CollectionsApr 03, 2026
Taylor Swift’s ‘Elizabeth Taylor’ Video Puts Jewelry Front and CenterIconic pieces, like the Mike Todd Diamond Tiara, appear in the superstar’s new music video for her song inspired by the actress.
IndependentsJun 30, 2015
About Retail: ‘Extreme’ exposure
The owners of Colorado independent Thollot Jewelers reached an audience of millions by agreeing to take part in a reality TV show. Here’s what they learned along the way.
Thornton, Colo.--Return phone calls promptly, take chances when they are offered and look for partners.
Those are three of the lessons Troy and Joy Thollot, owners of Thornton, Colo. independent Thollot Jewelers, learned after being featured on a recent episode of ABC’s Extreme Weight Loss.
Extreme Weight Loss is a reality TV show where trainer Chris Powell and his wife Heidi help people shed pounds and change their lifestyles, documenting their year-long transformation in an hour-long episode.
This season the show has three special episodes, all dubbed “Love Can’t Weight” and dedicated to couples who are trying to get into shape for their weddings.
That is where Thollot Jewelers comes into the picture.
Prior to the jeweler’s Extreme premiere, Troy Thollot, a graduate gemologist with 25 years of experience in the industry, said he had actually contacted a number of large TV networks to offer his services as a diamond expert for any segments involving jewelry.
He was out for any kind of free airtime he could get to market his store but, little did he know, it already was on its way to him.
Unaware that he had reached out to the network, a producer from Extreme Weight Loss called Thollot and left him a message. He returned the call immediately--something small business owners tend not to do because they get too busy--and was told that show, which is filmed in Denver, was looking for a jeweler to supply a ring for an upcoming episode.
The episode, which aired June 23, featured a couple from New Orleans named Cain Myers and Tiffany Kasunich. They wanted to walk down the aisle together but were held back by their shared weight problem and his gambling addiction.
Upon getting the request, Thollot didn’t have to think twice, and exercised one of the advantages of being a small, independent jeweler: he didn’t have to run any big decisions up the chain of command and was able to say “yes” very quickly.
“I’m a small store in a very large market. If there’s a chance to get any kind of free airtime, I’m all in,” he said.
Soon after he signed the contact and started negotiations, Thollot got his first lesson in reality TV love: It doesn’t come cheap to the jeweler.
He was expected to supply an impressive ring to the couple being featured on the show for free.
So, Thollot began searching for a partner to shoulder some of the costs.
One company that came to mind one Sunday afternoon as he and his wife were chatting about the show on their deck was Hasenfeld-Stein.
The New York-based diamond company makes the FireCushion, an excellent/excellent (Ex Ex) cushion brilliant-cut diamond. The whole idea behind the cut is that there is no excess weight, allowing the diamond to have better light return (brilliance.)
Hasenfeld-Stein cuts away the “big belly” typically found on modified cushion cuts, meaning they remove weight from the diamond in the area between the girdle and culet. This results in the FireCushion having an average light return of 95 percent, whereas light return on a typical cushion-cut diamond is between 85 and 90 percent.
Thollot said he and his wife thought the FireCushion would be a perfect fit for the show because of its story of weight loss, so they contact Hasenfeld-Stein. Sales and marketing director Steve Feldman emailed them back right away, and the partnership was sealed.
Thollot crafted a custom 14-karat white gold setting with 0.62 carats of diamonds, put a 1.52-carat Forevermark FireCushion in the middle--total appraisal value, $24,500--and then watched as his store’s name, and that of Hasenfeld-Stein and the FireCushion, aired to an audience of 4.75 million viewers.
A clip from the show--the part where Cain visits the store to pick out the ring, naturally--is up on Thollot’s Facebook page, and the entire episode can be viewed on ABC’s website.
Since the show has aired, Thollot said he has received 50 to 100 congratulatory emails from people in his area, and has been contacted by a number of jewelry industry vendors, both new and existing, who also saw the show.
Both ultimately will help him achieve his goal of growing the business he and his wife opened in 2000 after years of owning a trade shop that repaired jewelry for other retailers.
“That helps with the brand I’m attempting to build, as the local, independent diamond dealer with integrity,” he said.
More on Independents
The Latest
MajorsApr 03, 2026
Saks Global Says It Will Emerge From Bankruptcy This SummerThe luxury retailer, which went Chapter 11 in January, announced Thursday that it has secured $500 million in exit financing.
Events & AwardsApr 03, 2026
JCK Luxury, NouvelleBox Partner on New Designer BallroomThe NouvelleBox ballroom will feature independent jewelry designers, including Lene Vibe, Wyld Box Jewelry, and Kiaia Limited.
Brought to you by
Protect Your Customers and Your BusinessYou deserve to know what you are selling–to protect your customers as well as your business and your reputation.
CollectionsApr 03, 2026
Buddha Mama Brings Its ‘Moon’ Locket To DallasThe one-of-a-kind locket, our Piece of the Week, opens to reveal three hidden images to keep close to your heart.
Weekly QuizApr 02, 2026
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
MajorsApr 02, 2026
Pandora Opens New Canadian Distribution Center Amid Tariff ConcernsThe new facility was also designed to better serve its growing customer base in Canada.
TrendsApr 02, 2026
Michelle Yeoh Fronts New Mikimoto Campaign The campaign is a tribute to the year 1893, when Kokichi Mikimoto created the world’s first cultured pearl.
Brought to you by
Is This You? Every Jeweler Has This Problem; We Have the Solution.Every jeweler faces the same challenge: helping customers protect what they love. Here’s the solution designed for today’s jewelry business.
GradingApr 02, 2026
GIA Debuts New Campus in TaiwanIt is the only GIA school to offer the GIA Graduate Gemologist program in Chinese.
MajorsApr 02, 2026
DCA Launches ‘Second Spark’ Workforce InitiativeThe initiative connects veterans and parents returning to the workforce with careers in jewelry retail.
MajorsApr 02, 2026
Hoover & Strong Names New National Sales RepresentativeThe wholesale manufacturer and precious metals refiner has appointed Michael Angelo as its new national sales representative.
MajorsApr 01, 2026
Foundrae Sues Pandora for Allegedly Copying Its Medallion DesignsFoundrae also accused the jewelry giant of copying its mood board style of marketing.
AuctionsApr 01, 2026
John Jacob Astor IV’s Titanic Pocket Watch Heads to AuctionA Patek Philippe for Tiffany & Co. timepiece owned by the American businessman who died on the Titanic will be offered at Freeman's Chicago.
SurveysApr 01, 2026
Consumers’ Outlook Improves Again in MarchThe Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index edged up, with optimism about the present outweighing worries about the future.
Events & AwardsApr 01, 2026
AGA Opens 2026 Gemological Scholarship, Research Grant ApplicationsApplications are open for the AGA Gemological Scholarship Program through May 15, and until June 2027 for the Gemological Research Grant.
ColumnistsMar 31, 2026
Q1 Clues That Reveal Where Your Jewelry Store’s Sales Are Heading These customer behavior patterns say a lot about how successful your jewelry store is going to be this year, Emmanuel Raheb writes.
CollectionsMar 31, 2026
Mejuri Adds Silver to ‘Puzzle’ CollectionMejuri’s popular collection of 18-karat yellow gold vermeil rings debuted in sterling silver alongside new “Puzzle” slider charms.
CollectionsMar 31, 2026
Buddha Mama, Ashley Longshore to Host Pop-Up in DallasThe Miami-based jewelry brand and the NYC-based artist will be in Dallas from April 9-11.
SourcingMar 31, 2026
NDC Designates April 8 as 'World Diamond Day'The initiative invites those in the industry to share stories on social media highlighting the meaning and impact of natural diamonds.
SourcingMar 31, 2026
GIA VP Jillian Wolk to Take Over at Tracr Wolk’s first day on the job as CEO of Tracr, De Beers Group’s blockchain platform, will be May 1.
EditorsMar 30, 2026
Tom Moses Looks Back on His Decades at GIA Moses, who will leave the lab in May after nearly 50 years, discusses his start in the business, gemstones that stand out, and what’s next.
TrendsMar 30, 2026
Oscar Heyman Debuts First Spring CatalogThe new catalog, which showcases 35 one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry, is a compliment to the company’s popular holiday catalog.
SourcingMar 30, 2026
Rio Tinto Hauls Last Load from DiavikProduction has ceased at the Canadian diamond mine, which has yielded more than 150 million carats of rough diamonds in its 23-year run.
MajorsMar 30, 2026
Tanishq Opens First New England LocationThe store opening marks the 10th United States location for the India-based jewelry retailer.
MajorsMar 27, 2026
Saks Global Has Changed Its Mind About Closing These 3 StoresTwo Saks Fifth Avenue locations, one in Florida and one in California, and one Neiman Marcus store are off the chopping block.
CollectionsMar 27, 2026
Itä’s ‘Yarí Whirl’ Ring Tells Every Side of the StoryIn the “Tesoro” version of the ring, our Piece of the Week, each side of the gold hexagonal nugget has a unique colored gemstone design.
WatchesMar 26, 2026
Q&A: Citizen Watch America President Jeffrey Cohen on Eco-Drive’s 50th AnniversaryCohen discusses the evolution of Citizen’s light-powered technology, the brand’s cross-generational appeal, and tariffs.
