The company is focused on modernizing the custom jewelry buying experience with e-commerce tools like product visualization and 3D styling.
Time to say goodbye
On Saturday, July 13, I returned from a two-week whirlwind vacation to sad news: my grandmother, Anna E. (Rothart) Graff, had died.
I quickly unpacked one suitcase and repacked another, then caught a train out to a stop off I-80 in New Jersey, where by brother and sister-in-law scooped me up for the remainder of the ride to Pittsburgh.
On Monday, the day before the funeral, I had the opportunity to visit my grandmother’s house, where she lived independently until the last two months of her life, for the last time.
It’s the same house where I spent hours of my childhood playing 500 rum with her at the kitchen table, and where I spent all my Christmas Days until her house grew too small to hold our growing family and she became, in her children’s view, too old to handle Christmas for everyone.
I knew what I wanted to see in her house; the one thing, in my mind, that is the ultimate link between generations: jewelry.
We didn’t have enough time that day to look through everything--my grandmother had drawers and drawers of jewelry, much of it costume and still in its original boxes--but my mother has promised to put it aside for me so I can sort through it the next time I am home and divide it up among my cousins and their children, my grandmother’s great-grandchildren.
One thing I did take from her house was a very small plain band that I can only surmise was her original wedding band from my grandfather, who died long before I was born. There is no stamp on the ring and I can’t tell if it’s platinum, white gold or neither of the aforementioned.

What I do know is that my grandmother had long, slender fingers and the band would not fit most people. But it fits her granddaughter, because she has the same hands.
For my grandmother’s funeral, I was asked to do a reading. And by asked, I mean that my father shouted across the funeral home’s viewing room, “Michelle, do you want to do a reading?” in front of my entire family, leaving me little choice in the matter. (One of my aunts “asked” my cousin to do a reading in exactly the same manner. It’s just the Graff way.)
Not that I minded. I felt like it was the least I could do for someone who had shown me unconditional love since the day I was born.
Much to my grandmother’s chagrin, I am sure, I am not a particularly religious person.
I don’t know what happens to people when they die: if there is some kind of system for dividing people up according to their behavior on earth (good people go to one place, bad people to another), if your spirit goes on to become something else, or if death is simply the end.
So I selected my reading from the New Testament carefully, avoiding any passages that involved damning people to hell.
What I ended up picking was from the Second Letter of Paul to the Corinthians, a letter in which he wrote, “We look not to what is seen but to what is unseen; for what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal. For we know that if our earthly dwelling, a tent, should be destroyed, we have a building from God, a dwelling not made with hands, eternal in heaven.”
My grandmother’s “tent” lasted her nearly 100 years, until her heart gave out at the age of 98. It was a long, good life but it was time for her family to say goodbye.
So, we say it: Goodbye, grandma. We’ll always miss you.
The Latest

Following its recent acquisition, the storied brand has updated its leadership team and regional managers.

AGS also named the recipient of its “Women in Leadership” scholarship.

The Seymour & Evelyn Holtzman Bench Scholarship from Jewelers of America returns for a second year.

The 20-karat yellow gold and diamond wrap ring is modeled after the Monstera plants in the garden of the brand’s Miami villa.


Rocksbox President Allison Vigil shared the retailer’s expansion plans, and her thoughts on opening stores in malls.

The creator of the WJA Chicago chapter is remembered as a champion for women in the jewelry industry and a loving grandmother.

The countdown is on for the JCK Las Vegas Show and JA is pulling out all the stops.

The decline was consistent across age groups and almost all income groups, with tariffs and inflation still top of mind.

The “Playlist: Electric Dreams” collection brings lyrics from the musician’s song, “Little Wing,” to life through fine jewelry.

The event is set for May 16-19 in Detroit, Michigan.

The Vault’s Katherine Jetter is accusing the retailer of using info she shared for a potential partnership to move into Nantucket.

Agents seized 2,193 pieces, a mix of counterfeit Cartier “Love” and “Juste Un Clou” bracelets, and Van Cleef & Arpels’ “Alhambra” design.

The designer brought her children’s book, “The Big Splash Circus,” to life through a collection of playful fine jewelry characters.

The trade association has chosen the recipients of the funding initiative it formed to foster the growth and sustainability of the industry.

The organization has also announced this year’s slate of judges.

Lori Tucker started at Williams Jewelers when she was 18 years old.

The “Marvel | Citizen Zenshin” watch is crafted in Super Titanium and has subtle nods to all four “Fantastic Four” superheroes on the dial.

The “XO Tacori” collection was designed to blend luxury and accessible pricing.

Pritesh Patel, the lab’s chief operating officer, will take over as president and CEO of GIA.

National Jeweler and Jewelers of America discuss the standout jewelry trends and biggest news to emerge from the shows this year.

Signatories to the “Luanda Accord” committed to allocating 1 percent of annual diamond revenue to the Natural Diamond Council.

The winning designs captured the “Radiance” theme.

Nominations in the categories of Jewelry Design, Media Excellence, and Retail Innovation will be accepted through July 30.

The singer’s ring ticks off many bridal trends, with a thick band, half-bezel setting, and solitaire diamond.

The bracelet references vintage high jewelry and snake symbolism as a playful piece where a python’s head becomes a working belt buckle.

The heist happened in Lebec, California, in 2022 when a Brinks truck was transporting goods from one show in California to another.