Independent jewelers are discovering that giving back works best when it’s personal – when staff, clients and causes intersect in ways a check alone can’t capture.
These four retailers show how philanthropy done right can motivate customers to walk through the door.
CD Peacock: Modeling positive behavior
Before a dozen models with vision loss walked the runway at CD Peacock’s “Beautiful Lives” fashion show, they spent a day at a spa and got fitted by Nordstrom stylists. The show grew out of a client’s connection to a local training center for people losing their eyesight. Vice chairman Steven Holtzman and marketing director Chelsea Holtzman Lawrence spent time with the participants before inviting them to model at an in-store event that drew more than 100 clients to the jeweler’s suburban Chicago location, aka “The Mansion.”
The evening raised about $60,000 after CD Peacock invested roughly $30,000 to stage it, with sponsors partly offsetting the cost. The jeweler also raises $25,000 to $30,000 every quarter for the Hinsdale Humane Society and supports Cradles to Crayons, a nonprofit group that provides children in need with essential items.
Holtzman accepted a Diamonds Do Good Community Impact Award in June in Las Vegas. But he sees the giving as an obligation rather than a bid for recognition. A business that welcomes as many as 750 people through its doors on a busy Saturday has a unique opportunity to know what the community needs, he believes.
Experiences that engage both clients and employees create deep community ties while strengthening the team, Holtzman has found. In 2023, CD Peacock partnered with Foster Love, dedicating a portion of sales to funding bicycle-building kits. Employees assembled and donated 50 bicycles and filled 130 duffel bags with comfort items for foster children.
Frank Adams Jewelers: On the right track
When Frank Adams Jewelers of Albany, New York, celebrated its centennial in 2022 with its “100 Acts of Giving” project, owner Kimberly Adams Russell began rethinking the store’s approach to philanthropy.
The campaign expanded the store’s reach to include issues that team members felt passionately about, including a food pantry, college scholarships and gemological education for Scouts. Today, the store’s charitable giving is less often about donating a piece of jewelry and more about hands-on experiences.
That philosophy shaped the store’s role this year in Siro’s Cup, a Saratoga, New York, social event that launches the Saratoga Race Course season and benefits the Center for Disability Services. “The opening of the track is a very big deal, but so few people even realize what the money is going to benefit,” says Billie Jo Newman, the jeweler’s marketing director. “It’s more about see and be seen.”
In keeping with that vibe, Newman organized a locally televised, Oscars-style red carpet arrival, sending 10 staff members and paid influencers to offer commentary on party guests’ jewels and accessories. It was a way to highlight the brand in a more memorable and fun way than a straight sponsorship. Frank Adams also deployed its signature Ice Bar raffle – a lighted Lucite display containing three diamonds – selling 100 tickets at $50 each to raise $5,000 for the organization.
Newman attributes the company’s recent exponential growth to the renewed energy around charitable giving, together with the opening of a new store in 2024. “The more people see us showing up for the community in meaningful ways, the more they get to know who we are and what we stand for,” she says. “That builds trust, strengthens our reputation, and helps keep Frank Adams top of mind when someone is celebrating one of life’s biggest moments.”
Underwood’s: A gift of green space
Craig and Laura Underwood know what a good park means to a family. Their own three sons grew up riding bikes, celebrating birthdays and hunting for crawfish in a creek at a community park in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Now the owners of Underwood’s Fine Jewelers are donating 65 acres to turn into trails, athletic fields and a nature preserve in an underserved corner of the city.
This fall, the city will open the first phase of Underwood Park, which will be the city’s fifth and largest community park. When complete, it will also connect more than 200 acres of continuous green space.
The city named it for the Underwoods in recognition of not only the donation, but also the couple’s enduring support of the parks department. In 2018, the state of Arkansas recognized Laura Underwood as parks volunteer of the year.
“Supporting the parks department as well as numerous local charities is just part of what we do,” says Craig Underwood, adding that the boost the couple has seen in brand awareness is a welcome side benefit. When the city broke ground on the park in September 2025, the event drew coverage from local newspapers.
“People do thank us for contributing,” he says. “Hopefully people connect the dots and see we are good stewards of the community.”
Korman: Keeping up the good work
When Kat and Larry Stokes acquired Korman eight years ago in Austin, Texas, they inherited a culture of giving that touched dozens of organizations. Former owner Russell Korman “would give $10 to the PTA and $25 to the marching band,” relates Kat Stokes. “He gave to everything and everyone who asked.”
The couple is carrying on that generous tradition, but they have streamlined their giving to focus on children’s causes, women’s empowerment, and healthcare.
Today, one major philanthropic focus is Mack, Jack & McConaughey, the Austin-based celebrity fundraising effort of actor Matthew McConaughey, singer Jack Ingram, and football coach Mack Brown. It brings together golf, music, fashion and philanthropy to raise millions of dollars for children’s charities. Korman sponsors the two-day gala and fashion show, provides jewelry for key figures, and donates luxury items for raffles.
For the Stokeses, the most meaningful efforts are the most personal. Continuing one of the former owner’s projects, the Stokeses host holiday outings for teenagers from the Settlement Home for Children, organize adopt-a-family programs for homeless mothers, and encourage employees to champion causes important to them.
Online shoppers also encounter a check-out feature on the Korman website inviting them to direct a portion of their purchases to one of several charities. That goodwill has helped fuel the store’s growth, including a new 11,000-square-foot flagship location the Stokeses call The Jewel House.
“We can get a little jaded and a little desensitized in our industry, and this keeps us a little humble and grateful,” says Kat Stokes.
Main image: Laura and Craig Underwood (fourth and sixth from left, respectively) at the groundbreaking for Underwood Park. (Underwood’s)
