PodcastsAug 19, 2026
Episode 8: Diamond Industry Update With David Bonaparte & Ronnie VanderLindenThe industry veterans join the podcast to discuss diamond marketing, the FTC Jewelry Guides, and lobbying for lower tariffs.
EditorsAug 28, 2012
Saving legal Face
I feel the need to confess something right here and now. I personally don’t like Facebook. I just can’t delude myself into thinking that anybody actually cares what brand of syrup I bought at the store this morning (yes, this...
I feel the need to confess something right here and now. I personally don’t like Facebook.
I am certainly not the first person to publicly confess to this. At the Gemological Institute of America’s 2011 Symposium in San Diego, New York University professor Scott Galloway admitted that he didn’t like Facebook either. But he also made this point: whether or not you like it is not the issue.
The fact is Facebook is here, ostensibly to stay, and it is a place where millions of people are interacting every day. As a business owner you need to be part of the conversation. You also need to be aware that your employees are likely part of this ongoing online conversation too, and there are limits to the limits you can place on their freedom of speech.
Recently, a case arose in Mississippi where a police officer sued the city, mayor and police chief after she was fired for posting a Facebook update insinuating that she disagreed with the police department’s decision not to send a representative to the funeral of a police officer from a neighboring town.
The case caught my attention because questions surrounding the legality of Facebook, and social networking in general, are ones that employers need to have answered going forward.
New York attorney Alix Rubin, who specializes in employment law and whose husband works for an independent jeweler in New Jersey, said that the laws that protect the police officer in the Mississippi case, a public employee, don’t apply to private employees.
“Everybody has a right to free speech,” she says. “But not everybody has a right to free speech in the workplace.”
Like all private employers, retail jewelers can restrict what their employees post on social networking sites while they are at work, to an extent.
Rubin says employers can prevent
Editors' Picks
Sponsored by
their employees from posting information or images that are violation of the store’s anti-harassment or anti-discrimination policy (provided the store has one, which it should), trade secrets or personal views that are presented as though they were the store's view.
However, the National Labor Relations Board recently ruled that non-supervisory employees cannot be punished for discussing anything related to their working conditions, including treatment from their boss, their wages, other employees’ wages and their hours, on social networking sites while at work as long as it’s not during a time when they are supposed to be working, i.e., on their lunch break.
This applies, though, to only non-exempt employees; the NLRB has no jurisdiction over supervisory employees.
Rubin recommends that employers draft a social media policy. It shouldn’t be too general, keeping in mind that you cannot legally restrict certain employees from talking about their working conditions, and should be tied to the store’s (hopefully) existing anti-harassment or anti-discrimination policy.
“Social media policy is important to have so you have some control over what your employees do on social media but they shouldn’t be blanket statements,” she said. “You can, as an employer, restrict your employees from using racial or sexual slurs.”
For posts made outside of work, private employers actually do have some legal ground to stand on if an employee posts something harassing another employee and the situation seeps over into the workplace, or if an employee posts trade secrets or positions themselves falsely as a spokesperson of the store.
But, Rubin says, the bottom line is that employees need to get an attorney-reviewed policy in place beforehand, so employees can’t say they didn’t know. “Small business owners feel that they can’t afford it but what they need to realize is that it’s going to cost them more when they get into trouble,” she said.
However, the National Labor Relations Board recently ruled that non-supervisory employees cannot be punished for discussing anything related to their working conditions, including treatment from their boss, their wages, other employees’ wages and their hours, on social networking sites while at work as long as it’s not during a time when they are supposed to be working, i.e., on their lunch break.
This applies, though, to only non-exempt employees; the NLRB has no jurisdiction over supervisory employees.
Rubin recommends that employers draft a social media policy. It shouldn’t be too general, keeping in mind that you cannot legally restrict certain employees from talking about their working conditions, and should be tied to the store’s (hopefully) existing anti-harassment or anti-discrimination policy.
“Social media policy is important to have so you have some control over what your employees do on social media but they shouldn’t be blanket statements,” she said. “You can, as an employer, restrict your employees from using racial or sexual slurs.”
For posts made outside of work, private employers actually do have some legal ground to stand on if an employee posts something harassing another employee and the situation seeps over into the workplace, or if an employee posts trade secrets or positions themselves falsely as a spokesperson of the store.
But, Rubin says, the bottom line is that employees need to get an attorney-reviewed policy in place beforehand, so employees can’t say they didn’t know. “Small business owners feel that they can’t afford it but what they need to realize is that it’s going to cost them more when they get into trouble,” she said.
More on Editors
The Latest
MajorsAug 19, 2026
Mike Alexander To Succeed Scott Murphy as Jewelers Mutual CEO Murphy will retire at the end of the year and Alexander, currently the company’s president, will take over at the start of 2027.
Policies & IssuesAug 19, 2026
Spinelli Kilcollin Embraces Dupes With Trade-In ProgramThe jeweler is encouraging customers who own lookalike rings to come into the store and trade them for credit towards an authentic piece.
Brought to you by
Your Piece Could Be the One Editors Talk AboutSubmit your pieces for a chance to win in this year's competition.
MajorsAug 19, 2026
Zales Wants You to Wear Fine Jewelry Every DayThe new campaign, “You Are The Occasion,” discourages shoppers from saving their fine jewelry for special occasions only.
Weekly QuizAug 13, 2026
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
SourcingAug 19, 2026
Vasant Mehta, a Dedicated Diamond Industry Leader, Dies at 81Mehta led India’s GJEPC through the 2008 financial crisis and was respected worldwide for his wisdom, integrity, and knowledge.
CrimeAug 18, 2026
2 California Men Arrested in Fatal Vehicle Smash RobberyOne is the driver who allegedly crashed a car into a Sacramento jewelry store in April, striking a 71-year-old employee who later died.
Brought to you by
Why More Jewelry Retailers Are Hosting Turnkey Estate Buying EventsRetailers are seeking new ways to attract customers, increase traffic, and create revenue – Estate buying events are a popular solution.
ColumnistsAug 18, 2026
Peter Smith: The IKEA Effect and Bridal Branding In a new column, Peter Smith posits that people actually enjoy putting together IKEA furniture, and the same is true for engagement rings.
CrimeAug 18, 2026
Thieves Snatch $1M in Jewelry From New Jersey Jeweler9lakha Jewelers in Iselin, New Jersey, was the target of a smash-and-grab robbery on Aug. 8.
Lab-GrownAug 18, 2026
Ring Concierge, Kendall Jenner’s Tequila Brand Collab on GiveawayThe jeweler has partnered with 818 Tequila to gift lab-grown diamond studs to a bride-to-be and their bridal party.
Events & AwardsAug 17, 2026
Exhibition on Louis Comfort Tiffany’s Studios to Open at The MetThe exhibition will feature more than 100 drawings of stained-glass lampshades, windows, and more, many created by women and émigrés.
CollectionsAug 17, 2026
Marquise Diamonds Dance in Spinelli Kilcollin’s ‘Wren’ CollectionMarquise-cut diamonds in drop charms are the center of the new collection, reflecting the movement of a dancer in modular styles.
Events & AwardsAug 17, 2026
There’s a New Jewelry Show Coming to FloridaThe inaugural Fort Lauderdale Jewelry, Antique, & Object Show will be held from Jan. 28 through Feb. 1, 2027.
IndependentsAug 14, 2026
Smyth Jewelers to Open Fourth LocationThe family-owned jeweler will open a new showroom in Bel Air, Maryland, this fall.
CrimeAug 14, 2026
Wife of Man Convicted in Jeweler’s Murder Sentenced for Conspiracy Amanda Ileana Hernandez is married to Carlos Hernandez, one of two men in prison for the 2024 murder of Michigan jeweler Hussein Murray.
TrendsAug 14, 2026
Paul Morelli’s Latest ‘Wavey Vine’ Earrings Embrace ColorThe reimagined jewel, our Piece of the Week, trades the diamonds in the original 1998 design for blue, pink, yellow, and green sapphires.
Supplier BulletinAug 13, 2026
Your Piece Could Be the One Editors Talk AboutSponsored by American Gem Trade Association
FinancialsAug 13, 2026
Pandora’s ‘Talisman’ Collection Shines, Lab-Grown Diamond Sales FallIn the United States, second-quarter sales were flat amid soft consumer sentiment and lower in-store traffic.
AuctionsAug 13, 2026
This Gold Cadbury ‘Conundrum’ Egg Set a World Auction RecordThe 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.
SourcingAug 13, 2026
2,488-Carat Diamond, Largest Found in Botswana, Has a New Owner Lucara Diamond Corp., which recovered the “Motswedi” diamond from the Karowe mine, sold the stone for an undisclosed amount.
CollectionsAug 13, 2026
John Hardy Infuses ‘Icon,’ ‘Heishi’ Collections with ColorThe expanded collections now feature hand-cut gemstones like topaz, tanzanite, chrysoprase, chalcedony, smoky quartz, and fire opal.
Lab-GrownAug 13, 2026
Jean Dousset Opens Third StoreThe lab-grown diamond jewelry brand’s newest boutique is in Westfield Valley Fair in Santa Clara, California.
SourcingAug 12, 2026
Eshed-Gemstar on the Painstaking Process of Cutting ‘The Legacy Emerald’The gemstone supplier and manufacturer acquired the remarkable 104-gram Zambian emerald at Gemfields’ auction in May.
CrimeAug 12, 2026
Elderly NYC Woman Targeted in Jewelry Swap SchemeTwo suspects offered to trade the woman a “winning” lottery ticket for her jewelry.
SourcingAug 12, 2026
Another Diamond Mine Poised to CloseFinsch has been in business rescue since May, and owner Petra Diamonds said it sees no viable path forward for the mine.
CrimeAug 12, 2026
Jewelry Store Employee Gets 20 Years to Life in Choking Death of BossMichel Patrick DeSalles was sentenced after pleading guilty to the 2017 murder of Omid Gholian, who owned a jewelry store in Manhattan.
