JBT Names Richard Katz Board Chairman
Katz has volunteered on the nonprofit’s board since 2008.

Richard Katz, senior vice president of Richline Group, Inc., was named chairman of the board at JBT’s annual meeting on Feb. 9 and at its board meeting on March 9.
Katz has volunteered on JBT’s board since 2008, most recently serving as its vice chairman.
He succeeds Ann Arnold, chief strategic officer at Buyers International Group.
“I am honored to serve at the helm of this board working together with some of the brightest and dedicated individuals in the industry,” said Katz.
“JBT is uniquely positioned to help companies in this industry better know their customers and suppliers.”
JBT President Erich Jacobs said, “Richard brings great perspective to JBT’s strategies and operations. His industry background and prior service on the JBT board will help us meet the growing demand for industry transparency.”
The company’s board also elected the following officers and directors to serve a one-year term.
Brian D. Fleming of Carla Corporation will serve as first vice-chairman while Jeffery Corey of H.E. Murdock Company Inc. will be second vice-chairman.
Erich Jacobs will continue to serve as president as well as treasurer, while Brenda M. Pimetal will serve as secretary.
Nilesh Sheth of Forever Collections Inc. was appointed to the JBT Executive Committee.
Roger Gesswein III of Paul H. Gesswein & Company. Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of tools and equipment for the jewelry industry, was newly elected to the board for a two-year term.
Gesswein is a current board member of the 24 Karat Club of the City of New York and serves as market development manager at the Gesswein Company.
The following were re-elected to the board for a two-year period:
• Ann S. Arnold, Buyers International Group
• Ira Bergman, The Gordon Company, Inc.
• Edward N. DeCristofaro, LDC, Inc.
• Teresa Frye, Techform Advanced Casting Tech., L.L.C.
• Keven Peck, Color Merchants, Inc.
• Andrew Rickard, Rochester Diamonds and Gold, Inc.
Michael Kaplan of Rocket Jewelry Box Inc. was elected to a two-year period on the advisory board while Richard Weisenfeld was re-elected for a two-year period.
The following board members will continue to serve their existing terms:
• Matthijs Braakman, Retail Management Publishing, Inc.
• Tim Coggins, Bank Rhode Island
• Jeffery Corey, H. E. Murdock Company Inc.
• Brian D. Fleming, Carla Corporation
• Bryon Nelson, Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company
• Pinny Rubin, Quality Gold Inc.
The Jewelers Board of Trade is a not-for-profit organization that provides credit reporting and collections services.
The Latest

JSA and Jewelers Mutual shared advice on spotting suspicious behavior, combatting cell phone jammers, and staying safe at home.

The fancy light blue diamond is estimated to fetch up to $2.6 million at Elmwood’s next week.

Experience gemstones with greater precision and comfort than ever before.

“Secret Language of Victorian Jewelry” unveils the meaning behind the symbols, motifs, and gemstones used in Victorian-era jewelry.


KIRAJewels.one gives retailers access to more than 500 SKUs of lab-grown diamond rings, earrings, necklaces, and bracelets.

This holiday season, look to pieces that will help to fill out customers’ everyday diamond jewelry wardrobe, experts say.

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

The Natural Diamond Council is now The Diamond Collective and has announced a new strategy under CEO Amber Pepper.

Paul’s Jewelers sells coffee, chocolate, and cookies from a custom gold-wrapped trailer parked outside the store starting at 7 a.m.

The curation, opening soon at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, honors the jeweler’s heritage through a distinctly American lens.

The jewelry giant has partnered with the famed makeup artist to create a colorful new collection of charms and rings.

The association will mark the milestone at its convention next month.

The jeweler donated school supplies to Memphis, Tennessee, students during the event combining basketball and mentorship.

People aren’t thinking rationally when they are buying luxury products, and we shouldn’t be selling them that way, Peter Smith writes.

The Baltimore Business Journal recognized the entrepreneur for her leadership in business and the jewelry industry.

The facility is located within SEEPZ and is GCAL by Sarine’s second location in India, joining its existing grading lab in Surat.

The four-day show is slated for Nov. 19-22 at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood.

Offered at Sotheby’s Hong Kong, the one-of-a-kind white gold watch now holds the title of most valuable Cartier wristwatch sold at auction.

Bernstein-Gulla has been working in the jewelry industry for 40 years, most recently as chief engagement officer for Hill & Co.

The relocated Glendale store, now at The Americana at Brand, was designed to be a contemporary “timepiece haven” inspired by luxury resorts.

The top lot of the auction house’s Hong Kong jewelry sale was an Art Deco Mauboussin necklace with ruby beads, which sold for $2 million.

Retailers and manufacturers headed to the Capitol this week to discuss tariff exemptions for diamonds and gemstones, among other issues.

Our Piece of the Week is a pair of drop earrings from the “Sway” collection featuring Nanis’ first use of mirror-polished gold.

SynthDetect 2 can scan a full tray in less than five minutes, De Beers said, making it six times faster than its predecessors.

Two metal detectorists discovered the ring, which may have belonged to English noblewoman Matilda of Lancaster, in Suffolk.

The bill has a provision that allows the president to raise tariffs on countries that import Russian oil and gas to as much as 100 percent.
























