The new facility was also designed to better serve its growing customer base in Canada.
DEF Names New Officers, Board
JCK’s Yancy Weinrich and Signet Jewelers’ Ed Hrabak are the Diamond Empowerment Fund’s new secretary and vice president, respectively.

New York--Signet Jewelers’ Ed Hrabak and JCK’s Yancy Weinrich have joined the Diamond Empowerment Fund’s leadership team.
Hrabak, chief operating officer at Signet, has been elected vice president of DEF, while Weinrich, group vice president at JCK, has been elected secretary.
Mercury Ring CEO Phyllis Bergman will continue as DEF president, while Rich Slomovitz, chief financial officer at Rush Communications, will remain treasurer.
New to the DEF board for 2016 are Kathy Corey of Day’s Jewelers, Beth Gerstein of Brilliant Earth, Eddie Le Vian of Le Vian Corp., Russell Mehta of Rosy Blue, Michael Pollak of Hyde Park Jewelers, and Susan Wicht of The Global Language Project.
Remaining on the board are Lita Asscher of Royal Asscher of America Inc., actress and philanthropist Nicola Breytenbach-Steiner, Peter Engel of Fred Meyer Jewelers, Rebecca Foerster of Leo Schachter Diamonds, Mike Kaplan of Rocket Redbox, Anna Martin of the GIA, Sally Morrison of the Diamond Producers Association, David Prager of the De Beers Group of Companies, Scott Rauch of SHR Jewelry, Bruno Sané of Rio Tinto Diamonds, Hedda Schupak of Centurion, Varda Shine, Elliot Tannenbaum of Leo Schachter Diamonds and Kent Wong Siu-Kee of Chow Tai Fook Jewellery.
The outgoing DEF board members are Cathy Calhoun, Meir Dalumi, Dylan Dix, DEF founding Executive Director Ellen Haddigan, Jean-Paul Tolkowsky and Jaci Wilson-Reid. They become members of the DEF advisory board.
“Maintaining a global, diverse and high-level board membership will help the Diamond Empowerment Fund continue to grow its mission of supporting initiatives that empower people in diamond communities and shining a light on the good that is done with diamonds,” said DEF co-founder Benjamin Chavis.
In additional news from DEF, its offices have been relocated to 85 Broad St., 16th Floor, New York, NY 10004.
The Latest

The campaign is a tribute to the year 1893, when Kokichi Mikimoto created the world’s first cultured pearl.

It is the only GIA school to offer the GIA Graduate Gemologist program in Chinese.

You deserve to know what you are selling–to protect your customers as well as your business and your reputation.

The initiative connects veterans and parents returning to the workforce with careers in jewelry retail.


The wholesale manufacturer and precious metals refiner has appointed Michael Angelo as its new national sales representative.

Foundrae also accused the jewelry giant of copying its mood board style of marketing.

Every jeweler faces the same challenge: helping customers protect what they love. Here’s the solution designed for today’s jewelry business.

A Patek Philippe for Tiffany & Co. timepiece owned by the American businessman who died on the Titanic will be offered at Freeman's Chicago.

The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index edged up, with optimism about the present outweighing worries about the future.

The retailer’s Zach Bear gift comes to life in “Zach Bear and the Window Necklace,” which centers on curiosity, bravery, and helping.

Applications are open for the AGA Gemological Scholarship Program through May 15, and until June 2027 for the Gemological Research Grant.

These customer behavior patterns say a lot about how successful your jewelry store is going to be this year, Emmanuel Raheb writes.

Mejuri’s popular collection of 18-karat yellow gold vermeil rings debuted in sterling silver alongside new “Puzzle” slider charms.

The Miami-based jewelry brand and the NYC-based artist will be in Dallas from April 9-11.

Moses, who will leave the lab in May after nearly 50 years, discusses his start in the business, gemstones that stand out, and what’s next.

The new catalog, which showcases 35 one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry, is a compliment to the company’s popular holiday catalog.

Production has ceased at the Canadian diamond mine, which has yielded more than 150 million carats of rough diamonds in its 23-year run.

The store opening marks the 10th United States location for the India-based jewelry retailer.

Two Saks Fifth Avenue locations, one in Florida and one in California, and one Neiman Marcus store are off the chopping block.

West, who started in the art department at the Leading Jewelers Guild in 1979, is remembered for his patience, kindness, and dedication.

In the “Tesoro” version of the ring, our Piece of the Week, each side of the gold hexagonal nugget has a unique colored gemstone design.

Cohen discusses the evolution of Citizen’s light-powered technology, the brand’s cross-generational appeal, and tariffs.

“Essentially Human: On Sales and Salespeople" reveals the underlying human traits and behaviors of the most successful sales professionals.

The collection features symbols of love, luck, and light, based on the story of Queen Cassandane and Cyrus the Great of Persia.

It’s the third scholarship to be launched as part of the partnership to help appraisers advance their professional credentials.

The deadline for entries in the jewelry design competition has been extended to April 3.






















