The 50-year-old man pleaded guilty earlier this year to robbing two jewelry stores and a pawn shop of more than $700,000 in merchandise.
Jewelers of America Is Launching a Digital Academy
The trade association is expanding its webinar series with a host of technology-focused sessions over the next three months.

New York—Jewelers of America is expanding its webinar series with the addition of a “Digital Academy,” a new series of webinars focused on helping jewelers thrive online.
The Digital Academy webinars will take place over three months, with each month focused on one of three key topics: e-commerce, marketing, and websites.
JA said there will be multiple webinars and interactive discussions on each of these topics, each of which will provide real-world actionable items and solutions.
The current lineup of Digital Academy webinars includes the following.
Growing Stronger Online—The Jewelry Ecommerce Era
Jan. 28, 2 p.m. EST
Presenter: Igor Nusinovich, CEO of Valigara Online Jewelry Manager
The Best Social Media Selling Tactics for Jewelers
Feb. 4, 2 p.m. EST
Presenters: Alex Fetanat, founder and CEO, and Anthony Arechiga, vice president of sales and marketing, at GemFind Digital Solutions
Amazon 101: Sell Successfully on Amazon and Other 3P Marketplaces
Feb. 18, 11 EST
Presenters: Kristin Cherry Jackson and Rosemary Mazza, managing partners of 21C Jewelry Solutions
Planning Your Website
Feb. 25, 2 p.m. EST
Presenter: Stacey MacDougall, sales coordinator of Wix
From Social Media to Sale: Generate a Steady Flow of Loyal Customers
March 18, 2 p.m. EST
Presenter: André Savoie, owner of High Level Thinkers
“The past year has accelerated the online shopping category significantly. At Jewelers of America, we want to provide our members the tools they need to be competitive in this market,” said JA Director of Membership Regina Ciarleglio.
“The Digital Academy will focus on everything a retailer needs, from the most basic information to more sophisticated.”
In conjunction with the Digital Academy, JA will be running a giveaway for members from Jan. 28 through April 15.
For each webinar they attend, members will receive one entry in the drawing for a GemLightbox & Turntable photography set from Picup Media.
The Digital Academy program will be updated and can be found on the Jewelers of America website.
Visit Jewelers.org to learn more about JA membership benefits, to join JA or to register for a webinar.
National Jeweler is a for-profit subsidiary of Jewelers of America, which purchased the publication in 2015. The two organizations act independently of each other.
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