CBG expands Curated Designer Project with eight independent jewelers

CBG brought its Curated Designer Project back to Las Vegas with more firepower: eight independent fine jewelry artists at Caesars Palace, twice the number shown at the project’s Miami debut in January. The move sharpened the buying group’s pitch to retailers looking for inventory that feels authored rather than interchangeable, with handcrafted work meant to stand out on a crowded sales floor.

The Curated Designer Project was created to fold independent fine jewelry into the CBG ecosystem, and the company said the collection is designed to give retail members pieces that are distinctive, handcrafted and difficult to find elsewhere. Joe Murphy, CBG’s CEO, said the response in Miami exceeded expectations and energized retailers, while giving designers an audience that appreciated their work. Matt Tratner, CBG president, framed the assortment as a differentiation tool for independents, saying the designers are not brands found in every store and that their original points of view help shops stand apart in their markets.

The project was shown in the Augustus Showroom at Caesars Palace on May 26 and 27 as part of CBG Las Vegas 2026, which brought together about 95 retail firms from across North America along with designers, manufacturers and service providers. Setup and early registration took place May 25, turning the show into a three-day business gathering built around buying, education and discovery.

The designer roster mixed returning names with new ones. Chris Ploof Designs of Leominster, Massachusetts, and Folium of Oakland, California, returned to the project. New participants included GemologyGeek of New York, New York; Joyla Jewelry of Ocean City, Maryland; Rahul’s Jewels of New York, New York; Melinda Lawton Jewelry of Hendersonville, North Carolina; Jason McLeod Jewelry of Charlottesville, Virginia; and ANTY of Washington, D.C. The lineup leaned into makers known for distinctive materials and silhouettes, a useful lane for independents that want pieces customers are less likely to find at chain competitors.

CBG also used the Las Vegas show to broaden its commercial draw with a new Rising Stars Pavilion aimed at high-fashion and silver-price-point manufacturers. The group positioned that area as a quick-turn, margin-friendly discovery zone for retailers, while signaling that the broader event was about more than product display. Education sessions from Elizabeth West of De Beers on natural diamonds, Jennifer Shaheen of Technology Therapy Group on AI in jewelry retail, and representatives from Synchrony Financial and Zillion added another layer: not just what to buy, but how to merchandise, finance and position it.