Each year, the Lafite and Latour ballrooms at Wynn Las Vegas open their doors to host a global roster of esteemed dealers for the Las Vegas Antique Jewelry and Watch Show (LVAJWS). These dealers travel to the far reaches of the earth to procure their selection of antique, vintage and estate jewelry and timepieces, allowing our retail buyers to distinguish their stores with unique, one-of-a-kind merchandise.
As it turns out, some of those very same pieces have been created by the people in an adjacent ballroom at the COUTURE show. We often see archived work of some of COUTURE’s heritage brands in the cases throughout our U.S. Antique Show Events, which further cements COUTURE’s reputation for representing the most authoritative brands in the market. Many of these brand leaders enjoy re-discovering their work out “in the wild” and purchase these pieces to reintroduce them into their collections.
Oscar Heyman is one brand we are always delighted to come across when walking our show floors. As just one example, in March, Original Miami Beach Antique Show (OMBAS) and LVAJWS dealer, Matthew Weldon of Courtville cited a stunning, Oscar Heyman toi et moi sapphire ring as one of the most prized pieces in his collection.
Oscar Heyman ring at Matthew Weldon/Courtville
Given that Oscar Heyman has been in business continuously since 1912, and that their meticulously maintained dossiers on each piece it has created throughout the years could rival any national library, seeing a member of the Oscar Heyman family at our U.S. Antique Shows’ events is a common site.
Also seen at OMBAS were pieces from new-to-COUTURE brand, Vever. Founded in 1821 in France, 200 years later, the 7th generation of the family, sister and brother Camille & Damien Vever, are “re-awakening the sleeping beauty.” Anyone interested in discovering some of these original beauties should keep their eyes open at LVAJWS!
A recent instagram post showcasing the staying power of Vever
Of course, who doesn’t get a little pep in their step when they come across a box with that recognizable Mikimoto logo?! While COUTURE is proud to showcase the stalwart brand’s most current collections, our U.S. Antique Show events are punctuated with some of their storied pieces from the past.
And then there was the Alex Sepkus ring circa 1990’s featuring a Morganite center stone that was spotted at Leech Wholesale and Gems at OMBAS. Some of us forget, anything that is 30 years or older (and some argue it’s just 20 years), is considered vintage…present company included! Founded in 1990 by Alex and his Managing Director, Jeff Feero, all of Alex’s earliest pieces qualify as vintage. Following the artist’s untimely death in 2021, his work has become even more collectable than ever before.
A video taken of a Morganite Alex Sepkus ring at the Leech stand at OMBAS
Unsurprisingly, COUTURE’s designers and brands are passionate about jewelry history and are big collectors of the artform, so they try to find time to walk the aisles of LVAJWS to either purchase pieces or simply to seek inspiration. The cross-over element at Wynn Las Vegas has been a boon to both events, expanding the audience of LVAJWS and providing COUTURE’s designers and brands with the opportunity to see where their work fits in the larger picture of jewelry history.
