IndependentsJun 05, 2026
Pennsylvania Jewelry Store To Close After 79 YearsJim Springer, owner of Dunkelberger’s Fine Jewelry, is heading into retirement.
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DEF Names New Officers, Board
JCK’s Yancy Weinrich and Signet Jewelers’ Ed Hrabak are the Diamond Empowerment Fund’s new secretary and vice president, respectively.
Yancy Weinrich, left, and Ed Hrabak are newly elected officers to DEF’s leadership committee.
New York--Signet Jewelers’ Ed Hrabak and JCK’s Yancy Weinrich have joined the Diamond Empowerment Fund’s leadership team.
Hrabak, chief operating officer at Signet, has been elected vice president of DEF, while Weinrich, group vice president at JCK, has been elected secretary.
Mercury Ring CEO Phyllis Bergman will continue as DEF president, while Rich Slomovitz, chief financial officer at Rush Communications, will remain treasurer.
New to the DEF board for 2016 are Kathy Corey of Day’s Jewelers, Beth Gerstein of Brilliant Earth, Eddie Le Vian of Le Vian Corp., Russell Mehta of Rosy Blue, Michael Pollak of Hyde Park Jewelers, and Susan Wicht of The Global Language Project.
Remaining on the board are Lita Asscher of Royal Asscher of America Inc., actress and philanthropist Nicola Breytenbach-Steiner, Peter Engel of Fred Meyer Jewelers, Rebecca Foerster of Leo Schachter Diamonds, Mike Kaplan of Rocket Redbox, Anna Martin of the GIA, Sally Morrison of the Diamond Producers Association, David Prager of the De Beers Group of Companies, Scott Rauch of SHR Jewelry, Bruno Sané of Rio Tinto Diamonds, Hedda Schupak of Centurion, Varda Shine, Elliot Tannenbaum of Leo Schachter Diamonds and Kent Wong Siu-Kee of Chow Tai Fook Jewellery.
The outgoing DEF board members are Cathy Calhoun, Meir Dalumi, Dylan Dix, DEF founding Executive Director Ellen Haddigan, Jean-Paul Tolkowsky and Jaci Wilson-Reid. They become members of the DEF advisory board.
“Maintaining a global, diverse and high-level board membership will help the Diamond Empowerment Fund continue to grow its mission of supporting initiatives that empower people in diamond communities and shining a light on the good that is done with diamonds,” said DEF co-founder Benjamin Chavis.
In additional news from DEF, its offices have been relocated to 85 Broad St., 16th Floor, New York, NY 10004.
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