Paola Sasplugas, co-founder of the Barcelona-based jewelry brand, received the Fine Jewelry Award.
Zales Is Scoping Out Emerging Jewelry Designers
The retailer’s Designer Spotlight program aims to find up-and-coming jewelers from small and minority-owned businesses to showcase on a new online platform.

New York—Zales is on the lookout for up-and-coming jewelry designers to add to a new, soon-to-launch online marketplace.
The Signet Jewelers-owned brand is accepting applications for the Designer Spotlight program through Aug. 4.
The program will leverage Zales’ e-commerce platform to showcase the work of emerging designers, featuring their pieces for the fall/winter 2020 season, starting in mid-September.
“The pandemic is challenging all businesses—especially emerging fine jewelry designers with incredible talent,” said Jamie Singleton, president of Zales, Kay Jewelers and Peoples, in a press release announcing the program.
“With our Designer Spotlight program, we want to give them an opportunity to grow their business using our successful Zales.com digital platform as their launching pad.”
The company is looking to bolster small businesses as well as minority and BIPOC-owned—Black, indigenous, and people of color—businesses.
Earlier this month, a group of 29 BIPOC designers wrote an open letter to the jewelry industry calling for more support and education, and demanding racial equity.
The Designer Spotlight program was in the works before the letter was published, a Zales spokesperson told National Jeweler, but executives at Zales have read it and the retailer “stands on the side of inclusivity, equality and love.”
The eligibility requirements ask that designers handle their own manufacturing, with a lead time of 10 weeks or less, as well as their own packaging and shipping.
They will also need to provide provenance for their precious metals, gemstones and diamonds, and verify manufacturers or producers.
Zales has reached out to partners at GLAAD, the NAACP, FIT, the Accessories Council and others to help choose candidates, the spokesperson said.
The company said it may make this an ongoing program, rotating through different series of designers.
Applicants can submit their portfolio of original designs via the Zales website.
More information on the Designer Spotlight Program is available on Zales.com.
The Latest

A platinum Zenith-powered Daytona commissioned in the late ‘90s will headline Sotheby’s Important Watches sale in Geneva next month.

The Signet Jewelers-owned retailer wants to encourage younger shoppers to wear fine jewelry every day, not just on special occasions.

The risk of laboratory-grown diamonds being falsely presented as natural diamonds presents a very significant danger to consumer trust.

The 21 pieces, all from a private collector, will be offered at its Magnificent Jewels auction next month.


Lilian Raji answers a question from a reader who is looking to grow her jewelry business but has a limited marketing budget.

GCAL by Sarine created the new role to sharpen the company’s focus on strategic partnerships and scalable expansion.

The Indiana jeweler has acquired Scottsdale Fine Jewelers in Scottsdale, Arizona.

“Cartier: Design, Craft, and Legacy” opened earlier this month at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Van Cott Jewelers in Vestal, New York, is hosting a going-out-of-business sale.

Industry veteran Samantha Larson has held leadership roles at Borsheims, McTeigue & McClelland, Stuller, and Long’s Jewelers.
The two organizations will hold the educational event together this fall in Mississippi.

The entrepreneur and “Shark Tank” star will share his top tips for success.

The Ukrainian brand’s new pendant is modeled after a traditional paska, a pastry often baked for Easter in Eastern European cultures.

The jeweler has announced a grand reopening for its recently remodeled location in Peoria, Illinois.

The “Strong Like Mom” campaign features moms who work at Tiffany & Co. and their children.

Interior designer Athena Calderone looked to decor from the 1920s and 1930s when crafting her first fine jewelry collection.

During a call about its full-year results, CEO Efraim Grinberg discussed how the company is approaching the uncertainty surrounding tariffs.

The free program provides educational content for jewelry salespeople and enthusiasts to learn or refresh their diamond knowledge.

The feedback will be used to prepare other jewelers for the challenges ahead, the organization said.

The online sessions are designed to teach jewelers to use AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude to grow their business.

The opening marks the jewelry retailer’s first location in the Midwest.

The “United in Love” collection offers tangible mementos of hearts entwined with traditional and non-traditional commitment heirlooms.

Robert Goodman Jewelers will hold a “Black Jewelry Designers and Makers” event on April 27.

The announcements follow a tumultuous start to 2025 for WJA, which saw a wave of resignations following controversial statements about DEI.

Editor-in-Chief Michelle Graff answers questions about how the new taxes levied on countries like India and China will impact the industry.