Diamond industry banking veteran Paul De Wachter will take on the role in January 2026.
NYJDI to Host Business Classes for Designers
The trilogy of courses will focus on marketing, branding, sales and writing a business plan.
The classes are “Jewelry Marketing and Branding,” “Increase Your Jewelry Sales,” and “Business of Jewelry Design.”
The classes are intended to build upon one another. It’s the first time NYJDI, which normally offers standalone courses, has created such a curriculum.
“Budding jewelry designers are very passionate about their designs and put the majority of their energy into creating amazing pieces. Unfortunately, they struggle to fully launch their careers because they lack the business skills to do so,” said Jenine Lepera Izzi, NYJDI creative director.
“A successful designer will spend 20 percent of their time designing and 80 percent of their time running their business. We strive to make sure our students learn how to design jewelry, as well as learn how to run a successful business.”
"Jewelry Marketing and Branding" is an eight-session course that will be held on Thursday evenings beginning March 9 and concluding April 27.
Taught by Vashti de Verteuil, a professor at Parsons, The New School for Design, and owner of Gallery Vercon, the course will teach students the difference between marketing and branding and how to create a successful brand story through techniques like emotional marketing and targeted marketing.
Following this course is the "Increase Your Jewelry Sales" course, led by another Parsons professor, Nancy Klein. This course will also run on Thursday evenings, beginning May 4 and ending June 22.
Klein said: “Sales and marketing go hand-in-hand. Students will be inspired to launch their brand with the skills needed to make it happen. In the course, they will learn the tools to jump-start their business.”
Topics covered will include establishing brand reputation, how to increase perceived value and how to gain and sustain market value.
The trilogy of courses will conclude with “Business of Jewelry Design,” also taught by de Verteuil.
It will examine all aspects of setting up a business, from legal requirements to writing a business plan.
The dates for this course have yet to be announced.
Each class will be held at NYJDI’s Diamond District campus in Manhattan. The cost to take all three is $1,675 but the courses also can be done separately if someone feels that they only need to take one or two of the classes.
Here is the cost breakdown per class:
Jewelry Marketing and Branding, $550;
Increase Your Jewelry Sales $575; and
Business of Jewelry Design, $550.
To learn more about the classes, contact NYJDI at 212-777-5393 or email info@nyjdi.com.
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