In This Episode
This episode of “The Jewelry District” pays tribute to JCK magazine’s 150th anniversary. JCK editor-in-chief Victoria Gomelsky and news director Rob Bates talk with a panel of JCK writers about fascinating discoveries they made while combing through the vast expanse of the JCK archives. The weird story won’t be from this week—but 1975 instead! Interspersed throughout the episode, you’ll hear the voices of current and past employees as they reflect on their experiences working at this historic publication. You’ll also hear Rob and Victoria interview Bill Furman, former ad manager, who spent 46 years working at JCK. He’ll share how he got there and some amazing memories from along the way.

Show Notes

00:36 Victoria and Rob give an overview of the 150th anniversary issue.
3:10 Victoria kicks off the conversation with a few notable things she learned in her research.
8:40 Rob relates a great quote from Marty Hurwitz of MVI Marketing about his impression of JCK. He also shares the ad that former editor Peggy Jo Donahue answered when she began working at JCK.
10:20 Rob shares a weird story from 1975, “Should You Fire That Hippy?”
12:55 Hedda Schupack talks about her favorite story from working at JCK.
15:50 Victoria introduces the panel of JCK writers and tees up Melissa Bernardo’s story.
16:22 Melissa talks about the amazing covers she found when doing her research, including which eras had the oddest, ugliest, and most beautiful covers and ads.
19:55 Melissa explains how the cover of the 150th anniversary issue was created.
21:15 Emili Vesilind talks about what she discovered while researching the fashion retrospective she authored.
25:35 Ettagale Blauer shares a favorite moment from working at JCK: interviewing Lazare Kaplan.
26:22 Russell Shor talks about his history working at JCK and his journey to India for work.
27:50 Amy Elliott relates her process as she researched her piece on pearls, including what coverage JCK had on Breakfast at Tiffany’s and how it affected the popularity of pearls.
31:20 Brittany Siminitz gives a peek behind the scenes of her epilogue, where she talked to young people in the industry about what the top issues would be in 50 years.
33:45 Mark Smelzer reflects on his favorite experience at JCK.
35:55 Robert Weldon reveals the most important thing he covered while at JCK: East African gemstones. 36:09 Victoria and Rob interview Bill Furman, who worked at JCK for 46 years.

Episode Credits
Hosts: Rob Bates and Victoria Gomelsky
JCK Staff: Melissa Bernardo, Amy Elliott, Brittany Siminitz, Emili Vesilind
Guest: Bill Furman
JCK Voices: Ettagale Blauer, Hedda Schupak, Russell Shor, Mark Smelzer, Robert Weldon
Editor: Levi Sharpe
Producer & Engineer: Natalie Chomet
Plugs: jckonline.com, @jckmagazine