JCK Take 5: New Plumb Club Members, Indian Exports Rise, Personnel Moves

By JCK News Desk | October 15, 2026

Plumb Club Adds New Members

The Plumb Club has added Fenix Diamonds, Kim International, and Jewelry Innovations to its membership, bringing the supplier organization’s representation to more than 100 jewelry, watch, and service brands.

Fenix Diamonds is a vertically integrated producer of lab-grown diamonds and jewelry, with operations spanning diamond growing through finished products. With factories in India and China, the company supplies global brands, large and midsize retailers, independent jewelers, and online distributors. Its offerings include bridal and engagement rings, wedding bands, earrings, necklaces, and men’s jewelry.

Dallas-based Kim International is a family-owned company that has served retailers for more than 50 years. It manages production from concept through completion and offers the Romance Bridal Collection as well as the Tesoro 14k gold, Eleganza sterling silver, and Kim & Co. Italian demi-fine jewelry lines.

Jewelry Innovations, a family-owned manufacturer based in Utah, specializes in men’s rings. The company is the sole source of the patented metal Serinium, and its lifestyle-oriented collections are intended to extend the men’s ring category beyond wedding bands into gifts and self-purchases. Its products are sold by independent and chain jewelry stores throughout North America.

Founded in 1983, the Plumb Club is a coalition of suppliers from across the jewelry, diamond, and watch industries. Members must meet the organization’s requirements covering business ethics and conduct, human rights, and social and environmental responsibility, and must belong to the Responsible Jewellery Council.

India’s Jewelry Exports Rise 9% in September

India’s gem and jewelry exports increased 9.4% year over year to $2.95 billion in September, with strong growth in gold jewelry and lab-grown diamonds offsetting declines in natural diamonds, silver jewelry, and colored gemstones, according to the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC).

Gold jewelry was the standout category for the month, with exports climbing 34% to $1.19 billion. Within that category, studded gold jewelry exports jumped 50.2% to $812.6 million, while plain gold jewelry exports increased 8.8% to $378 million.

Natural diamonds continued to lag the broader sector. Cut-and-polished diamond exports fell 5.4% year over year in dollar terms to $1.29 billion in September, although they rose 2.2% when measured in Indian rupees. By contrast, polished lab-grown diamond exports increased 40.7% to $151.4 million.

For the six months from April through September, India’s overall gem and jewelry exports totaled $14.3 billion, up 3.1% in dollar terms from the same period a year earlier. Studded gold jewelry exports rose 31.3% to $3.69 billion, while polished lab-grown diamond exports increased 17.1% to $685.1 million. Silver jewelry exports gained 23.1% to $729.3 million.

Cut-and-polished natural diamonds showed a more mixed picture for the six-month period. Their export value declined 7% to $5.81 billion, but export volume increased 4.6% to 8.398 million carats. GJEPC chairman Kirit Bhansali said improving diamond prices, higher volumes, and growth in rupee terms pointed to a “gradual recovery” in the segment.

Plain gold jewelry, however, struggled amid sharply higher bullion prices. Exports fell 8.8% to $2.53 billion during the six-month period as gold prices increased 31.2% year over year to $4,415.70 an ounce. Bhansali said demand remained challenging, particularly in the Middle East, an important destination for India’s plain gold jewelry exports.

HSNY Names Gregory Brown Executive Director

The Horological Society of New York (HSNY) has appointed Gregory Brown executive director, succeeding Nicholas Manousos, who held leadership roles at the 160-year-old organization for more than a decade.

Brown has more than two decades of experience building entrepreneurial and nonprofit organizations and has been an HSNY member since 2016. He is also a member of the Academy of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève and previously covered Baselworld and other industry events for TimeZone. Most recently, he served as chief operating officer of Sailworks, where he developed operational infrastructure for four artist-driven nonprofit foundations.

In his new position, Brown will oversee HSNY’s education and preservation programs while working to expand the organization’s role within the international watchmaking community. HSNY said it plans to develop larger-scale programs bringing together watch-industry figures for discussions about horology and its future.

Founded in 1866 by working watchmakers, HSNY now provides financial aid, grants to watchmaking schools, support for independent watchmakers, classes, and monthly lectures. It also operates the Jost Bürgi Research Library, whose collection includes more than 25,000 items related to horological scholarship and history.

Carolina Navarro, who served as acting executive director during the leadership transition, will continue as deputy director.

Rapaport Names Yosi Botzer CTO to Lead AI Push

Rapaport has appointed Yosi Botzer its chief technology officer, putting the former Perion Network executive in charge of a company-wide effort to expand the use of artificial intelligence across the diamond-industry business.

Botzer will oversee changes to how Rapaport develops technology and operates its businesses, as well as the products it offers the natural diamond trade. The company said the initiative will extend to the Rapaport Price List, its widely used diamond pricing tool.

Rapaport has already begun incorporating AI into products for the trade. Its recently introduced Ring Builder is designed to allow retailers to quickly create bespoke ring designs for customers while they shop.

Botzer has more than 20 years of experience developing ad-tech and data platforms. He previously served as CTO of Nasdaq-listed Perion Network, where he led technical strategy across five businesses that the company acquired. Earlier in his career, he developed large-scale data systems at Datorama, which was later acquired by Salesforce.

Rapaport operates businesses spanning diamond pricing, research, news, online trading, and auctions.

Goldman Sachs Honors Jeweler Briony Raymond for Entrepreneurship

Briony Raymond, founder of the New York City fine jewelry house that bears her name, has been named one of Goldman Sachs’ most exceptional entrepreneurs of 2026. The investment bank is recognizing Raymond at its annual Builders and Innovators Summit in Healdsburg, Calif.

Goldman Sachs selected Raymond from entrepreneurs across multiple industries for the honor. Now in its 15th year, the two-day Builders and Innovators Summit recognizes founders and CEOs and includes sessions featuring entrepreneurs, academics, and business leaders.

Raymond established her namesake atelier in 2015 after spending nearly a decade at Van Cleef & Arpels. With a background in gemology and fine art, she specializes in natural gemstone jewelry, bespoke creations, and vintage pieces.

The JCK News Desk uses AI to help research and produce the first draft of articles. This story was then reviewed by staff writer David Blomquist.

(Top: Photograph by Camilla Sjodin)