LA Wildfires: Jewelers Rally Round to Help
January 12, 25
(IDEX Online) - Jewelers are rallying round to help those hit by the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles, and the emergency services tackling the blazes.
The Diamond Council of America (DCA) and Jewelers of America (JA) have jointly relaunched the Jewelers Relief Fund, which was set up in 2017 in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, in Houston.
In addition, jewelers themselves have been raising funds through auctions and donations of sales proceeds.
The Jewelers Relief Fund is collecting donations for retail jewelry stores and jewelry manufacturers whose businesses were damaged by wildfires in greater Los Angeles.
"We hope the Jewelers Relief Fund will unite our jewelry community to lessen the burden of our fellow jewelers who may have a long road of recovery ahead.
All funds raised will be dispersed directly to affected businesses in the jewelry industry," says Jewelers of America President and CEO David Bonaparte.
Meanwhile, Harwell Godfrey, jewelers based in the San Francisco Bay Area, raised $11,000 for the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) Emergency Fund from the Instagram auction of a limited-edition 18k gold pavé diamond heart, with a tcw of 1.59ct (pictured).
Renna Brown-Taher, founder of Renna Jewels, said: "The devastation in my hometown of Pacific Palisades is tremendous.
"We were, unfortunately, affected directly and our home is gone. It's hard to feel so helpless in the face of a natural disaster like this, so please consider donating to @lafdfoundation or we will also be donating 30 per cent of sales this month to @lafdfoundation."
In addition, Retrouvaà is a Los Angeles-based independent fine jewelry company is auctioning a yellow gold magna bracelet with round white diamonds with 1.80 carats of white diamonds (retail value $11,550) with all proceeds also going to the LAFD Emergency Fund.
Camilla Seretti, in Malibu, California, is donating 25 per cent of sales to organizations helping victims of the wildfires.