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IndependentsDec 20, 2016
NY Jeweler and Philanthropist Clyde Duneier Dies
The founder of Clyde Duneier Inc., The Plumb Club and the event that eventually became the charity Jewelers for Children died Sunday at the age of 88.
Clyde Duneier
New York--Clyde Duneier, founder of family-owned jewelry company Clyde Duneier Inc., died Sunday. He was 88.
Duneier was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1928. Drafted for the Korean War, he served in Germany for several years in the Medical Service Corps unit.
When he returned home, he started working at his father’s jewelry company, Haven Ring Company, before starting Clyde Duneier Inc. in 1969.
He retired from his active executive position at the company in 1983 in order to dedicate his time to philanthropic efforts on behalf of Clyde Duneier Inc.
Today, it is under the leadership of his sons, Marc and Dana, and grandchildren, Jake and Danielle.
Duneier was responsible for the formation of The Plumb Club, a coalition of leading jewelry manufacturers, and under his leadership, Clyde Duneier Inc. founded the Jewelers Charity Fund in 1983, which started as a fundraising effort for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.
Not long after, he partnered with former Signet Jewelers CEO Nate Light to launch the “Party with a Purpose” event, which led to the formation of Jewelers for Children.
In addition to his philanthropic works in the jewelry industry, Duneier also started the Clyde Duneier Diabetes Institute Foundation, served on the board of Atlantic Bank and the personal financial board of former New York City Mayor David Dinkins, and was an active member of the Friars Club and Actors Fund.
Throughout his life, Duneier was honored by JDF International, Brandeis University and The New York Jewelers Benevolent Association, and received the first Humanitarian Award from the New York State Jewelers Association.
He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Estelle; his sons, Marc, Dana, and Todd; daughters-in-law Ivy, Debra and Sweta; four grandchildren: Jamie, Danielle, Emily and Jake; and three great-grandchildren, Amelia, Willow and Wesley.
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