Jocelyn Zimmer: Top Women in Jewelry

Jocelyn Zimmer is making her mark as a leading woman in jewelry.  She is carrying forward a family legacy that spans five generations. Four decades ago, separate events reshaped both gemology and women’s history. In 1987, the U.S. Congress designated March as Women’s History Month. The year before, the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) honored Eunice Miles with its inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award.

Women – and diamonds – have kept shining ever since.

In May 2023, Jocelyn Zimmer became the first woman president of Zimmer Brothers Jewelers. This is a five-generation family jewelry business in Poughkeepsie, New York. The flagship shop opened in 1893 and then a Rhinebeck boutique in 2015.

“It prides me to pass the torch to someone so capable,” said her father and fourth-generation jeweler, Michael Gordon.

That’s good 21st-century business sense. Zimmer – who takes a 7.5 in a nice cocktail heel – is ready to fill any shoes in front of her.

Zimmer Brothers Jewelers: A Family Legacy

If entering the original Zimmer Brothers Jewelers store evokes an old-school Tiffany’s ambiance, you’d be right. Founder Thomas Zimmer, Jr. started his career in the jewelry business at age 14. He apprenticed as a bench jeweler for Hallowell & Co., before moving to New York City four years later to become shop foreman for George O. Street & Co., the manufacturer of wedding (primarily men’s) rings for Tiffany & Co.

Honoring Generations of Zimmer Women

“I grew up watching my grandmother and mother be the muses for these elegant stores and brands that their partners designed, but they never had a direct hand in. I feel that I am honoring all the Zimmer women’s legacies by being the first female president and carrying the family business through its fifth generation,” says Zimmer, one of only five women in New York State who is a registered jeweler with the American Gem Society. The Hudson Valley native is also active on the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and Gala Committee and has been recognized with the DCRCC Next Generation Award and as a Hudson Valley Magazine Women in Business Honoree.

A Lifetime in Jewelry

“I became involved in the jewelry business around the age of 12,” she says. “I joined full-time about 22 years ago, and the rest has been history.”

When Zimmer Brothers Jewelers announced her appointment, it came as a twofold achievement: Only three percent of family businesses survive past a third generation, or while navigating such a male-dominated field.

Breaking Barriers in a Male-Dominated Industry

“To date, the jewelry industry has largely been seen as a ‘man’s world.’ There are, however, some signs that the industry is beginning to change,” cited Women in the Jewelry Supply Chain, a white paper released in 2020 by global sustainability nonprofit BSR, underwritten by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands and Swarovski.

“Women are breaking into traditionally male roles, from miner to gemstone cutter and CEO,” authors Ouida Chichester, Jessica Davis Pluess, and Hetal Momay wrote. “Female entrepreneurs are driving the growth of a boutique ethical jewelry sector, targeting female customers who care about the origins and impacts of their jewelry, and are marketing jewelry as a statement of women’s empowerment.”

Zimmer’s Approach to Success

Some of the secrets to Zimmer’s success have been to stick to the basics.

“For any businessperson, it is important to speak up and share ideas. For me, it’s been key to be unapologetic while remaining clever and polite. Staying rooted in my feminine energy helps me remain confident and collected, rather than worried about competition.”

Nor has she experienced any glass ceilings. “I’ve yet to face any impenetrable obstacles. It’s a privilege to work in a family business like Zimmer Brothers Jewelers. We treat all our employees and the ideas that they share equally.”

Diamonds’ Fifth C: Community and Impact

“Empowering other women has always been important to me, but recently I have become more devoted to the task,” she continues. “As my daughters and their friends enter adulthood and search for their passions, I realize that most people are unaware of the meaningful side of the jewelry industry and the diverse opportunities that come with it.

“As a jeweler, I interact with people during significant, sentimental occasions, which allows me to empower women across the world. I now feel connected to women involved in all aspects of a diamond’s journey, from mine to market to hand, and it has given me a deep sense of purpose.”

Partnership With Diamonds Do Good

For Zimmer, that journey has included a partnership with Diamonds Do Good that has expanded the family legacy of doing good locally to a global level.

“While conversations around diamonds typically focus on cut, clarity, carats and color, Diamonds Do Good places an emphasis on a fifth C, community,” she says. “That takes into account all aspects of a diamond’s journey, from mine to market, and the communities and lives that they touch.

Through its partnership with a global nonprofit like Diamonds Do Good, Zimmer Brothers Jewelers enables its customers to contribute to programs that develop and empower those in natural diamond communities to take greater agency over their economic growth, education, healthcare, infrastructure development, clean water and wildlife protection.

Supporting Female Gem Miners Globally

Buoyed by the 130th anniversary of the family business last summer, she initiated a partnership with Moyo Gems to introduce one-of-a-kind pieces handled by women from mine to market.

“I was introduced to (and inspired by) Moyo Gems when I met Monica Stephenson, one of the nonprofit’s industry partners,” she says. “Moyo Gems works directly with women artisanal gem miners in East Africa to ensure they receive an equitable share of the gemstones that they help bring to market. Monica explained that supporting these women, who are often the foundation of their families, also supports the foundation of their entire community.

“This sparked an intense passion in me to connect with, and provide support and raise awareness for, female miners. I’m looking forward to our upcoming collaboration with Moyo Gems and two of my favorite Hudson Valley female jewelry designers, Rachel Atherley and Judi Powers. They are amazing at their craft and both are interesting and fun ladies!”

Jocelyn Zimmer’s Journey in Gemology & Jewelry

For all that Zimmer has – and continues to – accomplish, this wasn’t her first calling.

“Actually, I dreamed of being a singer/ songwriter and even attended the Hartt School of Music,” she says, adding how her father inspired her to pursue music as a career. A rock ‘n’ roll DJ before joining Zimmer Brothers Jewelers, he told her to always believe in herself, to be kind and patient, and never lose her sense of humor.

Zimmer doesn’t have to worry about filling anyone’s shoes when she has family footsteps like these to follow. “Dad taught me to dance and he’s still my favorite partner. But we have always done so as equal partners.

“This may not be what I wanted to be when I grew up, but I do believe this is where I was meant to end up,” she muses, fingering her favorite piece of jewelry, a Sword of Light and Love necklace she custom-designed herself. “I’ve always had a passion for storytelling. It’s another reason why I fell in love with music. Now I get to be a part of countless love stories every day. It’s not the rock ‘n’ roll that I imagined. But it still ‘rocks.’”

This story about Jocelyn Zimmer previously appeared in Rock & Gem magazine. Click here to subscribe. Story by L.A. Berry.