The industry veterans join the podcast to discuss diamond marketing, the FTC Jewelry Guides, and lobbying for lower tariffs.
Thank You, Mom
In honor of Mother’s Day, Editor-in-Chief Michelle Graff shares two Mother’s Day commercials she thinks are really cute.

Mother’s Day is coming up on Sunday and, for once, I am on top of it. My card was in the mail on Tuesday and I’ve already worked out what my mother wants: a book, not flowers, and given to her in person the next time I see her, not mailed.
Got it.
While a book is always my mother’s No. 1 choice for presents, it seems like many moms across the country will be receiving jewelry this year. According to the National Retail Federation, 35 percent of U.S. shoppers plan to pick up a piece of jewelry for mom this year, spending an average of $96 a pop.
So, what type of jewelry appeals to moms? It is, and has been for quite some time, personalized pieces, charms that can be stamped with the names of their children or rings set with their birthstones.
It follows course, then, that the brands that are going to advertise most heavily, and most effectively, around Mother’s Day are those that specialize in personalized pieces.
Two such commercials that caught my eye this year were from Pandora and Alex and Ani.
While I know Pandora has engendered much anger and bitterness among independent jewelers in the United States--and rightfully so--I would be lying if I said I wasn’t touched by the brand’s Mother’s Day commercial.
{youtube} fnXK_hbnpEo {/youtube}
For the commercial, Pandora said it got eight daughters to write a single sentence thanking their mother. Their moms then came into a room with all eight sentences framed on the wall and tried to pick out which one came from their daughter.
Called “Unique Thank You,” it is the second phase of Pandora’s current, female self-purchaser-focused advertising campaign “Unique As We Are.”
As for Alex and Ani, I think the brand in general does a really good job with their commercials, and this Mother’s Day ad is no exception.
{youtube} apsMHF3xeBY {/youtube}
Alex and Ani has another Mother’s Day spot as well, this one featuring a grown daughter and her mother but I did not identify with it at all. The storyline of this commercial is that they love doing everything together, which is nice, but I think my mother and I pre-date the days of mother-daughter bonding on this level.
My mother never tried to be my friend; she was always my mother. For that, I will always be grateful.
So, thanks
The Latest

Murphy will retire at the end of the year and Alexander, currently the company’s president, will take over at the start of 2027.

The jeweler is encouraging customers who own lookalike rings to come into the store and trade them for credit towards an authentic piece.

Submit your pieces for a chance to win in this year's competition.

The new campaign, “You Are The Occasion,” discourages shoppers from saving their fine jewelry for special occasions only.


Mehta led India’s GJEPC through the 2008 financial crisis and was respected worldwide for his wisdom, integrity, and knowledge.

One is the driver who allegedly crashed a car into a Sacramento jewelry store in April, striking a 71-year-old employee who later died.

Retailers are seeking new ways to attract customers, increase traffic, and create revenue – Estate buying events are a popular solution.

In a new column, Peter Smith posits that people actually enjoy putting together IKEA furniture, and the same is true for engagement rings.

9lakha Jewelers in Iselin, New Jersey, was the target of a smash-and-grab robbery on Aug. 8.

The jeweler has partnered with 818 Tequila to gift lab-grown diamond studs to a bride-to-be and their bridal party.

The exhibition will feature more than 100 drawings of stained-glass lampshades, windows, and more, many created by women and émigrés.

Marquise-cut diamonds in drop charms are the center of the new collection, reflecting the movement of a dancer in modular styles.

The inaugural Fort Lauderdale Jewelry, Antique, & Object Show will be held from Jan. 28 through Feb. 1, 2027.

The family-owned jeweler will open a new showroom in Bel Air, Maryland, this fall.

Amanda Ileana Hernandez is married to Carlos Hernandez, one of two men in prison for the 2024 murder of Michigan jeweler Hussein Murray.

The reimagined jewel, our Piece of the Week, trades the diamonds in the original 1998 design for blue, pink, yellow, and green sapphires.

Sponsored by American Gem Trade Association

In the United States, second-quarter sales were flat amid soft consumer sentiment and lower in-store traffic.

The 22-karat gold egg, sold at Batemans Auctioneers in the U.K., was part of a 1980s treasure hunt ad campaign for Cadbury Creme Eggs.

Lucara Diamond Corp., which recovered the “Motswedi” diamond from the Karowe mine, sold the stone for an undisclosed amount.

The expanded collections now feature hand-cut gemstones like topaz, tanzanite, chrysoprase, chalcedony, smoky quartz, and fire opal.

The lab-grown diamond jewelry brand’s newest boutique is in Westfield Valley Fair in Santa Clara, California.

The gemstone supplier and manufacturer acquired the remarkable 104-gram Zambian emerald at Gemfields’ auction in May.

Two suspects offered to trade the woman a “winning” lottery ticket for her jewelry.

Finsch has been in business rescue since May, and owner Petra Diamonds said it sees no viable path forward for the mine.

Michel Patrick DeSalles was sentenced after pleading guilty to the 2017 murder of Omid Gholian, who owned a jewelry store in Manhattan.























