(PRESS RELEASE) NEENAH, WI — Jewelers Mutual Group, as part of its continuing support of the jewelry industry, has donated seven synthetic diamonds to the Diamond Durability Laboratory.
Each of these diamonds had been damaged and was sent to Jewelers Mutual as part of its policyholder claims process. Jewelers Mutual worked with the policyholders’ jeweler of choice to replace the stones with synthetic diamonds of the same kind and quality.
About the synthetic diamonds:
- The donated, damaged synthetic diamonds ranged in size from 0.64 carat to 2.27 carat weight.
- Each of the synthetic diamonds were worn in an engagement ring by a Jewelers Mutual policyholder.
- The length of normal wear of the donated, damaged synthetic diamonds varied from 43 days to less than 2 years.
- Jewelers Mutual and DDL have been collaborating for more than a year to better understand damaged diamonds – both natural and synthetic – and their relationship to several physical characteristics with the goal of creating a more predictive model for potential damage during wear.
Jewelers Mutual’s Kay Kostelny and Mitzi Rietveld, Graduate Gemologists (GIA), studied the damaged synthetic diamonds and shared their observations with DDL that “the damage to the synthetic lab grown diamonds are not characteristic of damage to natural mined diamonds.”
When Jewelers Mutual observed the differences in the damage between their typical natural damaged diamonds and the synthetic damaged diamonds, they reached out to DDL for discussion. The idea of the donation was in part supported by the lack of a secondary resale market for synthetic diamonds.
DDL plans a complete evaluation of the donated synthetic diamonds. The donation from Jewelers Mutual will deepen the understanding of synthetic diamond durability, a subject that has not been studied with any rigor. As the only diamond lab that focuses on diamond durability, DDL is well positioned to learn from these diamonds.
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Additionally, DDL CEO Thomas Gelb has served as the technical adviser to the ASSURE Program and its development of a universal standard for synthetic diamond screening or detection services.
“We appreciate this donation from Jewelers Mutual and we are excited to use the stones to further our research and contribute to the industry knowledge about synthetic diamonds,” Gelb said. “Our collaborative research relationship with Jewelers Mutual is extremely important, and we hope by adding these synthetics to our knowledge base we can learn even more.”
Family Legacy, New Chapter: How Wilkerson Turns 89 Years of History Into Future Success
After 89 years of serving the Albany community, Harold Finkle Your Jeweler faced a pivotal decision. For third-generation owner Justin Finkle, the demanding hours of running a small business were taking precious time away from his young family. "After 23 years, I decided this was the time for me," Finkle explains. But closing a business with nearly nine decades of inventory and customer relationships isn't something easily managed alone.
Wilkerson's comprehensive approach transformed this challenging transition into a remarkable success story. Their strategic planning handled everything from advertising and social media to inventory management and staffing — elements that would overwhelm most jewelers attempting to navigate a closing sale independently.
The results speak volumes. "Wilkerson gave us three different tiers of potential goals," Finkle notes. "We've reached that third tier, that highest goal already, and we still have two weeks left of the sale." The partnership didn't just meet financial objectives—it exceeded them ahead of schedule.
