Episode Details

JCK editor-in-chief Victoria Gomelsky and news director Rob Bates catch up with Lawrence Hess, executive director of The Plumb Club, as the organization finalizes plans for JCK Las Vegas. Lawrence shares his memories of growing up the son of the late great designer Jose Hess and offers a succinct history of The Plumb Club. He also gives listeners a preview of the most intriguing—and encouraging—takeaways from the club’s latest research paper and consumer survey, to be shared at the upcoming JCK show.

Sponsored by De Beers: institute.debeers.com

Show Notes

00:52: Tiffany & Co.’s Landmark Event

03:44: Carrying on the Hess Family Legacy

05:07: Remembering Jose Hess

08:20: Striking Out on His Own

11:08: What’s in a Name?

14:42: A Brief History of The Plumb Club

18:09: The Future Looks Bright

20:31: Three Trends to Watch

24:22: Lab Grown Diamonds in Simple Terms

25:52: Aligning with RJC

Episode Credits

Hosts: Rob Bates and Victoria Gomelsky

Producer and engineer: Natalie Chomet

Plugs: @jckmagazine; institute.debeers.com

Show Recap

Tiffany & Co.’s Landmark Event

Victoria shares highlights from the Tiffany & Co. extravaganza that marked the Fifth Avenue flagship store’s reopening as the Landmark in April. It wasn’t just the beautiful space and the star-studded guest list that impressed her, but also the obvious wealth of the clientele. One guest sported a Tiffany Blue Dial Limited Edition Patek Phillipe Nautilus watch, which sells for $3 million on the secondary market.

Carrying on a Family Legacy

Victoria and Rob welcome guest Lawrence Hess, executive director of The Plumb Club. Victoria notes that the New York City–based group is one of the industry’s most esteemed organizations, boasting a membership of distinguished manufacturers. Calling in from his office in Englewood, NJ, Lawrence says he is gearing up for JCK Las Vegas, where 50 Plumb Club members will exhibit in the group’s 75,000-square-foot pavilion.

Lawrence is the son of iconic jewelry designer Jose Hess. Victoria asks Lawrence to share his memories of being raised in the business, thanks not just to Jose but also to stepmom Magdalena “Maggie” Hess, a designer in her own right.

Jose instilled a deep love of the industry and its people in his children. “The two most important things to him were family and jewelry,” says Lawrence, who tagged along to work with his dad when he didn’t have school. He recalls his dad’s years as president of The Plumb Club, when early plans for the pavilion covered their dining room table while Jose fine-tuned them.

Rob notes that Jose was renowned for his catchphrases, most famously strong like a bull. “That was his answer to everything, whether things were good or bad,” Lawrence remembers. Many of the designer’s observations are memorialized in The Beauty in All, a book Jose and Maggie co-wrote.

Striking Out on His Own

Another Jose Hess motto was that nothing should be handed to you. So before joining the fa