PodcastsAug 19, 2026
Episode 8: Diamond Industry Update With David Bonaparte & Ronnie VanderLindenThe industry veterans join the podcast to discuss diamond marketing, the FTC Jewelry Guides, and lobbying for lower tariffs.
Brought to you by
6 Steps to Start a Dynamic Company Culture
Learn how to better serve your employees, customers and community by having a dynamic and supportive company culture.
Brought To You By JewelersHealthCare
A dynamic company culture is not about beer on draft, lounges, a snack bar or a game room; it is much deeper than those things. JewelersHealthCare have put together 6 steps to help you evaluate your company and your team and see how you can create a more dynamic company culture to better serve your employees, customers and community.
The Basics are Clear
Everyone starts somewhere this we know, so why not start with the simple things you may already have in place when working on your company culture? Look at your company’s values, mission statement, passion and vision. These items may be older and might need some tweaking to fit your current goals as a company. Change these as needed and ensure they are clear and simple. Then share your new vision, mission and values with your entire team!
Support Your Team
Speaking of teams, have you looked at yours lately? Are they getting everything they need? This is a great question to ask during the current job market. Compensation is at an all-time high and so are expenses, ensure your team is supported in as many ways as possible.
Support can be more than compensation; it can be paid time off, banking holidays, rolling paid time off to the next year, maternity/paternity/adoption leave, 401k, vesting interest. These are all ways to show your team you care about their well-being. Then there is the ability to help them better care for themselves, through health insurance.
A Jewelers of America member benefit JewelersHealthCare can assist you in finding the right health care coverage solution for your team. This is more than health insurance; it’s a daily benefit of keeping money in your team’s pocket. JewelersHealthCare has over 130+ carriers across the United States with full medical coverage, ancillary benefits and so much more for your team from 1-100+ employees. This member benefit is here to help you save year after year.
A Jewelers of America member benefit JewelersHealthCare can assist you in finding the right health care coverage solution for your team. This is more than health insurance; it’s a daily benefit of keeping money in your team’s pocket. JewelersHealthCare has over 130+ carriers across the United States with full medical coverage, ancillary benefits and so much more for your team from 1-100+ employees. This member benefit is here to help you save year after year.
Leaders Lead
This may sound a bit redundant, but look at your leadership team, are they putting forth the effort? Are they able to meet the standards of your new vision and mission statement? Your leaders are the lifeline of your company culture. They are the beginning of the culture in many aspects. Give your leadership the space to mentor the team, help them grow and feel appreciated in their role.
Culture is a Feeling
Culture is more than your values and mission. It isn’t your logo and slogan, it’s not how your team dresses or even how you greet the customer. It is so much more than these things- though these make up the outward view of your culture. It is about the ties that bind your team together. It is feeling appreciated, knowing you are supported, and you have space to grow in your field. Creating a dynamic company culture means friendship, understanding, humor, learning, problem-solving and decision-making, working towards a goal together.
Culture is how your team feels when they are at work, and how they view work when they are at home. To know where your company can grow it is good idea to talk to your team and ask them to be candid about their views on work. Many companies boast about their amazing culture when they have created unhappy and unfulfilled employees.
Risks are Encouraged
When was the last time your team stepped out of their box, came up with a new idea, and then you used it? Encourage your team to step up and bring ideas to the forefront, then put some of them into place. If after putting an idea to work it doesn’t seem to fit the need, make changes, or try something else. Failure is not trying and not succeeding, failure is never trying in the first place.
Recognition - Above and Beyond
Everyone likes to be needed and there is nothing better than hearing you did well at something. It can be as simple as a shout out meeting where everyone notes how someone else helped them this week, or a praise board with sticky notes. Thanking someone for doing somethings helpful takes seconds and means so much. Something so simple helps unify your team, helps leaders be better leaders, and changes a mindset.
These 6 steps could be a huge shift for your company, or a few small changes that make a world a difference for your team. Give them a try look at your goals, how you are supporting your employees, how your leaders lead, how your team feels about work, how you react to ideas, and how you praise others. Making these changes in your company, you will see it effects your team outside the workplace as well, creating happier, healthier, fulfilled employees.
Editors' Picks
Sponsored by
More on Independents
The Latest
MajorsAug 19, 2026
Mike Alexander To Succeed Scott Murphy as Jewelers Mutual CEO Murphy will retire at the end of the year and Alexander, currently the company’s president, will take over at the start of 2027.
Policies & IssuesAug 19, 2026
Spinelli Kilcollin Embraces Dupes With Trade-In ProgramThe jeweler is encouraging customers who own lookalike rings to come into the store and trade them for credit towards an authentic piece.
Brought to you by
Your Piece Could Be the One Editors Talk AboutSubmit your pieces for a chance to win in this year's competition.
MajorsAug 19, 2026
Zales Wants You to Wear Fine Jewelry Every DayThe new campaign, “You Are The Occasion,” discourages shoppers from saving their fine jewelry for special occasions only.
Weekly QuizAug 13, 2026
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
SourcingAug 19, 2026
Vasant Mehta, a Dedicated Diamond Industry Leader, Dies at 81Mehta led India’s GJEPC through the 2008 financial crisis and was respected worldwide for his wisdom, integrity, and knowledge.
CrimeAug 18, 2026
2 California Men Arrested in Fatal Vehicle Smash RobberyOne is the driver who allegedly crashed a car into a Sacramento jewelry store in April, striking a 71-year-old employee who later died.
Brought to you by
Why More Jewelry Retailers Are Hosting Turnkey Estate Buying EventsRetailers are seeking new ways to attract customers, increase traffic, and create revenue – Estate buying events are a popular solution.
ColumnistsAug 18, 2026
Peter Smith: The IKEA Effect and Bridal Branding In a new column, Peter Smith posits that people actually enjoy putting together IKEA furniture, and the same is true for engagement rings.
CrimeAug 18, 2026
Thieves Snatch $1M in Jewelry From New Jersey Jeweler9lakha Jewelers in Iselin, New Jersey, was the target of a smash-and-grab robbery on Aug. 8.
Lab-GrownAug 18, 2026
Ring Concierge, Kendall Jenner’s Tequila Brand Collab on GiveawayThe jeweler has partnered with 818 Tequila to gift lab-grown diamond studs to a bride-to-be and their bridal party.
Events & AwardsAug 17, 2026
Exhibition on Louis Comfort Tiffany’s Studios to Open at The MetThe exhibition will feature more than 100 drawings of stained-glass lampshades, windows, and more, many created by women and émigrés.
CollectionsAug 17, 2026
Marquise Diamonds Dance in Spinelli Kilcollin’s ‘Wren’ CollectionMarquise-cut diamonds in drop charms are the center of the new collection, reflecting the movement of a dancer in modular styles.
Events & AwardsAug 17, 2026
There’s a New Jewelry Show Coming to FloridaThe inaugural Fort Lauderdale Jewelry, Antique, & Object Show will be held from Jan. 28 through Feb. 1, 2027.
CrimeAug 14, 2026
Wife of Man Convicted in Jeweler’s Murder Sentenced for Conspiracy Amanda Ileana Hernandez is married to Carlos Hernandez, one of two men in prison for the 2024 murder of Michigan jeweler Hussein Murray.
TrendsAug 14, 2026
Paul Morelli’s Latest ‘Wavey Vine’ Earrings Embrace ColorThe reimagined jewel, our Piece of the Week, trades the diamonds in the original 1998 design for blue, pink, yellow, and green sapphires.
Supplier BulletinAug 13, 2026
Your Piece Could Be the One Editors Talk AboutSponsored by American Gem Trade Association
FinancialsAug 13, 2026
Pandora’s ‘Talisman’ Collection Shines, Lab-Grown Diamond Sales FallIn the United States, second-quarter sales were flat amid soft consumer sentiment and lower in-store traffic.
AuctionsAug 13, 2026
This Gold Cadbury ‘Conundrum’ Egg Set a World Auction RecordThe 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.
SourcingAug 13, 2026
2,488-Carat Diamond, Largest Found in Botswana, Has a New Owner Lucara Diamond Corp., which recovered the “Motswedi” diamond from the Karowe mine, sold the stone for an undisclosed amount.
CollectionsAug 13, 2026
John Hardy Infuses ‘Icon,’ ‘Heishi’ Collections with ColorThe expanded collections now feature hand-cut gemstones like topaz, tanzanite, chrysoprase, chalcedony, smoky quartz, and fire opal.
Lab-GrownAug 13, 2026
Jean Dousset Opens Third StoreThe lab-grown diamond jewelry brand’s newest boutique is in Westfield Valley Fair in Santa Clara, California.
SourcingAug 12, 2026
Eshed-Gemstar on the Painstaking Process of Cutting ‘The Legacy Emerald’The gemstone supplier and manufacturer acquired the remarkable 104-gram Zambian emerald at Gemfields’ auction in May.
CrimeAug 12, 2026
Elderly NYC Woman Targeted in Jewelry Swap SchemeTwo suspects offered to trade the woman a “winning” lottery ticket for her jewelry.
SourcingAug 12, 2026
Another Diamond Mine Poised to CloseFinsch has been in business rescue since May, and owner Petra Diamonds said it sees no viable path forward for the mine.
CrimeAug 12, 2026
Jewelry Store Employee Gets 20 Years to Life in Choking Death of BossMichel Patrick DeSalles was sentenced after pleading guilty to the 2017 murder of Omid Gholian, who owned a jewelry store in Manhattan.
MajorsAug 12, 2026
Frederick Goldman Names New SVP of SalesLongtime industry executive Beth Miller has taken on the role.
