A Century of Assurance

By Michelle Graff
michelle.graff@nationaljeweler.com

The Wisconsin Insurance Department granted the charter for what then was called the Jewelers Mutual Limited Fire Insurance Company of Wisconsin in 1913. In 1918, the company changed its name to the National Jewelers Mutual Fire Insurance Company to reflect its growth.

August 19, 2013

Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company got its start when a group of retailers bonded over a common problem: no companies wanted to insure their businesses.

One hundred years later, the company has expanded to provide coverage for thousands of jewelers and individuals across the United States and Canada.

Click through this slideshow to see 100 years of history in photos, beginning with the very meeting around which the organization formed in 1913.

The Wisconsin Insurance Department granted the charter for what then was called the Jewelers Mutual Limited Fire Insurance Company of Wisconsin in 1913. In 1918, the company changed its name to the National Jewelers Mutual Fire Insurance Company to reflect its growth.
century2
Jewelers attend the 8th annual Wisconsin Retail Jewelers Association Convention in Milwaukee in 1913. It was around this time the retailers hatched the idea of starting their own mutual insurance company.
century3 rdax 536x410
Jewelers Mutual first operated out of the back of the Nelson-Anderson Jewelry Store.
Anderson was the secretary of both the Wisconsin Retail Jewelers Association and the American National Retail Jewelers Association (ANRJA.) The ANRJA eventually merged with National Credit Jewelers of America to form Retail Jewelers of America, which changed its name to Jewelers of America in 1980.
century4 rdax 559x410
After surviving the stock market crash of Oct. 29, 1929, Jewelers Mutual experienced two firsts in 1934, amid the Great Depression. The company hired its first agent and purchased its first office, which was in the historic downtown section of Neenah. Today, Jewelers Mutual has more than 200 independent agents and brokers in the U.S. and Canada.
century5 rdax 423x410
Now a staple at industry tradeshows nationwide, Jewelers Mutual employees attended their first trade show in 1945. This photo was taken during the company’s early years of trade show attendance.
century6 rdax 521x410
This photo from the 1950s shows the Jewelers Mutual staff at work.
century7 rdax 559x410
The company adopted its current name, Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company, in 1952, the same year this photo was taken.
century8 rdax 586x410
The following year, the company introduced personal jewelry insurance for customers. Today, it is called Perfect Circle Jewelry Insurance.
century9 rdax 559x410
Jewelers Mutual moved into its current office space, located at 24 Jewelers Park Drive in Neenah, in 1980, later expanding the facility by 18,900 square feet.
century10
This photo provides a glimpse into the offices, and at the technology, of Jewelers Mutual in the 1980s.
century11 rdax 576x410
This 1980s-era advertisement for loss prevention materials from Jewelers Mutual shows the industry’s concerns haven’t changed that much over the years. The ad lists some familiar names as contributing to the film’s production: the now-defunct Diamond Promotion Services, which once functioned as the advertising arm of De Beers in the U.S., and the Jewelers’ Security Alliance.
century12 rdax 559x410
Former President and CEO Ron Harder, who helmed the company for 25 years, credits consistent attendance at trade shows with helping to turn the tide when it came to jewelers’ attitudes about insurance.
century13
Harder retired in 2007, 34 years after first joined Jewelers Mutual. The company’s public gallery, located at its Neenah headquarters, is named the R. Harder Gallery of Gems and Minerals in his honor.
century14 rdax 559x410
This aquamarine is one of the many gems and minerals on display in the Harder gallery. Retailer and Jewelers Mutual board member Cathy Calhoun likens visiting the gallery to being in the Smithsonian.“I am not kidding,” she says. “All the employees work around these gems so they are constantly reminded they are in the jewelry industry.”
century15 rdax 559x410
Jewelers Mutual hired its current CEO Copeman in 2009. At this year’s Women Jewelry Association Awards for Excellence gala, Copeman received the Ben Kaiser Award, which goes to a male member of the jewelry industry who shows extraordinary support for women.
century16 rdax 559x410

Jewelers attend the 8th annual Wisconsin Retail Jewelers Association Convention in Milwaukee in 1913. It was around this time the retailers hatched the idea of starting their own mutual insurance company.

Jewelers Mutual first operated out of the back of the Nelson-Anderson Jewelry Store.

Anderson was the secretary of both the Wisconsin Retail Jewelers Association and the American National Retail Jewelers Association (ANRJA.) The ANRJA eventually merged with National Credit Jewelers of America to form Retail Jewelers of America, which changed its name to Jewelers of America in 1980.

After surviving the stock market crash of Oct. 29, 1929, Jewelers Mutual experienced two firsts in 1934, amid the Great Depression. The company hired its first agent and purchased its first office, which was in the historic downtown section of Neenah. Today, Jewelers Mutual has more than 200 independent agents and brokers in the U.S. and Canada.

Now a staple at industry tradeshows nationwide, Jewelers Mutual employees attended their first trade show in 1945. This photo was taken during the company’s early years of trade show attendance.

This photo from the 1950s shows the Jewelers Mutual staff at work.

The company adopted its current name, Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company, in 1952, the same year this photo was taken.

The following year, the company introduced personal jewelry insurance for customers. Today, it is called Perfect Circle Jewelry Insurance.

Jewelers Mutual moved into its current office space, located at 24 Jewelers Park Drive in Neenah, in 1980, later expanding the facility by 18,900 square feet.

This photo provides a glimpse into the offices, and at the technology, of Jewelers Mutual in the 1980s.

This 1980s-era advertisement for loss prevention materials from Jewelers Mutual shows the industry’s concerns haven’t changed that much over the years. The ad lists some familiar names as contributing to the film’s production: the now-defunct Diamond Promotion Services, which once functioned as the advertising arm of De Beers in the U.S., and the Jewelers’ Security Alliance.

Former President and CEO Ron Harder, who helmed the company for 25 years, credits consistent attendance at trade shows with helping to turn the tide when it came to jewelers’ attitudes about insurance.

Harder retired in 2007, 34 years after first joined Jewelers Mutual. The company’s public gallery, located at its Neenah headquarters, is named the R. Harder Gallery of Gems and Minerals in his honor.

This aquamarine is one of the many gems and minerals on display in the Harder gallery. Retailer and Jewelers Mutual board member Cathy Calhoun likens visiting the gallery to being in the Smithsonian.“I am not kidding,” she says. “All the employees work around these gems so they are constantly reminded they are in the jewelry industry.”

Jewelers Mutual hired its current CEO Copeman in 2009. At this year’s Women Jewelry Association Awards for Excellence gala, Copeman received the Ben Kaiser Award, which goes to a male member of the jewelry industry who shows extraordinary support for women.