Drosos shared her top takeaways from a recent Botswana trip and her insights into the natural diamond market.
Feel-Good Friday: A Generous Donation, Sealed with a Cuff
Kate Lacroix wanted to donate one of her kidneys to a friend in need. She wasn’t a match, but that didn’t stop her from giving.
Boulder, Colo.--It started out as a very big favor to an old, and very dear, friend.
Boulder, Colorado resident Kate Lacroix, 43, recently was looking to reconnect with her college friend Masa Holle and went to the first place people generally do today when looking to track down old friends--Facebook.
The first thing she found there wasn’t a personal page but a support page called “A Kidney for Masa.”
Via the social media site, Lacroix found out that Holle, whom she hadn’t seen in seven years, was experiencing kidney failure and in need of a donor. So she stepped forward and offered to donate one of hers.
While that might seem like an outsized offer for a friend, Lacroix explained that Holle was more than just a friend--she was a licensed therapist who helped her cope after an attack in college left her traumatized. Because of this she “absolutely” did not hesitant to volunteer as a donor.
Lacroix quickly found out through a simple blood test that she was not a match for Holle, but that there is a program called the paired exchange that would allow her to donate a kidney to someone with whom she is a match.
And while this might seem like a really outsized offer for someone you don’t know at all, it wasn’t a difficult decision for Lacroix. She has a kind spirit, and giving comes naturally to her.
She saw getting involved in organ donation as, for lack of a better term, her “thing,” her way of contributing in a culture where everybody excels.
“Everybody in Boulder does something--they climb 14’ers (14,000-foot mountains) or they do Ironmans. But I’ve never really found, like, a ‘thing,’” Lacroix says. “I’m just a generalist. But, for some reason, organ donation seemed like the easiest thing in the world.”
Before they put her under for surgery to remove her kidney, Lacroix said a thought popped into her head: she would need a medic alert bracelet now.
By the time she woke up, she had determined that the piece needed to be fine jewelry, the most chic-looking medic alert bracelet she could get, and turned to the man who did her wedding ring to create it--Boulder-based jewelry designer Todd Reed.
She and Reed sat down at a coffee shop. She talked. He listened and sketched.
The result was signature Reed--a sterling silver with patina cuff with five pentagon-shaped raw emeralds (Lacroix is a May baby) in
Kintsukuroi is the method of repairing broken pottery using a lacquer mixed with powdered gold, silver or platinum.
Lacroix said she has always loved the idea behind this ancient art form--that things can become more valuable when they are broken, more beautiful when they are used--and thought it a fitting addition to her bracelet.
On the bottom of the cuff, there’s the medic alert symbol (pictured above). On the inside of the cuff, the words “kidney donor” will be engraved.
Lacroix said when she chose to donate a kidney, she made the choice not to get to know the person who received it, but has ended up finding out some information anyway. Her organ went to someone in Ohio who had been waiting eight years for a match.
Since then, she’s signed up to donate a piece of her liver to a child in need via a pioneering program underway at the Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora.
And her friend Holle ended up finding a match as well.
“It’s so beautiful to me,” she said, tearing up. “It warms my heart. I cannot express the existential process.
“It’s given me such confidence to say, ‘If (I never do) anything else in my life, I am good for life (because of this offering).”
The Latest
The retailer is expanding its footprint via retail partnerships, previously inking deals with Kohl’s and Macy’s.
Members will now have access to “eBay Concierge,” a white-glove dedicated customer service team.
Ho Brothers offers scalable solutions for the future of custom jewelry.
The deadline to apply is March 29.
CEO Beth Gerstein spoke about the growing appeal of its non-bridal fine jewelry and its expansion plans on its recent earnings call.
Ticketholders can dig for diamonds in the Arkansas park ahead of the eclipse viewing event on April 8.
Distinguishing natural diamonds from laboratory-grown stones – now more available than ever – has been difficult for jewelers. Until now.
The versatile jewel pairs ancient Egyptian inspiration with a modern design.
The company’s rough sales improved for the third sales cycle in a row.
The spring application window closes on March 31.
It’s estimated to sell for up to $1.3 million at the upcoming sale on March 28.
It aims to support aspiring journalists, media professionals, content creators, and communicators.
“Ice Cold: An Exhibition of Hip-Hop Jewelry” will open at the New York City museum on May 9.
He succeeds David Bouffard, who is leaving Signet and the RJC next month.
“Power of Couture” recalls Frédéric Boucheron’s love of fabric using diamonds and rock crystal.
A Harry Winston diamond necklace and other top lots failed to find buyers.
Lilian Raji offers advice to a business owner who is having trouble crossing the finish line with customers.
He brings 30 years of retail store management experience to the role.
At its annual gala, Diamonds Do Good will present awards to GIA, London Jewelers, and Lisa Bridge.
Vibrant gemstones, layered diamond pieces and brooches with a story stole the show.
The 2024 winners expressed gratitude to their teams, industry colleagues, and those who turn jewelry dreams into reality.
They are Marla Aaron, Marie Lichtenberg, and Jean Prounis.
The Jewelers’ Security Alliance will honor the industry veteran at its upcoming annual luncheon.
The annual video stars Pomellato CEO Sabina Belli alongside Jane Fonda and other celebrities and activists.
Sponsored by IGI
From three-stone rings to fancy shapes, experts weigh in on what consumers could be looking for this year.