A high-carat affair is set to unfold this summer as the Hamptons Jewelry Show (HJS) kicks off at the Southampton Fairgrounds. As the only international fine jewelry fair in the Hamptons open to the public, the show that runs from July 24 to 27 brings together over 90 exceptional brands — from contemporary visionaries to storied estate houses and master artisans. Curated with a discerning eye by industry veteran Hilary Joy Diaz and helmed by founder and executive director Rick Friedman, the event offers collectors, connoisseurs, and curious aesthetes alike the rare chance to buy directly from some of the most coveted names. Participating designers and dealers include Ann Ziff of Tamsen Z, De Beers Award-winner Cornelis Hollander, The Back Vault, Thailand-based contemporary jeweler Mousson Atelier, and luxury certified pre-owned timepieces leader Phigora Watches. With its enviable guest list and luxe setting, this is where summer meets serious sparkle.
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We caught up with Rick Friedman and Hilary Joy Diaz to learn more.
You’ve shaped the Hamptons’ cultural scene for years through art, tech, and media — how does the jewelry fair build on your legacy with ArtHamptons and the Fine Art Fair?
RF: Over the last 19 years, our high-end art fairs have facilitated and stimulated art collecting in the Hamptons, such that is like to say that we made art collecting ‘the new sport in the Hamptons.’ Hundreds of thousands have attended our art fairs locally. Many of them are affluent women who seek beautiful things, many of them fashion divas, many of them can acquire whatever they want, so it was a natural product extension to launch a curated fine jewelry show for this community, in keeping with the elite and elegant Hamptons branding.
The show is billed as both elite and accessible — a rare mix. What’s your strategy for creating a public event that feels both high-caliber and inclusive to new collectors?
RF: To be successful in this market, we have to play at very high standards. Our guests are demanding and sophisticated. So, it is necessary for HJS director Hilary Joy Díaz to carefully curate and select a worldwide cross-section of ‘non-competing’ offerings. At the same time, have prices start at a conservative $200 price point (which might translate to a retail $500) to excite all levels of impulse buyers. While HJS is a great place to ‘see and be seen,’ there is a set of guests that live vicariously, and may not have huge budgets, but may be seeking more accessible items, and are excited to meet and buy directly from the maker. In a sense, this fair is selling ‘relationships.’ Such that even a quick meeting or small acquisition can metamorphose into a long-term lucrative relationship, as every guest is seeking ‘their own jeweler.’
With over 80 exhibitors this year, how do you see the show evolving in the next few years?
RF: As the word spreads across the industry, we want to be positioned as the ‘best’ direct-to-the-public jewelry event in the nation. We want to offer the best in class, such that this fair is ‘an all-star team.’
As such, more national luxury consumer brands will want to be part of this amazing jewelry buying mecca. This year, EV Lucid Motors is launching their Gravity SUV with us, and offering test drives right at the fair entrance…how cool is that? Moving forward, we see unlimited potential as we serve perhaps the most affluent and privileged guests in the nation, and ‘the news of the Hamptons is the news of the nation.’
As someone with over four decades of experience in both design and manufacturing, what personal philosophy guides your curatorial eye when selecting talents for the show?
HJD: In my travels to 21 countries and being an on-air brand on eight television shopping channels worldwide, I have not only realized the importance of the different styles culturally, as well as trends. As I curate the Hamptons Jewelry Show, I keep this in mind at all times. When describing the process of my selection, I like to say it’s like genres in music, from Opera to rock and roll. No two exhibitors have the same style of jewelry, so I aim to make THS the most important and bespoke retail jewelry show in the world. There will be something for everyone to wear home, from every kind of fabulous jewelry you can imagine. No matter what she can afford, there will be the best of the best from $200 to $3,500,000.
Because I have sold my brand in so many countries around the world and have studied very closely every venue from Place Vendome to Avenue Montaigne all the way to Thailand and Australia, I find inspiration from all types of jewelry, including antique (estate), signed pieces, art deco all the way to contemporary.
I am combining every genre into one truly unique, bespoke venue to best highlight each of the styles. Southampton is my home, and I have been in The Hamptons my entire life. I find inspiration in architecture, landscape, and horticulture. With that being said, I have deeply rooted myself into the cultures from around the world, as the women in The Hamptons are well-traveled and very knowledgeable about jewelry from around the globe. My aim is to curate a jewelry show that satisfies all of them with one-of-a-kind crafted pieces from around the world. We have exhibitors coming from four continents.
What sets this event apart from traditional trade shows or retail showcases in terms of both vibe and vision?
HJD: Each and every designer, whether being in the business for 100 years plus to the up-and-coming new brands, has expressed their appreciation for my passion to create a jewelry show like no other. They are excited to be a part of the HJS for all of these reasons. In the past few months, after meeting with them and having gone through each and every one of their brands, I feel that I am selecting the crème de la crème from each era of jewelry. From Tamsen Z to Mousson Atelier to Michael Boyd and Cornelis Hollander, you can feel the excitement that is about to become the first and best jewelry show of its kind, which will attract jewelry enthusiasts from all over. This is the most difficult but extremely rewarding project that I have ever taken on, and I am so excited to share it with everyone.
When contemplating my choices of designers for the show, let me start with Tamsen Z and their Celestial Wonders Collection. I have always been fascinated by Meteorites. They are so rare that very few people can be privileged to own them. When Tamsen Z combines them with their intricate Widmanstätten patterns and adds magnificent black opals and frames their earrings with extraordinary diamonds, my jaw literally drops.
As I discover all of the collections from Mousson Atelier, I envision the beach and waves within their fabulous Spectrum Collection. The hand-carved Freeform design, along with the top-quality gemstones and Keshi pearl, excites me like no other. What can I say about Cornelis Hollander, who has been the recipient of so many awards, including three DeBeers? Walter, his son, has learned from the master and follows his father’s passion and creativity for the nearly impossible creations they design. I, myself, am honored to say that my engagement ring was handmade by Cornelis himself. If my curating is nothing else, you can imagine it ranging from The Flintstones to the Jetsons, with Cornelis Hollander being the latter of the two. Michael Boyd is literally my favorite contemporary American Studio Jewelry. He creates one-of-a-kind mixed media pieces made of unusual, rare, and traditional materials. He cuts hand-selected gems and integrates them with metal, gold, and silver, and different carats of gold to create contemporary and striking pieces.
Designers Speak
Cornelis Hollander: At Cornelis Hollander, bold design and meaning go hand-in-hand. “Under my direction, we’re continuing to honor my father’s legacy while evolving the brand to reflect a new generation of collectors. Those who want pieces that feel both deeply personal and visually striking. We’re bringing a selection of modern designs that explore form, color, and individuality. Thoughtfully made and visually distinctive, each piece offers a fresh take on fine jewelry, says Walter Hollander. For this year’s fair, the brand is introducing new work that explores contrast, geometry, and negative space in unexpected ways. “We’re also reinterpreting some of my father’s most iconic silhouettes, adapting them with updated proportions. It’s about carrying the emotional weight of legacy forward, but doing so through a contemporary lens. The next chapter of our modern legacy is focused on individuality. Every piece is designed to feel like a one-off. Not mass produced, but intentionally crafted to mark a moment or tell a story,” Walter adds.
Mousson Atelier: The brand will present some very unusual stone setting techniques in its High Jewelry items. “Our new collection will be launched in September before the season. But we will bring a lot of updates for our existing ones.”
Ann Ziff: Color has always been at the heart of Tamsen Ann’s designs. “It starts with color. Color does not always have to be matching or an adjacent hue, but a personal choice.” Elaborating on her collection and its materials, she says, “Meteorites are celestial bodies of a foreign planet that have shot through space for millions of years. They are shooting stars that have landed on the surface of Earth. The natural form and cross-hatched pattern are like nothing I had seen before, and the moment I saw them, I knew I had to buy them and use them. The combination of this, paired with precious metal, diamonds, and gemstones, is a pairing I love to use.”
The Back Vault: “Jewelry isn’t just an accessory — it’s attitude. It’s personal history, layered. And this year at the Hamptons Jewelry Show, The Back Vault is bringing pieces that redefine heirloom energy,” says Rick Shatz. “A Cartier Panthère ring, all quiet power. A Bvlgari Monete necklace — ancient luxury with a modern edge. A Van Cleef & Arpels Rose de Noël brooch, endlessly playful. And the David Webb Armadillo cuff? Think fearless, sculptural, unapologetic. For the collectors rewriting tradition, aka Gen Z? It’s oversized chains, bold gold, statement Chopard pieces that don’t just whisper legacy, they wear it loudly. Like shopping your impossibly chic grandmother’s jewelry box, but better. Because jewelry shouldn’t just be owned. It should be lived in,” he adds.
