Conclave 2026

Most jewelry businesses already have systems. The question is no longer whether to build them, but how to elevate everyone working inside them. AI absorbs the execution layer beneath your team and your craft, so every person, regardless of role, can work faster, think bigger, and produce at a level previously out of reach. The better you and your team become at directing AI, the better your outputs become. It compounds.

This session is not a one-time setup, but a living system you build, monitor, and keep making smarter. You will leave with a framework, real-world case studies, and a Kickstart Plan to begin with confidence.

Mariel Diaz holds Microsoft's Lead with AI certificate and is a Mindvalley AI Mastery graduate. She built these systems inside her accounting firm — and is still finding new ways to apply them.

Impactful signage helps customers navigate the store easily and reduces the mental effort it takes to find what they want. It also significantly impacts the overall shopping experience by creating an inviting atmosphere and showcasing products effectively. Imagine walking into a store, eager to purchase a specific piece of jewelry, only to leave empty-handed because you could not find it. Sound familiar? This common frustration highlights a significant issue in retail: poor visual merchandising.

Join Howard Stone, VP of Asset Protection & Claims at Jewelers Mutual, and Scott Guginsky, EVP of the Jewelers' Security Alliance, for a timely discussion on how organized retail crime continues to evolve—and what luxury retailers must do in 2026 to stay ahead.

As criminal networks become more coordinated, mobile, and tech‑enabled, understanding current trends is critical to protecting your business. This session will explore emerging organized crime tactics impacting luxury and jewelry retailers, practical prevention strategies, and proven approaches to safeguarding your people, inventory, and customers.

In an industry built on trust, I believe transparency is no longer optional — it is the foundation of sustainable growth. At Shree Ramkrishna Exports, this belief has been deeply shaped by my father, Shri Govind Dholakia, who has always led with integrity, purpose, and a people-first approach.

In this session, I will share how we have embedded what we call “Pure Transparency” into our business, not just as a principle, but as a way of operating every day. From ethical sourcing and digital transformation to building a strong internal culture, I will talk about how transparency can strengthen trust, create long-term value, and differentiate a brand in today’s evolving diamond industry.

For me, true success lies in building a business that is not only profitable but also principled.

Merchandising is not just about displaying product; it is about creating clarity, meaning, and a reason to shop.
In today’s retail environment, many showcases are overfilled yet underperforming, leaving customers overwhelmed and disengaged. Intentional merchandising transforms existing inventory into cohesive, story-driven collections that guide the customer journey and improve conversion.

In this session, jewelry strategist Nan Lung Palmer shares real-world examples from working with independent retailers ranging from $2M to $25M in revenue. Through before-and-after photos and videos of in-store transformations, she will demonstrate how to rethink case lines using strategic product grouping, visual hierarchy, and storytelling.

Beyond the showcase, this session also explores how to streamline vendor and manufacturer mix, buy with intention, and establish merchandising standards that ensure the right product is brought into the store—and placed with purpose.

Attendees will leave with a practical, repeatable framework—the 5 P’s of Merchandising—to drive engagement, improve sell-through, and elevate the retail experience.

Growth in today’s jewelry market does not come from carrying more product. It comes from carrying the right product with intention.

As gold costs fluctuate and consumers become more informed before beginning the buying process, retailers and brands must rethink how assortments are structured, edited, and presented. Strategic assortment discipline, from initial design concept through the sales floor and digital storefront, offers a path to stronger profitability and differentiation.

In this session, strategist Nan Lung Palmer shares case studies showing how retailers, designers, and suppliers can refine product strategies through collaboration, disciplined SKU creation, and clearer price architecture to improve margin clarity, product turn, and brand focus.

Whether owners are building out a new interior or updating an existing one, a primary function of jewelry store design is to convey your brand image and optimize the customer experience. As an owner the design must be attractive, engaging and on-brand, while meeting the expectations of today's customers. The pandemic accelerated the transition from in-person to online shopping, and many consumers say they will continue making online purchases because of the selection and convenience digital channels now offer—far more than just a few years ago. But not everyone wants to buy jewelry by clicking a link.

This interactive Edge User Group session is designed for retailers who want to better understand recent enhancements to The Edge and how they can be applied effectively in day-to-day store operations.

We’ll review key features and improvements released from early 2025 through Conclave 2026, focusing on real-world workflows such as inventory accuracy, purchasing, receiving, reporting, and operational visibility. Attendees will learn not just what’s new, but why changes were made and how other Edge users are putting them into practice.

The session will also include a forward-looking discussion of upcoming enhancements currently in development, giving attendees insight into where The Edge is headed and how they can prepare their processes and teams. Time will be reserved for questions and peer discussion and collaboration.

In an era of unprecedented volatility, understanding precious metal markets is more critical than ever for jewelry professionals. This session will deliver a clear, data-driven outlook on platinum, gold, and other key metals, exploring how macroeconomic forces, geopolitical tensions, tariffs, and supply constraints are shaping pricing today—and what to expect tomorrow.

Attendees will gain insight into how global events—from central bank policy to mining disruptions—translate into real-world impacts on margins, pricing strategies, and consumer demand.

Key Topics:

• Current and projected price trends for platinum and gold

• The impact of tariffs, inflation, and global conflict on metals markets

• Supply chain dynamics and mining outlook

• How metals pricing influences consumer behavior

Whether you plan to sell, pass it to your children, or simply want the decades you have invested to mean something beyond your last day behind the counter, this session is for you. Many jewelers build genuinely successful businesses and still have nothing structured to show for it at exit. Not because they failed, but because success alone does not create a transferable legacy.

This session covers the financial and operational systems that turn a successful jewelry business into one that can be passed down, sold, or protected regardless of what the future brings.

Mariel Diaz founded Accounting for Jewelers in the shadow of her father, a talented and successful jeweler who built something real but left no systems behind to protect it. When he was gone, so was everything he had built.