Events & AwardsJul 11, 2025
The Edge’s Annual Conference Returns in SeptemberIts sessions will focus on inventory strategies, staff performance, retention and acquisition, emerging market trends, and more.
IndependentsOct 20, 2017
Retailer’s Granddaughter Raises $100K+ for Puerto Rico
Rosana Guernica, granddaughter of Reinhold Jewelers’ Marie Helene Morrow, has been delivering supplies and bringing back evacuees from her homeland.
Rosana Guernica, pictured third from the left, is the granddaughter of Reinhold Jewelers’ Marie Helene Morrow. On her second trip to Puerto Rico, she took more than 2,000 pounds of supplies and volunteers from her school, Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. (Image source: Carnegie Mellon University Twitter)
Pittsburgh--Well-known jeweler Marie Helene Morrow has been speaking out a lot about what’s needed in her homeland of Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria, and it seems that her concern for others and her desire to help runs in the family.
Weeks after Hurricane Maria ravished the country, leaving it in terrible condition under which many are still suffering, Rosana Guernica, a junior at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, has raised more than $100,000 to help aid her homeland.
Guernica is Morrow’s granddaughter, and made national news for her efforts.
Through crowdfunding, she raised the funds to buy thousands of pounds of supplies and reserve planes to deliver them after being in touch with doctors and first responders on the ground there to get a better sense of what was needed.
According to the YouCaring page, they were asking for supplies like baby formula, water, batteries and medicine.
Guernica could not be reached for comment by press time but the crowdfunding page she started states: “It has been an incredibly difficult and emotionally weighted time for all of us. We are desperate to help the island and don’t seem to know how.”
Within just 24 hours of launching the page, she had raised $7,000, according to the Associated Press. By the next day, it had grown to $11,000.
As of Friday morning, the page indicated she had raised just over $105,000. It also has been shared more than 2,000 times on social media.
Guernica states on the page: “No one person can solve these issues. No one government can help the island. There is money being raised that won’t keep people from dying, that won’t get people the help that they need in time. The supplies being collected are being held in inventory throughout the U.S. and in the ports of San Juan. By the time normal distribution channels open, it will be too late for the people who needed it the most.”
On Oct. 4, she used $20,000 of the funds to buy and transport more than 1,000 pounds of supplies to the country, and returned with six evacuees.
Then last week, she took a second trip, along with 2,000 pounds of supplies and six volunteers from Carnegie Mellon, according to the university’s Twitter account.
A Carnegie Mellon story posted online said she’s raising an additional $35,000 to try to charter a 70-passenger plane that could
carry 18,000 pounds for a third relief trip later this month.
According to a Thursday story from ABC News, roughly 80 percent of power customers still are in the dark, and another 30 percent are without water.
Additionally, less than half of the country’s cellphone towers are operating and only 64 percent of bank branches have reopened, and while many grocery stores have reopened, they’re rarely stocked with much food.
According to a Thursday story from ABC News, roughly 80 percent of power customers still are in the dark, and another 30 percent are without water.
Additionally, less than half of the country’s cellphone towers are operating and only 64 percent of bank branches have reopened, and while many grocery stores have reopened, they’re rarely stocked with much food.
More on Independents
The Latest
CollectionsJul 11, 2025
Piece of the Week: Miseno’s ‘Arco’ EarringsFor its 10th anniversary, Miseno designed the “Arco” earrings based on the Arco Felice, an arch conceptualized in A.D. 95 in Miseno, Italy.
Policies & IssuesJul 11, 2025
James Avery to Donate $1M to Texas Hill Country Relief EffortsThe jewelry company is one of several contributing to relief efforts in the region after the recent floods.
Brought to you by
Investing in the Next Generation of Bench JewelersThe Seymour & Evelyn Holtzman Bench Scholarship from Jewelers of America returns for a second year.
TrendsJul 11, 2025
Kelly Osbourne’s Engagement Ring Is Sweet as HoneyInspired by fiancé Sid Wilson’s nickname for her, the white and yellow diamond ring features a unique honeycomb design.
Weekly QuizJul 10, 2025
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
CollectionsJul 10, 2025
Penny Preville Celebrates 5 Decades of Jewelry DesignThe brand is marking its 50th anniversary with a limited-edition bangle, high jewelry suites, new collections, and more.
MajorsJul 10, 2025
LVMH Names New Chairman, CEO of the AmericasLongtime LVMH executive Michael Burke has stepped into the role.
Brought to you by
Jewelers of America is Headed to Las Vegas for JCK 2025The countdown is on for the JCK Las Vegas Show and JA is pulling out all the stops.
Events & AwardsJul 10, 2025
IAC Gold and Diamond Conference Returns to NYC Central topics of next week’s event include climate action, labor rights, artisan preservation, and value retention in producing countries.
MajorsJul 10, 2025
Hearts On Fire Appoints New Sales DirectorVickie Rokkos has joined the jewelry company as its new national sales director of North America.
SurveysJul 09, 2025
Jewelry Stays Strong as Luxury Market Slows, Bain & Co. Says Turbulence will be the new baseline for luxury as it faces its biggest potential setbacks in 15 years, a recent report said.
Supplier BulletinJul 09, 2025
JCK Unwrapped: Trends, Insights & Post-Show TipsSponsored by Rio Grande Jewelry Supply
CollectionsJul 09, 2025
Cece Jewellery’s New Fruit Jewels Celebrate Life’s SweetnessThe “For the Love of Fruits” collection features five fruit pendants, each holding a different meaning.
EditorsJul 09, 2025
The Most-Read Stories of 2025, So FarDiamonds and crimes (some involving diamonds) top the list of National Jeweler’s most popular stories halfway through the year.
SourcingJul 09, 2025
Florida Couple Finds 3-Carat Diamond in ArkansasThey discovered “The Dash Diamond,” named for their dog, at the Crater of Diamonds State Park earlier this month.
CollectionsJul 08, 2025
Mikimoto’s High Jewelry Collection Turns Pearls into PetalsThe “Les Pétales” collection imagines roses caught mid-bloom as a tribute to nature’s beauty.
ColumnistsJul 08, 2025
Peter Smith: Why Jewelers Struggle With Premium PricingLuxury brands charge thousands for their shoes and handbags. Jewelers pricing diamond products should take note, Peter Smith writes.
TechnologyJul 08, 2025
‘Diamond Divas’ Brings the Showroom to Social Media Reality SeriesIt follows New York-based brand Shahla Karimi Jewelry’s all-women team in “Say Yes to the Dress” meets “The Office”-style episodes.
Policies & IssuesJul 08, 2025
SMO Gold Launches New FoundationIn its inaugural year, the SMO Foundation will focus on supporting two organizations in West Africa and one in South America.
Policies & IssuesJul 07, 2025
Higher Tariffs Set to Take Effect Aug. 1, Officials SayThe announcement comes just as the 90-day freeze on the “reciprocal” tariffs nears its end, giving countries more time to negotiate.
SourcingJul 07, 2025
Natural Diamond Council CEO David Kellie To Step DownKellie, who joined the organization in 2019, will remain in his role through the end of 2025.
CrimeJul 07, 2025
7 Suspects Charged in California Jewelry Store BurglaryPolice officers apprehended the suspects as they were allegedly attempting to gain entry into another jewelry store.
Events & AwardsJul 07, 2025
Applications Open for Ella Klein Internship The program, a collaboration between Julius Klein Diamonds and the Women’s Jewelry Association, is in its second year.
Supplier BulletinJul 03, 2025
Protect Your Customers and Your BusinessSponsored by the Gemological Institute of America
MajorsJul 03, 2025
Brilliant Earth Names Tennis Star Madison Keys as Its New AmbassadorThe 2025 Australian Open champion is the jewelry brand’s first athlete ambassador.
MajorsJul 03, 2025
Muse Sets Up Shop in Nordstrom’s New Jewelry HallThe West Village jewelry boutique’s new shop-in-shop is the cornerstone of Nordstrom’s revamped jewelry hall.
SourcingJul 03, 2025
SRK Announces Its Natural Diamonds Are Now Carbon-NegativeThis past year, the manufacturer said it recorded below-zero emissions per carat of natural diamond.
