As we have done for the last six years, JCK is capping off 2025 by bringing you 40 of the funniest, insightful, and most thought-provoking quotes of the year gone by.

The assembled words of wisdom below (which includes a new category, “words of wisdom”) address the year’s hot topics, including artificial intelligence, the theft at the Louvre, tariffs, and whatever it is that’s going on with gold. But there are also some reflections on the meaning of jewelry, and even some thoughts that touch on those eternal topics, love and death.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were said to JCK or garnered by JCK from primary sources.

CELEBRITIES 

“I had shown him a video like a year and a half ago and he was just paying attention to everything it turns out because when I saw the ring I [gasped].… I was like, ‘I know who made this, I know who made this,’ and also, ‘You listen to me.’”
—Taylor Swift, to People, discussing how fiancé Travis Kelce picked out her ring

“I’m definitely going to be one of those old ladies who wears every piece of jewelry she owns every day, probably.”
—Actress Zosia Mamet to The New York Times

“My mom always said, ‘Buy yourself your own diamond—don’t wait to be given one from a man.’”
—Brooke Shields to Only Natural Diamonds

“[Athletes wearing jewelry is] not really about flexing wealth anymore. It’s more about beauty. It’s showing off in a different way.”
—Stylist Jack Savoie to W

DE BEERS 

“Kind of.”
—De Beers CEO Al Cook, to The New York Times, when asked if De Beers’ now-shuttered brand, Lightbox, achieved its strategic goals

“Anglo [American] has managed De Beers with all the finesse of a toddler with a hammer.”
—Diamond analyst James Allan at the African Mining Summit  

“De Beers is not doing its job. We will take the diamonds and see what we can do with them. They are ours.”
—Botswana president Duma Boko

DIAMONDS

“While [diamonds are] a luxury to many, to us it’s literally the author of life.”
—Botswana minister of mines and energy Bogolo Kenewendo

“Although the products are chemically identical, contrasting natural and lab-created diamonds shows that they are not the same. Ask any parent of identical twins, and they’ll tell you: They appear identical, but the truth is, each is unmistakably different.”
—Jeweller editor Samuel Ord

“Natural [diamonds] will survive but they have their work cut out for them. [Lab-grown diamonds] will survive but also have their work cut out for them. Both camps need to reinvent themselves or die.”
—Lab-grown pioneer Tom Chatham on LinkedIn

“We have a connection to a diamond and its story that goes beyond that which we share with another gemstone. We are invariably drawn to the gemstone, in the same way as we gaze at mountains, sunsets, or snow-covered landscapes. We are in awe of nature’s ability to render the world beautiful.”
—De Beers Group senior technical educator Elizabeth West at Converge

“You can’t just order an old diamond.… You need to see the stones and find the one you connect with—it’s more personal.”
—Caroline Morrissey, head of jewelry at Bonhams in New York, to The New York Times

GOLD

“I now view gold as a safe harbor asset in a way that the dollar used to be viewed. That’s what’s really concerning to me.”
—Ken Griffin, CEO of hedge fund Citadel, to Bloomberg

“It’s no longer that bonds are the alternative to stocks. It’s gold.”
—Stefan Gleason, chief executive of the online marketplace Money Metals, to The Wall Street Journal

“My fine jewelry collection and my fine art collection have way more rapidly increased in value than my fiancé’s stock portfolio has.”
—Jessica Graves, author of the shopping newsletter The Love List, to The Wall Street Journal 

THE JEWELRY BUSINESS

“It’s not that jewelry is an aggressive asset or a speculative asset. It’s a very strong defensive asset. And if, at a certain point, you must sell it, you don’t have to worry about lost value. There’s no equivalent in luxury.”
—Bulgari and LVMH watch CEO Jean-Christophe Babin to The New York Times

“I truly feel jewelry is like denim. Styles come and go and recirculate every 5-10 years in some form.”
—Designer Jennifer Fisher to The Adventurine

“This is the most exciting time I’ve ever seen in the jewelry industry. The talent and creativity in the market are exceptional, and the importance of strong and unique design has never been more valued than it is today.”
—Reed Krakoff, creative chairman of John Hardy, to Prestige Online

REMEMBERED 

“My brand ethos is to design something that solicits a reaction, So either you love it or hate it, but I never want someone to be like, ‘Meh, it’s just mediocre.’”
—Designer Lynn Ban, who died in January, to Harper’s Bazaar

“I have some collector friends whose aim is to own all the watches I’ve made. It helps my confidence, but it doesn’t give me any more money.”
—Famed watch casemaker Jean-Pierre Hagmann, who died in March, to the blog A Collected Man

RETAIL

“When someone comes into our store, they’re the audience, we’re the performer.”
—Andy Koehn, owner of Koehn & Koehn Jewelers, on JCK’s podcast, The Jewelry District

“Gen Z is completely different from baby boomers. When we asked younger buyers why they [buy watches] online, many said they find in-store experiences intimidating—even fearing salespeople. That was unheard of before.”
—Karine Szegedi, managing partner at Deloitte, to WatchPro

“Changing [what we call Signet’s stores] from banners to brands is so important. A banner is literally a static nameplate on a door or a piece of cloth on a flag. In the case of a banner flying on a pole, it literally flies in whatever direction the wind is blowing. A brand has an identity, it has a story, it has a personality.”
—Signet CEO J.K. Symancyk on JCK’s podcast, The Jewelry District

“There is now a different direction for the company, and it is time for me to step away.”
—Former Ben Bridge CEO Lisa Bridge, announcing her departure on LinkedIn

TARIFFS 

“[Tariffs are] going to spur a lot of luxury watch buyers to go on vacation. Seriously, I think people will say, ‘I wanted this watch and now I’ll buy it in Paris. And their savings will pay for their flight and hotel and they get to have a nice trip.”
—Eugene Tutunikov, CEO of SwissWatchExpo, to Robb Report

“We hope to get a favorable reduction in tariffs; otherwise, it would be difficult to survive.”
—Kirit Bhansali, chairman of India’s Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council, to Al Jazeera

TECHNOLOGY 

“AI is almost like a child that learns really fast. A really brilliant child.”
—De Beers Group chief commercial officer Mahiar Borhanjoo during a CIBJO panel

“What am I scared about [about AI]? We lose our creativity. If we rely on these tools, what happens is we become lazy. So I’m always pushing my team: ‘Yes, you can use [AI, but] I want you to bring your creativity, and I understand this is helping you out, but I hired you because of you.’”
—Pinny Gniwisch, president of Delmar Jewelers, on JCK’s podcast, The Jewelry District

“Computers and corporations don’t want to be your friend—they want your data and $$$.”
—Graffiti on ads for the Friend necklace, as quoted by CNN

THEFT AT THE LOUVRE

“This is very important cultural heritage that is at threat of being destroyed and lost forever, just so some stupid criminal can buy a Lamborghini SUV.”
—Christopher A. Marinello, founder of Art Recovery International, to USA Today

“If Cartier, Chaumet or any major maison [had] leant even one piece, they’d send their head of security to inspect every lock and alarm.  The Louvre had an entire royal collection and didn’t film the balcony. It’s unthinkable.”
—Jewelry historian Vanessa Cron to Rapaport

WATCHES

“They tried to [sell] the Apple Watch in gold.… They were advertising in Vogue, and they put a lot of money in[to it]. But we’re lucky—Americans, they’re not so patient. They thought that after six months they have to try something else.”
—Rolex CEO Jean-Frédéric Dufour during Dubai Watch Week

“[Rolex calling its new watch] Land-Dweller” is a head-scratcher.… Any chump who gets out of bed and puts their feet on the floor is a land dweller. Land dwellers are hoi polloi; land dwellers are short sighted, petty NIMBYs; land dwellers want to speak to your manager; land dwellers argue with the pizza delivery guy.”
—Industry commentator Jack Forster on his Substack

“It’s very easy to sell a Rolex. You just have to put it on display.”
—Edouard Caumon, U.S. country manager for Watchfinder & Co., to The New York Times

“[Watch] collecting is nothing rational. It’s what you to do with your heart.… It’s a love affair, and you cannot put limits on love.”
—Auctioneer Aurel Bacs to CBS News

WORDS OF WISDOM

“If I retire, I would die. So, I cannot stay home.”
—Still-at-work 101-year-old New Jersey jeweler Ann Angeletti to WABC News

“To repeat is virtuous. People are subjected to a lot of information every day from different quarters. It’s really important to always repeat the important things. Repeat, repeat, repeat, at the point of boredom, to make sure everybody understands what you stand for and what the direction forward is.”
—Swarovski CEO Alexis Nasard to the International Institute for Management Development

“Get off your phones. Stop buying everything online. Go into stores. Touch things. I see people walking down the street looking at their phones and walking into trees. Really! For God’s sake, turn the damn thing off. Say hello to people on the street. Say good morning to your bus driver. We need to disconnect and connect.”
—Jeweler Henri David, to Philadelphia magazine

“Your purpose, your mission, should stay true no matter what the external conditions are. Very often, the mistake we do in these conditions is to change direction, and this change of direction adds on to a crisis. [Strategies] should be crisis-proofed; otherwise, they’re not good strategies.”
—Audemars Piguet CEO Ilaria Resta during Dubai Watch Week

“I think we’re conditioned to want more, like a never-ending hamster wheel. I just want to get off of that.”
—Melissa Joy Manning on why she’s closing her Brooklyn store

(Top photo via @taylorswift)

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