A podcast prompted Smith to share his views on where origin fits into the natural diamond story and the viability of branded diamonds.
Estelle Hedaya joins CBG
The 25-year industry veteran is leaving her position as director of sales for World Trade Jewelers to become the director of operations for the Continental Buying Group.
New York--Estelle Hedaya is leaving manufacturer and wholesaler World Trade Jewelers to become the new director of operations for the Continental Buying Group.
A Brooklyn, N.Y. native, Hedaya has been in the jewelry industry for a total of 25 years.
She has experience on the retail side of the business, having worked in jewelry stores in both Brooklyn and Manhattan. For the past seven years she has been the director of sales for New York-based World Trade Jewelers, helping, among other things, to develop the company’s popular Svelte diamond collection.
Hedaya will relocate from New York to Miami for the position following the upcoming Atlanta Jewelry Show, which is scheduled for Aug. 8 to 10.
As the director of operations for the CBG, Hedaya will work with its founders, the husband-and-wife team of Andie Weinman and Joe Murphy, to grow the 36-year-old buying group.
She’ll also assist Weinman and Murphy with their Preferred Jewelers International program, an extension of the buying group that offers its members education as well as a nationwide warranty on bridal jewelry that is honored at any Preferred Jeweler store across the country.
The idea behind both the buying group and Preferred Jewelers is to help independent jewelers better compete with big chain stores.
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