The industry veterans join the podcast to discuss diamond marketing, the FTC Jewelry Guides, and lobbying for lower tariffs.
Is it too early for holiday ads?
I went to Duane Reade during my lunch break Wednesday and was a bit startled to see a spinning rack of Halloween cards near the front of the store. It’s only the beginning of September, I thought. We just said goodbye to summer. Halloween is more than a month off, and I am just not ready for this.
Layaway is something consumers generally start a couple of months out, and, as a Kmart spokeswoman explained to National Jeweler, the store began offering no service fees for new layaway purchases made online or in store on Sept. 8. “The advertising schedule is a reflection of this longer lead time,” she said.
Still, as of Thursday there are 103 more days until everyone gathers under the Christmas tree to rip into their gifts. In my mind, I am still trying to digest the fact that summer has ended. And it seems there are a lot of people who agree with me.
The Today show anchors discussed Kmart’s September Christmas ad Thursday morning and posted a poll online asking if stores are marketing the holidays too early these days. A whopping 90 percent of poll-takers said yes.
What do you think? Is holiday advertising by the second week in September a smart way to get a jump on the competition, or a turnoff for consumers who aren’t ready to think about the crowded malls and low account balances the holidays can bring?
When do you start your marketing?
The Latest

Murphy will retire at the end of the year and Alexander, currently the company’s president, will take over at the start of 2027.

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

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

The new campaign, “You Are The Occasion,” discourages shoppers from saving their fine jewelry for special occasions only.


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

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.

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

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.

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.























