The industry veterans join the podcast to discuss diamond marketing, the FTC Jewelry Guides, and lobbying for lower tariffs.
JBT Confirms Richard Weisenfeld as President
He has been serving as acting president since October, when Anthony Capuano went on medical leave.

Providence, R.I.--The board of directors of the Jewelers Board of Trade has confirmed the appointment of Richard Weisenfeld as president.
He has been serving in the position since October 2017, when Anthony Capuano announced he would be out on medical leave. Capuano then announced his retirement earlier this year.
Weisenfeld has served on the JBT board for 17 years. He was elected to the executive committee in 2008 and also served as chairman from 2014 to 2015.
He also has experience in executive positions in various jewelry companies over the last 45 years, including Pranda North America and most recently Riva Precision Manufacturing in Brooklyn, New York.
Weisenfeld is a member of the 24 Karat Club, Providence Jewelers Club, Boston Jewelers Club, Women’s Jewelry Association and International Precious Metals Institute.
He lives in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, with his wife, Jan.
His appointment follows closely on the heels of the announcement that Michael Kaplan, president of packaging and display company Rocket, is the new chairman of the board.
The board also recently elected the following officers and directors to serve a one-year term.
--First Vice-Chairman: Ann S. Arnold, Buyers International Group, LLC
--Second Vice-Chairman: Richard Katz, Richline Group, Inc.
--Secretary: Brenda M. Pimentel
--Treasurer: Richard Weisenfeld
Brian D. Fleming of Carla Corporation also was appointed to the JBT Executive Committee.
The following people were elected to the board for a two-year term.
-- Keven Peck, Color Merchants, Inc.
--Jeffrey Sarfaty, Head of Credit Division, ABN AMRO Capital USA LLC
Directors re-elected to the board for two years are as follows.
--Ann S. Arnold, Buyers International Group
--Ira Bergman, The Gordon Company, Inc.
--David Bonney, Lux Bond & Green, Inc.
--Edward N. DeCristofaro, LDC, Inc.
--Roderick H. Lichtenfels, W. R. Cobb Company
--Nilesh Sheth, Forever Collections, Inc.
--Todd Wolleman, Leo Wolleman, Inc.
Re-elected to the advisory board for a period of two years are the following.
--Phyllis Bergman, Mercury Ring (Div. of Kiran Jewels USA)
--Richard Greenwood, A. F. Greenwood Co., Inc.
These board members will continue to serve existing terms.
--Danielle Ingwer Cohen, Leo Ingwer Inc.
--Jeffery Corey, H. E. Murdock Company Inc.
--Brian D. Fleming, Carla Corporation
--Kevin Green, Seiko Corporation of America
--Michael L. Kaplan, Rocket Jewelry Box, Inc.
--Richard Katz, Richline Group, Inc.
--Michael Pelto, Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company
--Avi Raz, A & Z Pearls, Inc.
--Pinny Rubin, Quality Gold Inc.
The Latest

The jeweler is encouraging customers who own lookalike rings to come into the store and trade them for credit towards an authentic piece.

Mehta led India’s GJEPC through the 2008 financial crisis and was respected worldwide for his wisdom, integrity, and knowledge.

Submit your pieces for a chance to win in this year's competition.

One is the driver who allegedly crashed a car into a Sacramento jewelry store in April, striking a 71-year-old employee who later died.


In a new column, Peter Smith posits that people actually enjoy putting together IKEA furniture, and the same is true for engagement rings.

9lakha Jewelers in Iselin, New Jersey, was the target of a smash-and-grab robbery on Aug. 8.

Retailers are seeking new ways to attract customers, increase traffic, and create revenue – Estate buying events are a popular solution.

The jeweler has partnered with 818 Tequila to gift lab-grown diamond studs to a bride-to-be and their bridal party.

The exhibition will feature more than 100 drawings of stained-glass lampshades, windows, and more, many created by women and émigrés.

Marquise-cut diamonds in drop charms are the center of the new collection, reflecting the movement of a dancer in modular styles.

The inaugural Fort Lauderdale Jewelry, Antique, & Object Show will be held from Jan. 28 through Feb. 1, 2027.

The family-owned jeweler will open a new showroom in Bel Air, Maryland, this fall.

Amanda Ileana Hernandez is married to Carlos Hernandez, one of two men in prison for the 2024 murder of Michigan jeweler Hussein Murray.

The reimagined jewel, our Piece of the Week, trades the diamonds in the original 1998 design for blue, pink, yellow, and green sapphires.

Sponsored by American Gem Trade Association

In the United States, second-quarter sales were flat amid soft consumer sentiment and lower in-store traffic.

The 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.

Lucara Diamond Corp., which recovered the “Motswedi” diamond from the Karowe mine, sold the stone for an undisclosed amount.

The expanded collections now feature hand-cut gemstones like topaz, tanzanite, chrysoprase, chalcedony, smoky quartz, and fire opal.

The lab-grown diamond jewelry brand’s newest boutique is in Westfield Valley Fair in Santa Clara, California.

The gemstone supplier and manufacturer acquired the remarkable 104-gram Zambian emerald at Gemfields’ auction in May.

Two suspects offered to trade the woman a “winning” lottery ticket for her jewelry.

Finsch has been in business rescue since May, and owner Petra Diamonds said it sees no viable path forward for the mine.

Michel Patrick DeSalles was sentenced after pleading guilty to the 2017 murder of Omid Gholian, who owned a jewelry store in Manhattan.

Longtime industry executive Beth Miller has taken on the role.

The brooch was owned by Virginia Fortune Ryan Ogilvy, who served as a lady of the bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth II for nearly 50 years.























