The 17 Most Popular Stories of 2017

New York--To mark the end of yet another 365-day trip around the sun, National Jeweler has rounded up its most-read stories of the year.

From crime to amazing auction results to corporate shakeups and more crime, these are the 17 stories our readers clicked on the most in 2017.

Enjoy, and Happy New Year!

17. 1,564 Jewelry Businesses Ceased Operations in 2016
This story from February shared year-end statistics from the Jewelers Board of Trade.

16. 12 Charged in $9M Diamond District Scam
Charged by federal authorities in early April, the men allegedly passed bad checks, used forged documents and told tall tales to cheat wholesalers out of millions of dollars in melee.

15. $13 Diamond Ring Sells for $850K
Originally bought at the British equivalent of a garage sale, the owner long thought it was a piece of worthless costume jewelry.

14. The ‘Monster’ Looking to Disrupt Man-Made Diamond Marketing
Amish Shah, whom National Jeweler interviewed at the JCK show in June, wants to change the conversation the industry is having with consumers about lab-grown diamonds.

13. Mark Light Retiring, Signet Appoints First Female CEO
The news broke in July, with Light reportedly stepping down due to health reasons and Virginia “Gina” C. Drosos stepping up.

12. Analysis: Light’s Out at Signet
Shortly after news broke of Light’s exit, our editor-in-chief detailed the long chain of events that led to his departure.

11. The State of the Majors
The popular report returned in October 2016 after a four-year hiatus and the digital flipbook version attracted thousands of readers. Here’s a link to the 2017 version, which came out this October.

10. Why People Still Wear Watches
Editor-in-Chief Michelle Graff asked people about their reasons for wearing a watch in an age in which the time is available everywhere.

9. Two Killed in Separate Weekend Robberies
It was a very sad start to the year with jewelry store-related shootings in Henderson, Nevada, and San Antonio, Texas, on the same weekend in January.

8. Forbes List of Wealthiest Women Includes 2 from Jewelry
Alex & Ani founder Carolyn Rafaelian and Kendra Scott made this year’s list of the richest self-made women in the United States.

7. Shake-Up at Signet: Two Big Retirements, New Roles
Interestingly, the February article about the retirements of Ed Hrabak and Tryna Kochanek topped news of Light’s retirement in terms of readership.

6. Forget Millennials, Meet the ‘Midult’
She’s a woman between the ages of 35 and 55 with spending power who’s largely being ignored by jewelers.

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