A matching pair of 18.38-carat, D-color diamonds from Botswana’s Jwaneng mine sold for $3.3 million, the top lot of the jewelry auction.

Neenah, Wis.—Jewelers Mutual Group just announced the retirement of a longtime executive.
Vice President of Loss Prevention and Consulting David Sexton, CPCU, is set to end his 39-year tenure with the jewelry insurance company at the end of the year.
Sexton was hired by Jewelers Mutual in 1980 as an underwriting assistant.
Over the years, he’s worked in commercial lines customer service, CL underwriting and specialty account management before taking on his current role in 2004.
As head of loss prevention, Sexton developed and implemented the company’s policy. Jewelers Mutual also credited the longtime executive with maintaining and developing relationships in the jewelry, alarm and law enforcement industries.
Sexton said: “It was never about me, it was always about us.
“I will always treasure the relationships I have made during my association with Jewelers Mutual. My retirement is not an end, but rather a beginning. The leadership of Jewelers Mutual has a clear path for continuing our vital loss prevention mission to provide innovative risk management solutions for the industry we serve, not just insurance.”
Sexton is on the board of directors for the Canadian Jewellers Association and the Jewelers’ Security Alliance, which awarded him its Industry Service Award in 2016.
He is also a member of the 24 Karat Club of New York.
Additionally, he has served on the Underwriters Laboratories Security Systems Council since 1994, also serving as one of its corporate members in the insurance category, and the Central Station Alarm Association’s Insurance Liaison Committee, which helped to develop the UL burglar alarm modular certificate program.
In 2018, Sexton received the American Gem Society’s John J. Kennedy Law Enforcement Award at AGS Conclave in Nashville, Tennessee.
“You’re known by the company you keep,” he said. “It’s all about the people. Working with people to help them solve their risk management challenges has really been the most rewarding aspect of my insurance career.”
The Latest

Sponsored by A Diamond Is Forever

The next generation of lapidarists are entrepreneurial, engaged online, and see the craft as a means for artistic expression.

With the trade and customer trust in mind, GIA® developed NextGem™ – on-demand training designed specifically for retail.

It was the second auction appearance for the fancy vivid blue-green diamond, which sold for $7.8 million at Christie’s Geneva 12 years ago.


Members of the U.S. Marshals Task Force took a 22-year-old man into custody. He was charged with tampering with evidence.

While the overall number of crimes was down, there were more incidences in which robbers pulled out guns, mace, or rammed cars into stores.

Gain access to the most exclusive and coveted antique pieces from trusted dealers during Las Vegas Jewelry Week.

Jack Sutton Fine Jewelry is closing its store inside the downtown shopping center after 40 years in business.

Reena Ahluwalia’s painting of the rare red diamond is the first contemporary painting to join the National Gem Collection.

The price of gold has risen, affecting the number of pieces designers make, the materials they use, and how they position themselves.

Peter Smith gives tips on leading meetings, developing marketing, and making trade show appointments in the age of short attention spans.

The 11-piece “Medallions” capsule collection features five motifs: a crying eye, a heart on fire, a spiral, a flower, and a swallow.

From Gen Z’s view of luxury to “doom spending,” these are the six consumer trends to note this year.

The partners have announced the second cycle of the program, which has expanded to include a $25,000 student scholarship.

The owners of Staats Jewelers are heading into retirement.

Jeffrey Gennette, who retired in 2024 after 41 years with Macy’s, is the newest member of the jewelry retailer’s board of directors.

May babies are lucky to have emeralds, a gemstone admired for centuries, as their birthstone, writes Amanda Gizzi.

The new module allows retailers to plan, promote, and measure the success of events from a single dashboard.

NDC said in an open letter that Pandora’s statements about the carbon footprint of lab grown versus natural diamonds are inaccurate.

The diamantaire and industry leader succeeds Feriel Zerouki and said he will focus on being a “champion” for natural diamonds.

She wore our Piece of the Week, Glenn Spiro’s “Old Moghul Golconda” earrings, featuring fancy brown-yellow diamonds totaling 51.90 carats.

Two pieces were named “Best in Show,” one from the retail category and one from the supplier category.

The jewelry retailer noted resilience among its higher-end customers while demand softened for its lower-priced offerings.

Led by the 6.59-carat sapphire, the sale garnered $9.7 million, a record total for a Heritage jewelry auction.

José Gaztelu has been promoted to the role, which has been vacant since last year.

It has also opened the application period for the Seymour & Evelyn Holtzman Bench Scholarship through June 30.























