The JCK Industry Fund Committee has announced its 2023 grant recipients, awarding a total of $340,000 to this year’s nine winning organizations. Since its inception in 1997, the fund has awarded over $7 million in grants toward programs that benefit the jewelry industry at large, in its mission to support the jewelry industry’s long-term health, success, and growth.

“For over 25 years, we have proudly supported the initiatives and important missions of esteemed organizations whose work benefits our industry, addressing commerce, development, diversity, equity and inclusion, sustainability, and more,” said Sarin Bachmann, RX Jewelry Portfolio’s group vice president and JCK Industry Fund Committee chair, in a statement. “We are deeply grateful to the JCK community that contributed to the Fund to grow the $250K JCK donates into a larger sum once again this year and congratulate the well-deserved 2023 grant recipients. We are all in this together.”

The winners are as follows:

Black in Jewelry Coalition (BIJC), awarded the JCK grant to increase diversity in the jewelry industry, through subsidizing an increased presence of emerging Black designers and BIJC board members at events and trade shows.

Diamonds Do Good, awarded the grant to support consumer confidence-focused paid social media, YouTube, and partner posts, to strengthen consumer confidence in content and media distribution.

Gem Legacy, to fund building an additional Kitarini Primary School classroom (attended by children of miners) in support of creating diverse and inclusive opportunities for the children of small-scale artisanal colored-gem mining communities.

Jewelers of America for its collaboration with BIJC toward the development and launch of a new initiative to support the next generation of diverse jewelry business entrepreneurs, the Emerging Jewelers Accelerator Program (EJAP).

Jewelers Security Alliance for its initiative to introduce a digital edition of its Manual of Jewelry Security, broadening the availability of its manual and promoting a future of sustainability.

Jewelers Vigilance Committee (JVC) for its focus on transparency and sustainability in the jewelry industry. The grant will fund JVC’s plans to unite the industry around revisions to the Federal Trade Commission’s Green Guides with the goal of making them a useful and pertinent tool to encourage consumer confidence in purchasing jewelry.

MJSA, to fund its “Why I Make Jewelry” promotional campaign with the goal of generating greater interest among aspiring bench jewelers, with a special effort to reach those underrepresented in the industry.

Mercury Free Mining, in continued support of its commitment to the eradication of mercury use in artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) through expanded research and testing; deploying safe, efficient processors; and supporting the jewelry industry’s movement dedicated to enabling responsible, mercury-free gold mining.

Women’s Jewelry Association (WJA), in support of its second annual Generating Community Impact in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) Breakfast event during the JCK Show in Las Vegas. The event will feature a keynote speaker covering topics like designing; selling and marketing jewelry and timepieces for people with disabilities; existing business opportunities for adaptive jewelry; best practices for hiring people with disabilities; and how a simple mindset shift can help shape a business and its DE&I strategy.

Recipients were selected in accordance with the core goals of the fund by a committee of jewelry industry leaders including Sarin Bachmann, group vice president for RX Jewelry Portfolio; John Green, president and CEO of Lux Bond & Green; Michael Lerche, president of Goldstar Jewellery; Eddie LeVian, CEO of Le Vian; and Sam Sandberg, chairman of A. Jaffe.

For more information and to donate, visit here.

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