WJA’s Women in the Know Conference

The Women’s Jewelry Association (WJA) held its annual “Women in the Know” conference (WITK) on Friday, March 7, featuring a number of motivational speakers and educational seminars, on topics ranging from negotiating effectively and maximizing media exposure to running a successful designer business and unlocking sales to luxury customers.

Susan Jacques, CEO and president of Borsheims Fine Jewelry delivered a keynote address, describing how she moved from her home in Africa to attend GIA and then took a job as a salesperson at Borsheims. Noting that taking that chance paid off in the end, Jacques said success does not come easy, and sometimes you have to take a risk and have faith in yourself.

Other addressees in the general session included Gail Blanke, president and CEO of Lifedesigns, Debbie Goldstein, managing director of Triad Counseling and Brian Dodge, president of Dodge Development.

The event also saw a number of “breakout sessions,” which heard speakers such as Cindy Edelstein, owner of JewelersResource.com (“Tips and Tricks for Running a Successful Designer Business”); Amanda Gizzi, associate director for public relations of the Jewelry Information Center (“Maximizing Media Exposure: Preparing You and Your Business for Media Success”) and Bailey Beeken, group vice president for National Jeweler Network (“How to Use Both Genders’ Strengths to Communicate and Successfully Lead a Team”).

The event was sponsored by David Yurman, Jewelers Mutual Insurance and Platinum Guild International.