JA’s Susan Posnock Guests on ‘The Jewelry District’ Podcast

By Natalie Chomet | November 19, 2025

In this week’s episode, JCK editor-in-chief Victoria Gomelsky and news director Rob Bates talk with Susan Posnock in her capacity of director of public affairs and education at Jewelers of America (JA). Susan explains the many ways JA serves the industry. They discuss how the impact of tariffs on jewelry businesses and JA’s advocacy efforts on that issue as well as others. Susan also talks about her other role (not strictly industry-related): Rob’s spouse. We learn how the pair met, and whether they talk shop at home, in a prime example of the family-oriented nature of the jewelry industry.

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Title sponsor: Jewelers Mutual (jewelersmutual.com)
Sponsor: De Beers (adiamondisforever.com)

Show Notes
03:30 First encounters with Susan Posnock
06:30 Being family in the jewelry industry
10:30 How Jewelers of America serves the industry
14:00 Advocacy on tariffs
23:30 Other JA initiatives Susan’s working on

Episode Credits
Hosts: Rob Bates and Victoria Gomelsky
Producer and engineer: Natalie Chomet
Editor: Riley McCaskill
Plugs: @jckmagazine; jewelersmutual.com; adiamondisforever.com

Show Recap
First encounters with Susan Posnock
Susan recalls when she first met Rob and Victoria. Before she became JA’s director of public affairs and education, Susan worked at National Jeweler. She started there at 2005, when Victoria was the publication’s diamond editor.

After a week on the job and no prior experience in the industry, Susan was sent to India for work. She came home for Memorial Day weekend and shortly after, went to the JCK show—where she met Rob. “That’s trial by fire,” Victoria comments.

Victoria tells Susan she remembers sitting at adjacent desks with her in National Jeweler‘s office and thinking that “it was great that you’d come from another part of journalism and slipped into this universe—that obviously has not let you go yet.”

Prior to National Jeweler, Susan worked at Folio magazine and was a reporter for many years at the Asbury Park Press. “I did other things, too, but journalism had been the main foundation before I arrived at JA,” she says.

Being family in the jewelry industry
Susan immediately observed how family-oriented the jewelry industry is. “It’s not unusual for people in the industry to be married to each other. There are so many family businesses, so many generational jewelers. So it kind of makes sense that Rob and I ended up where we are, just based on that,” she says.

Unlike many of those family businesses, Susan and Rob have always kept work and home life separate. While they’ll talk about things that are happening in the industry on a big-picture level, most of their conversations at home are about other subjects.

How Jewelers of America serves the industry
Susan describes JA, founded in 1906, as the national support system and voice for its members and the jewelry industry at large. Out of the many trade associations in the country, JA is on the broader end of the spectrum, “with a focus on helping our members succeed in strengthening the industry,” Susan explains.

What sets JA apart from the other industry organizations? Susan outlines the “three Rs” of JA’s primary focus: representation, resources, and recognition. As the director of public affairs and education, Susan works on representation by advocating for members on Capitol Hill. JA has the only political action committee in the industry, JAPAC.

Susan’s role also covers “resources,” as JA provides a wealth of education. For example, she notes, its ethical initiatives committee gives members guidance and information on issues like responsible sourcing.

Touching on the third R—recognition—Susan mentions a few ways that JA celebrates people in the jewelry industry, including the Gem Awards (which Rob and Victoria, among others on the JCK team, have received) and a newer program called 20 Under 40, recognizing younger retailers and suppliers who have achieved success. “Our goal is to help the industry overall,” Susan states.

Advocacy on tariffs
JA’s political advocacy has extended to the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. In August, JA’s president and CEO, David Bonaparte, and World Diamond Council vice president Ronnie VanderLinden met with Peter Navarro, a trade adviser to President Trump, to share how the tariffs were affecting the jewelry industry.

The following month, the administration issued a new tariff schedule that exempts rough and polished diamonds, natural gemstones, and natural pearls from tariffs if they’re imported from countries where an agreement with the U.S. is in place.

That means there’s no tariff on diamonds from the European Union while goods from India, including diamonds, are tariffed at 50%. (Confused? Here’s an explainer.) However, Susan notes that Trump has indicated he wants to lower the Indian tariffs. “He mentioned that India was not purchasing Russian oil, which was the contentious point that the administration had given for that very high tariff rate,” she says, adding that he did not specify what that new tariff rate could be.

It’s unclear where things stand with China because an agreement is partially in place to put off increased tariffs for another year, though Susan says, “I don’t know how far along it is in terms of being considered an actual agreement” that would exempt diamonds and other gemstones (such as pearls, a big import from China). As we’ve seen, things can change quickly.

“But the hope is that as these agreements are put in place, there will be more exemptions for diamonds and other goods that are on this Annex III and goods that are not on the Annex III, like cultured pearls,” Susan says.

Susan has been consulting frequently with JA members about the tariffs’ impact. She has heard from many retailers and suppliers, as small businesses struggle with rising prices, and companies wrestle with how much of the costs to absorb.

From her conversations with politicians and lawmakers, Susan thinks that most agree with the jewelry industry’s perspective. When JA met with government officials in September, it was the first time they had heard how the tariffs are affecting a specific industry like jewelry, which relies so thoroughly on a global supply chain.

“With a lot of the members of Congress that we met with, I would say it was a little bit like preaching to the choir,” says Susan, noting this applied to both sides of the aisle. “The majority we met with feel like their hands are tied right now.” Democrats don’t hold the majority in the Senate or House, and Republicans want to allow the administration the to implement its policies. That’s why pressure from constituents is a key approach to fighting tariffs, Susan says.

Other JA initiatives Susan’s working on
JA has been lobbying in Washington to get the Combating Organized Retail Crime bill passed. Susan also tries to keep ahead of sourcing issues with help from JA’s ethical initiatives committee. She moderated a panel on gold sourcing and mining in the U.S. at the Responsible Jewelry Conference in Chicago last month. There is growing concern about how mining for critical minerals is going to affect the environment if regulations change in the U.S. She keeps members informed on issues like this, even if JA hasn’t taken a specific position yet.

Susan also helped write guidance for JA’s retailer members on Russian sanctions, giving them the tools they need to ensure they’re not selling Russian diamonds. “I just want members to be able to know how to talk to their suppliers and feel comfortable if customers have questions about these issues,” she says.

Of course, Susan hopes to see more people join JA. “The more people we have in our tent, the more impact we can have in D.C.,” she says. But she knows people are busy, so her goal is to provide those in the industry with an understanding of these complex issues. “I’m doing the work so that when they call their member of Congress, they know exactly what to say.”

Susan and the cohosts conclude by reflecting on how Susan’s friendship with Victoria, and her marriage to Rob, grew out of professional relationships started 20 years ago. “It’s a testament to how just inviting this business is, and how little it lets people go,” Victoria says. Susan adds that after working at JA for 18 years, some people she works with still don’t realize Rob is her husband. “Now everyone’s going to know,” she laughs.

Any views expressed in this podcast do not reflect the opinion of JCK, its management, or its advertisers.