=\"498\" height=\"614\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/jckbarbara3.jpg 637w, https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/jckbarbara3-243x300.jpg 243w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 498px) 100vw, 498px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Barbara always makes me laugh. When she included my designs in a Mother&#8217;s Day gift list on her blog, the post was called, &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/adornmentality.com\/2014\/05\/02\/whats-on-the-brain-may-edition-jewelry-fo-yo-momma\/\" target=\"_blank\">Jewelry Fo Yo Momma<\/a>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>I had to take a special picture with Monica Stephenson of<a href=\"http:\/\/idazzle.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"> iDazzle<\/a> because we were both wearing in-your-face printed dresses. Monica was snake-patterned and I was &#8230; like a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ILE12hEW5Ck\" target=\"_blank\">brick house<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_25971\" style=\"width: 508px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"wynn4resize  http:\/\/idazzle.com\/2010\/08\/11\/designer-spotlight-an-interview-with-jewelry-designer-wendy-brandes\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25971\" class=\"wp-image-25971 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/wynn4resize.jpg\" alt=\"wynn4resize\" width=\"498\" height=\"529\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/wynn4resize.jpg 498w, https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/wynn4resize-282x300.jpg 282w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 498px) 100vw, 498px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-25971\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Click for Monica&#8217;s 2010 interview of me.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>I&#8217;d been meaning to save the debut outing of that brick-print dress from <a href=\"http:\/\/metmuseum.org\/collection\/the-collection-online\/search\/97480?rpp=30&amp;pg=1&amp;rndkey=20140606&amp;ft=*&amp;when=A.D.+1900-present&amp;where=Italy&amp;who=Moschino+Couture&amp;pos=4\" target=\"_blank\">Moschino&#8217;s Spring\/Summer 1997 collection<\/a> for New York. I even knew what brick wall I wanted to pose against, but, as I was packing for Vegas, I had a whim to bring it. I hope to do my brick-wall pose in New York later this month, and will be sure to include my shoes in that photo. Other Gems at the Wynn included Erika Winters (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.pricescope.com\/author\/erika_w\" target=\"_blank\">PriceScope writer and editor<\/a> AND a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.erikawinters.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">bridal jewelry designer<\/a>) and designer <a href=\"http:\/\/www.shamila.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Shamila Jiwa<\/a> (the organizer of the first Gems outing), seen in the photo below with Katrina.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_25974\" style=\"width: 508px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25974\" class=\"wp-image-25974 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/wynn1resize.jpg\" alt=\"wynn1resize\" width=\"498\" height=\"398\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/wynn1resize.jpg 498w, https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/wynn1resize-300x239.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 498px) 100vw, 498px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-25974\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">I like this action shot! From left: Shamila, Katrina and Erika.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>I don&#8217;t know who convinced me to leave on my reading glasses to match Erika in this photo, but obviously my two drinks had gone to my head!<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_25987\" style=\"width: 508px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25987\" class=\"wp-image-25987\" src=\"http:\/\/wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-01-22.08.48.jpg\" alt=\"2014-06-01 22.08.48\" width=\"498\" height=\"374\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-01-22.08.48.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-01-22.08.48-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 498px) 100vw, 498px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-25987\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Four eyes times two.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>I missed getting a photo with Jessica Cohen of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.luprocks.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">LupRocks<\/a>, who was the one who introduced me to the Platinum Guild. Later in the weekend, I did get a picture of Jessica&#8217;s hands. She tried on my <a href=\"http:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/store\/products.php?product=Luna-Ring\" target=\"_blank\">Luna ring<\/a>, made of satin-finished platinum, a black South Sea pearl and 1.90 carats of diamonds.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_25981\" style=\"width: 508px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25981\" class=\"wp-image-25981\" src=\"http:\/\/wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-01-18.25.24.png\" alt=\"2014-06-01 18.25.24\" width=\"498\" height=\"697\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-01-18.25.24.png 632w, https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/2014-06-01-18.25.24-214x300.png 214w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 498px) 100vw, 498px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-25981\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jessica can moonlight as a hand model!<\/p><\/div>\n<p>On Saturday, I went to a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.pricescope.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">PriceScope<\/a> dinner, where I saw Erika and Shamila again.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_25972\" style=\"width: 508px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/wendybrandes.com\/blog\/2013\/03\/what-wendy-wore-leopard-print-dvf-from-2002\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25972\" class=\"wp-image-25972 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/pricescope1resize.jpg\" alt=\"pricescope1resize\" width=\"498\" height=\"442\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/pricescope1resize.jpg 498w, https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/pricescope1resize-300x266.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 498px) 100vw, 498px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-25972\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">From left to right: Erika, me, Shamila. I&#8217;m wearing my leopard dress from 2002. Click for other photos of the dress.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Somehow I didn&#8217;t get a picture of jewelry writer <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/aflyonthewall\" target=\"_blank\">Robyn Hawk<\/a>, who I met at the PriceScope event for the first time in real life, though I felt like we were old friends thanks to Twitter. She, however, took a good picture of me with my brand-new <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jckonline.com\/2014\/03\/05\/gold-wendy-brandes-maneater-rings\" target=\"_blank\">Maneater<\/a> ring: the yellow-diamond taxi.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_25976\" style=\"width: 508px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/instagram.com\/aflyonthewal1#\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25976\" class=\"wp-image-25976\" src=\"http:\/\/wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/taxi.jpg\" alt=\"taxi\" width=\"498\" height=\"498\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/taxi.jpg 608w, https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/taxi-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/taxi-300x300.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 498px) 100vw, 498px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-25976\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo by Robyn Hawk. Click for her Instagram.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The taxi was one of the eight rings I was wearing that night. Robyn photographed them all, though she had to do it in stages.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-25977\" src=\"http:\/\/wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/robyn1.jpg\" alt=\"robyn1\" width=\"410\" height=\"109\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/robyn1.jpg 410w, https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/robyn1-300x79.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 410px) 100vw, 410px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s Robyn&#8217;s first photo &#8230;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_25978\" style=\"width: 508px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/instagram.com\/aflyonthewal1#\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25978\" class=\"wp-image-25978\" src=\"http:\/\/wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/robyn2.jpg\" alt=\"robyn2\" width=\"498\" height=\"497\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/robyn2.jpg 608w, https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/robyn2-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/robyn2-300x300.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 498px) 100vw, 498px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-25978\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Robyn&#8217;s first photo.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&#8230; and here&#8217;s the second.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_25979\" style=\"width: 508px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/instagram.com\/aflyonthewal1#\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25979\" class=\"wp-image-25979\" src=\"http:\/\/wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/robyn3.jpg\" alt=\"robyn3\" width=\"498\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/robyn3.jpg 610w, https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/robyn3-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/robyn3-298x300.jpg 298w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 498px) 100vw, 498px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-25979\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Robyn&#8217;s follow-up photo.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Hey, when you&#8217;re at a giant jewelry trade show, you better bring a giant jewelry wardrobe. And, honestly, some of the other Gems put me to shame in the jewelry-wearing department!<\/p>\n<p>Despite that, the next night I didn&#8217;t wear <em>any<\/em> rings because Sunday was all about JCK Rocks the Beach &#8212; a concert in the wave pool at the Mandalay Bay hotel. <a href=\"http:\/\/wendybrandes.com\/blog\/2013\/06\/what-wendy-wore-jck-las-vegas\/\" target=\"_blank\">Maroon 5<\/a> performed last year. I&#8217;m not the biggest Maroon 5 fan, but I might be the biggest concert-in-a-wave-pool fan. It was totally my happy place in 2013. When I arrived in Vegas this year, I was obsessed with my need to pick up my ticket for this year&#8217;s concert with Rob Thomas of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=HDCUnLM6UUc&amp;feature=kp\" target=\"_blank\">Matchbox 20<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>My mind was like:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>&#8220;THEPOOLTHEPOOLTHEPOOLTHEPOOLTHEPOOLTHEPOOL<\/em><br \/>\n<em>POOLPOOLPOOLPOOLPOOLPOOLPOOLPOOLPOOLPOOLPOOL<\/em>&#8220;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Luckily, Barbara came to my rescue by giving me her extra ticket when I saw her at the Wynn on Friday.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_25982\" style=\"width: 508px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25982\" class=\"wp-image-25982 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/ticket.jpg\" alt=\"ticket\" width=\"498\" height=\"664\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/ticket.jpg 498w, https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/ticket-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 498px) 100vw, 498px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-25982\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Thanks, Barbara!<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Having my ticket safely in hand didn&#8217;t change my thought pattern at all. I was still thinking:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>&#8220;THEPOOLTHEPOOLTHEPOOLTHEPOOLTHEPOOLTHEPOOL<\/em><br \/>\n<em>POOLPOOLPOOLPOOLPOOLPOOLPOOLPOOLPOOLPOOLPOOL<\/em>&#8220;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>I was consumed by the thought of the wave pool. The night of the concert, all the Gems showed up in lovely dresses and heels. I was wearing an old Billy Idol concert t-shirt and shorts, with a bathing suit underneath and flat pool slides on my feet. Super-tall Monica of iDazzle peered down at me and said, &#8220;I thought you were much taller!&#8221;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_25985\" style=\"width: 508px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25985\" class=\"wp-image-25985 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/pool2.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"pool2.jpg\" width=\"498\" height=\"664\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/pool2.jpg.jpg 498w, https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/pool2.jpg-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 498px) 100vw, 498px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-25985\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">I was standing on a clear platform placed over a small pool.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>We all had drinks at a cabana taken by the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.womensjewelryassociation.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Women&#8217;s Jewelry Association<\/a>,\u00a0joined by some of our favorite JCK peeps and sister Gems, including <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jckonline.com\/blogs\/on-your-market\" target=\"_blank\">Brittany Siminitz<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_25984\" style=\"width: 508px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25984\" class=\"wp-image-25984\" src=\"http:\/\/wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/pool1.jpg\" alt=\"pool1\" width=\"498\" height=\"505\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/pool1.jpg 633w, https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/pool1-295x300.jpg 295w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 498px) 100vw, 498px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-25984\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">From left: Brittany, Erika, Barbara and me.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>When the music started, my well-dressed friends kept on networking. I said, &#8220;BYE!&#8221; and ran into the pool by myself.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_25988\" style=\"width: 508px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25988\" class=\"wp-image-25988 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/jck1.jpg\" alt=\"jck1\" width=\"498\" height=\"664\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/jck1.jpg 498w, https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/jck1-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 498px) 100vw, 498px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-25988\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Yay!<\/p><\/div>\n<p>How can you not want to party in a pool?<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_25989\" style=\"width: 508px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25989\" class=\"wp-image-25989 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/jck2.jpg\" alt=\"jck2\" width=\"498\" height=\"664\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/jck2.jpg 498w, https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/jck2-225x300.jpg 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 498px) 100vw, 498px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-25989\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The pool is pretty shallow in front of the stage.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>I confess that the only Rob Thomas song I know really well is &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=6Whgn_iE5uc&amp;feature=kp\" target=\"_blank\">Smooth<\/a>,&#8221; his 1999 collaboration with Carlos Santana. Yikes! I can&#8217;t believe that came out 15 years ago. I remember listening to that song nonstop on my <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Discman\" target=\"_blank\">Discman<\/a> as if it were yesterday. Here&#8217;s my video of &#8220;Smooth&#8221; live. I missed the first line, but I made up for it by catching Rob at the end saying, &#8220;Stop throwing shit at me, dude. Really, what the fuck?!&#8221; LOLZ. The crowd did get a little boisterous with the glow sticks and beach balls.<\/p>\n<p><center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/D5swFrWnHE0\" width=\"420\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Afterwards, I waded out to join the Gems and other friends for <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mandalaybay.com\/entertainment\/lounges\/eyecandy-sound-lounge\/\" target=\"_blank\">drinks in the hotel<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_25991\" style=\"width: 508px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25991\" class=\"wp-image-25991\" src=\"http:\/\/wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/jckbarbara1-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"jckbarbara1\" width=\"498\" height=\"280\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/jckbarbara1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/jckbarbara1-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/jckbarbara1.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 498px) 100vw, 498px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-25991\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Raymond Hak, Brittany and me.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>I seemed to be the only one in the bar with wet shorts and sand in my shoes. Fancy!<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m already looking forward to 2015&#8217;s JCK.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_25993\" style=\"width: 508px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-25993\" class=\"wp-image-25993 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/jckbarbara21.jpg\" alt=\"jckbarbara2\" width=\"498\" height=\"501\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/jckbarbara21.jpg 498w, https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/jckbarbara21-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/jckbarbara21-298x300.jpg 298w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 498px) 100vw, 498px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-25993\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">From left: me, Barbara, Erika.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Those Gems are coming in the pool with me next year &#8230; or else!<\/p>\n<p>UPDATED TO ADD: Here is Barbara Palumbo&#8217;s highlarious report on JCK from <a href=\"http:\/\/adornmentality.com\/2014\/06\/13\/tales-from-the-strip-part-3-the-vegas-gems-ride-again\/\" target=\"_blank\">Adornmentality<\/a>. <\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Last weekend, I attended JCK Las Vegas, the ginormous jewelry trade show, for the second time. In 2013, I was there to speak about the next-generation customer, alongside jewelry expert Cheryl Kremkow. This year, I was invited by Platinum Guild International, so, naturally, I wore a lot of platinum! The first thing I did was&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/what-wendy-wore-platinum-and-bricks-at-jck-las-vegas\/\">Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":25963,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[83,87,42,277,41,497],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25958","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-gorgeous-friends","category-jewelry-designer","category-music","category-outfit-post","category-pictures-of-me","category-what-wendy-wore","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25958","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25958"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25958\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28357,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25958\/revisions\/28357"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25963"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25958"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25958"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25958"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}