Zimmer Brothers Jewelers has appointed Jocelyn Zimmer president.
She is the first female president of the fifth-generation family business, which has a flagship in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and a boutique in Rhinebeck, N.Y. She joined the 130-year-old retailer in 2001.
Zimmer takes over from her father, Michael Gordon, who has served as company president for 15 years. He will remain on its board of directors.
“The jewelry industry has always been a male-dominated profession, but women are continually breaking through,” said Zimmer in a statement. “It’s an honor to be in a position where I can use my voice and actions to support and elevate causes that I care deeply about. And as the mom of two daughters, it’s even more special to reflect on what this represents for women in the industry.”
She has begun a partnership with Moyo Gems, an organization that supports colored gemstone mining regions in Africa. The Zimmer Brothers Legacy Collection, hand-selected by Jocelyn Zimmer, will debut this summer.
Some of those pieces will feature a gemstone mined by East African women, cut and faceted by women in the United States, and crafted by one of the jeweler’s female designers.Fifteen percent of those purchases will be donated to Gem Legacy, a nonprofit that provides vocational training, entrepreneurship, and community development in East African gem mining communities.
A registered jeweler with the American Gem Society, Zimmer is an active participant in local charities and organizations, including the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Arlington Business Improvement District.
(Photo credit: Charlotte Jenks Lewis Photography/courtesy of Zimmer Brothers)
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