Last week The Diamond Empowerment Fund’s (D.E.F.) Good Awards, established in 2012 to recognize individuals, organizations, and corporations, in the diamond and jewelry industry for outstanding leadership and promoting opportunity for others, were held at the Empire Penthouse in New York City.
The cocktail party honored Jane Seymour for her work with the Open Hearts Foundation, which was created to help children in the areas of education, sports and the arts. Kay Jewelers who is partnered with the foundation and Jane Seymour who has designed the Open Heart Pendant discussed her mission and goals for the foundation.

David Rocha, the executive director of Jewelers for Children was honored with the Good Award for his work in raising money for children’s charities.

The D.E.F. was started in 2007 by Russell Simmons and many executives in the diamond and jewelry industry to empower diamond communities worldwide through education.

The organization sponsors schools around the globe including the ALA, The African Leadership Academy, located in Johannesburg, South Africa. The three students of the Academy in attendance included Fortune Zindi from Zimbabwe, Ngozi Cole of Sierra Leone, and Emmanuel Ewald Mushy from Tanzania. All three students discussed how attending the school changed their lives and have given them opportunities that would otherwise not be possible. They are all attending college in the US now and looking forward to successful careers, and are thinking about someday going back and using that knowledge to help create change in their home countries.

Nancy Orem Lyman, The VP and the executive director of D.E.F. announced that website has been launched called http://www.diamondsdogood.com and that the signature green bracelet will once again be available for sale to support fundraising for the organization.

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