MajorsOct 13, 2026
David Webb Owner Purchases Lugano JewelryThe high-end jewelry retailer was sold to private investment firm Middle West Partners and a group of longtime clients.
Policies & IssuesJun 30, 2021
How One Jewelry Designer Is Helping NICU Infants and Their Families
EF Collection’s Emily Strauss is navigating her grief over the loss of her infant son through philanthropy.
EF Collection designer Emily Strauss recently launched an initiative called “Angels 4 Austin x Angel Dear,” which donates “Lovie” blankets to families with sick or premature infants in neonatal intensive care units. Here, Strauss is pictured holding the Lovies alongside her dog, Levi.
Los Angeles—Through Instagram, EF Collection followers have gotten to know the face behind the brand’s sparkling diamond huggies and dainty, stackable pendants: designer Emily Faith Strauss.
Strauss shares the “lifestyle behind the jewelry,” as she puts it.
“You can buy a little diamond necklace [many places] but what keeps people coming back to EF is they’ve connected with me in some way.”
That means sharing her style, vacations, food, and her dog Levi, donning her EF Collection jewels as her uniform throughout, better helping clients imagine integrating pieces into their own lives.
Strauss also shares an occasional life milestone that many of her customers are likely experiencing with her, such as her elegant Beverly Hills wedding or becoming pregnant with her first child.
This spring, that left Strauss in the position of having to share some devastating news.
Entering her third trimester, she began experiencing complications in her pregnancy. Doctors diagnosed Strauss’ unborn son with polycystic kidney disease, which “compromised his entire body,” Strauss explained.
After seven weeks of bedrest, at 35 weeks, she delivered Austin Davis Strauss.
Austin died on April 18. He lived for 39 days.
“By the end, he was breathing pretty much on his own and was taking a bottle. The [neonatal intensive care unit nurses] called him ‘Piglet’ because he loved my milk,” Strauss recalled.
“It would have been an extraordinarily difficult life for him so there is some comfort in knowing he isn’t suffering.”
Strauss was left with the unenviable task of explaining to her over 150,000 followers why they wouldn’t be seeing Austin on her feed.
“There was pressure to share because of the overwhelming emails asking when I was due and about the baby,” she said.
“My personality isn’t one that’s very open about things like this and in a strange way, it’s forced me to share but it’s [also] opened up this dialogue with followers and people I don’t even know, which has brought me so much comfort.”
Strauss received an outpouring of support, including from other women who had experienced similar losses.
“What I’ve learned is that a lot of women silently suffer from situations like this. The number of messages I’ve received just thanking me profusely for sharing and making women not feel alone is powerful.”
“People deal with grief differently. Whenever I go through something I dive into work. There was no better work than to help others in this horrible situation.”— Emily Strauss, EF Collection
While Austin was still in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), with Strauss and her husband at times unable to hold him, an EF Collection follower and fellow mom in Tennessee who had also experienced having an infant in the NICU, Laura Grimes, sent Emily a “Lovie,” a hybrid baby blanket/stuffed animal for the parents to cuddle and give to their child so he could be surrounded by their scent.
“What this little Lovie, this little stuffed animal, did for me was so profound. It really touched me. I knew I had to pay this forward,” Strauss said.
The Tennessee mom had started an organization called “Lovies for Bravehearts,” donating the Lovies to NICUs as a comfort to infants and their parents.
Strauss immediately got to work. She and her husband purchased 500 Lovies on behalf of EF Collection to donate to NICUs in the Los Angeles area. Lovie manufacturer Angel Dear matched the contribution.
Then, Strauss opened up the call to help to the online community that had rallied around her.
Her followers could purchase Lovies to be donated directly from the EF Collection website, with Angel Dear again matching the amount, as well as make donations to UCLA for pediatric polycystic kidney research, with one Lovie marking each donation.
Through the month of May, a portion of EFCollection.com sales also benefitted UCLA.
To focus these efforts, Strauss created a foundation called Angels 4 Austin.
“From the moment he was born I always called him ‘Angel.’ Now we’re the angels doing this work on behalf of Austin,” she said.
So far, Angels 4 Austin has raised thousands of dollars for research and donated about 4,000 Lovies to NICUs for sick and premature infants.
The organization will grow and evolve as Strauss and her husband continue to craft a legacy for their son that extends far beyond his brief life.
Ultimately, Strauss wants her story to be one of resilience and creating positive change out of tragedy.
“People deal with grief differently,” she said. “Whenever I go through something I dive into work. There was no better work than to help others in this horrible situation or anything close to it.
“When you’re in the NICU it’s a very vulnerable place to be. Any kind of comfort or love you can give is huge. The reason we started this foundation was to honor our son and do some good and help others.”
To make a donation to UCLA Children’s Discovery and Innovation Institute for pediatric polycystic kidney disease research, or to purchase a Lovie for a NICU infant and family, visit the Angels 4 Austin website.
Editors' Picks
Sponsored by
More on Policies & Issues
The Latest
Lab-GrownOct 13, 2026
Stephanie Gottlieb Takes Lab-Grown Diamond Collection WholesaleThe jewelry designer has partnered with Sofer Jewelry to distribute her 85-piece lab-grown diamond collection.
IndependentsOct 13, 2026
Retailer Hall of Fame 2026: Sean DunnDunn, this year’s Single-Store Independent inductee, is passionate about innovation and telling the story of natural diamonds.
Brought to you by
Meet Gemology’s Next Generation Microscope: GIA® Gemolite® NXT Professional EditionExperience gemstones with greater precision and comfort than ever before.
AuctionsOct 13, 2026
Christie's Geneva To Auction 'Bulgari Pink' DiamondThe 24-carat fancy intense pink diamond ring could fetch up to $18 million at the November sale.
Weekly QuizOct 08, 2026
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
IndependentsOct 13, 2026
Greenwich St. Jewelers’ New Candle Smells Like HomeThe “Island Jewel” candle honors New York City and Puerto Rico and raises money for the island’s water relief efforts.
TechnologyOct 13, 2026
GemFind Is a New JA Member Benefit Partner The partnership will give JA members access to preferred pricing, exclusive benefits, technology solutions, education, and resources.
Brought to you by
Your Piece Could Be the One Editors Talk AboutSubmit your pieces for a chance to win in this year's competition.
SurveysOct 09, 2026
These Will Be the 10 Busiest Days for In-Store Shopping This Holiday SeasonStores should expect to see the most customers on Nov. 27, and Christmas week is expected to be hectic too, as Dec. 25 falls on a Friday.
CollectionsOct 09, 2026
Elisa Solomon Collabs With Serendipity 3 on ‘Frozen Hot Chocolate’ CharmThe charm, our Piece of the Week, features brown diamond frozen hot chocolate topped with white diamond whipped cream and a ruby straw.
AuctionsOct 09, 2026
8-Carat Blue Diamond Goes Unsold at UK Jewelry Auction The top lot of Elmwood’s recent fine jewelry sale in London was a 1.84-carat, D color Tiffany & Co. solitaire diamond ring.
WatchesOct 09, 2026
Movado to Sell Majority Stake in Ebel for $66.5MThe watch company agreed to sell a 95 percent interest to a group comprised of F.P. Journe, Chanel, and Swiss watch exec Pierre Jacques.
CollectionsOct 08, 2026
Brent Neale’s New Collection Goes ‘Back to Basics’It revisits the brand’s most requested silhouettes, from "Pillow"-set necklaces and bracelets to "Signature"-set rings and earrings.
SourcingOct 08, 2026
Ethical Gem Fair Heads Back to BrooklynThe trade-only event includes buying opportunities as well as educational sessions on artisanal mining, the new Paraíba source, and more.
Events & AwardsOct 08, 2026
Pattons Fine Jewelry Sweeps Local Design ContestAra Chanakian, a jeweler at Pattons, took home top honors in every category at Jewelers of Louisiana’s annual jewelry design competition.
AuctionsOct 08, 2026
Reba McEntire’s Jewelry, Watches Head to Julien’s AuctionsThe live charity benefit sale in Nashville will also feature gowns, boots, and other memorabilia from the country music legend.
Supplier BulletinOct 08, 2026
Overnight Mountings’ Bridal Builder Helps Jewelers Turn Custom Design into a Hands-On Selling ExperienceSponsored by Overnight Mountings
CollectionsOct 07, 2026
Blue Nile, Royal Asscher Collection Highlights Natural Diamond BeautyBlue Nile, a Signet Jewelers-owned brand, is now Royal Asscher’s exclusive licensed retailer in North America.
CollectionsOct 07, 2026
4 Standout Pieces in Audemars Piguet’s First High Jewelry Collection “Royal Oak” pays homage to the brand’s most popular watch model using 18-karat gold as well as diamonds, emeralds, and sapphires.
MajorsOct 07, 2026
Empire Safe & Vault Promotes Juan Morales to CEOAs part of the transition, Joseph Nicosia has stepped into the role of COO.
SourcingOct 07, 2026
AGTA Extends Deadline for 2026 Spectrum Awards EntriesParticipants now have until Oct. 14 to complete their submissions.
CrimeOct 06, 2026
6 Charged in Connection to String of New Jersey Smash-and-GrabsThe alleged thieves used crow bars and sledgehammers to smash into jewelry stores across the state.
ColumnistsOct 06, 2026
Sherry Smith: Is the Consumer Really Trading Up?Ahead of the holidays, Smith urges jewelers to take a hard look at who’s buying jewelry, what they’re purchasing, and who’s stopped buying.
SourcingOct 06, 2026
DDG Taps Influencers for ‘My Diamond Does Good’ CampaignIn the new consumer-facing campaign, four fashion and lifestyle creators share the stories behind their natural diamond pieces.
MajorsOct 06, 2026
Frederick Goldman Names COO, CMOFGI President John Orrico is also leaving the company after more than 13 years.
Events & AwardsOct 06, 2026
JIS Fall Returns to MiamiThe 2026 edition will feature presentations on alternative materials and design trends, as well as pop-up activations on the show floor.
SourcingOct 05, 2026
De Beers to Take Full Ownership of Gahcho KuéIt is the last fully operational diamond mine in Canada following the recent closures of Ekati and Diavik.
