PGI Wins Award for Sales Training Videos
Platinum Guild International (PGI) has received a bronze Telly Award in the education and training category for its B2B sales training video series.
The Telly Awards honor work in film and video content, including for corporate, marketing, and branded purposes. PGI’s winning digital program was created to provide retail staff with the skills needed to increase sales of platinum jewelry.
“Education is one of the most important investments we make in the success of our retail partners,” said Kevin Reilly, senior vice president of PGI USA, in a statement. “This recognition reflects the measurable impact these programs deliver in jewelry stores across the country. Our priority is to ensure sales associates are equipped with the knowledge and confidence to sell platinum effectively, and the results demonstrate that this approach drives performance and builds lasting customer trust.”
More than 1,000 retailers and sales professionals use PGI’s training videos annually, the organization said. Each video is under two minutes in length.
Shefi Joins Leading Jewelers Guild
Jewelry manufacturer Shefi has been accepted into the Leading Jewelers Guild (LJG), a cooperative of independent retailers providing its members with collective purchasing power, marketing resources, and shared industry knowledge. As a vendor partner, Shefi will introduce its branded collections to other LJG members.
“We are honored to join the Leading Jewelers Guild and to be recognized among such a distinguished group of retail partners,” said Sanjay Hirawat, Shefi vice president, in a statement. “LJG represents the very best of independent retail, and we look forward to supporting members with our newest collections, retail concepts, and marketing solutions designed to help them grow and thrive.”
LeachGarner Debuts Metals Sourcing Site
Global precious metals provider LeachGarner has introduced a new e-commerce platform that provides real-time inventory access and mill-direct pricing.
On the new website, customers can source metals round-the-clock from an expanded catalog, with lower minimum orders, faster turnaround times, custom solutions, and dedicated account assistance. The site also supports special orders, custom fabrication, volume discounts, and direct access to LeachGarner’s account management team for personalized service.
“This platform strengthens our promise by delivering trusted metals with greater speed, agility, and accessibility,” said Jennifer Ashworth, senior brand manager at Attleboro, Mass.–based LeachGarner, in a statement. “We’re making it faster and more efficient for jewelry-makers, manufacturers, and businesses to source exactly what they need, from anywhere at any time.”
BIJC Selects Winner of Top Emerging Jewelers Grant
Black in Jewelry Coalition (BIJC) has announced the winning participant in its 2025 Emerging Jewelers Accelerator Program (EJAP): Katty Villapando Lyte and Mica Rencher of Shimmer Culture. They will receive a $10,000 grant, while the four other program participants will receive smaller grants.
EJAP consists of a series of interactive workshops for new jewelry entrepreneurs on how to build and maintain a successful business in the jewelry industry.
“The Emerging Jewelers Accelerator Program has been transformative for Shimmer Culture in ways we could not have achieved on our own,” said a joint statement from Villapando Lyte and Rencher. “The workshops led by seasoned industry professionals were invaluable. Coming from outside the jewelry world, there was so much we didn’t know, and EJAP sessions gave us the kind of insider knowledge that would have taken multiple years to learn on our own.
“From refining our operations to better understanding customer engagement, each session gave us actionable insights that we immediately applied. In just nine months, we’ve seen measurable growth in engagement, customer relationships, and sales. EJAP didn’t just accelerate our progress—it fundamentally changed the trajectory of our business.”
The Emerging Jewelers program is supported by the JCK Industry Fund. This year’s four other participants were Brooke Brinson of Ed & Ethel’s Fine Jewelry; Jessenia Landrum of Jevela; Brittney Moore of Britt Moore Jewelry; and Olga Shatrova of Olga Shatrova Jewelry.
TJS Creating Online Archive of Past Presentations
Starting next month, the Jewelry Symposium (TJS) will offer its previously presented technical papers in a free online archive.
“This is a remarkable new development for us and for the industry at large,” said Linus Drogs, TJS founder and board chairman, in a statement. “People have been asking for free access to the papers since our first TJS event in 2023.
“Many of our attendees and speakers were accustomed to the former Santa Fe Symposium’s archive, which contains 30-plus years of papers—it is still a rich and hugely valuable resource. At TJS, we are proud to continue this tradition, taking another bold step towards providing the industry with what it needs to continue to advance and grow.”
The archive will go live on Nov. 3, coinciding with the opening of registration for the 2026 Jewelry Symposium. Papers from the 2023 and 2024 event will be available at the outset; 2025’s papers will become available next year—as, going forward, each year’s papers will be added to the free archive after the following year’s symposium.
The fourth annual Jewelry Symposium will take place in the Detroit area from May 16 to 19, 2026. TJS attendees will receive immediate online access to that year’s content on the final day, as well as a hard copy of the papers in a limited-edition book.
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