DEF honors two who do good

New York--The Diamond Empowerment Fund, the organization that works to better the lives of people in diamond-producing countries worldwide, honored actress Jane Seymour and Jewelers for Children Executive Director David Rocha at its annual Good Awards.

Held last Thursday at the Empire Penthouse in New York, the event, which is now in its fourth year, recognizes individuals, organizations and corporations in the diamond and jewelry industries who are leaders in terms of global citizenship, sustainability and promoting opportunity for others. 

Seymour’s “Open Hearts by Jane Seymour” collection has been a top-seller at Kay Jewelers for years, following a chance meeting several years ago between Seymour and Mark Light, then the CEO of Kay parent company Sterling Jewelers. 

The two were seated at the same table at an event, and Light noticed Seymour’s open heart-style jewelry, which she had had custom-made based on one of her paintings. He then took the idea to executives at Sterling, and the Open Hearts line was born. 

Seymour since has launched the Open Hearts Foundation, which raises money for a wide range of charities. Recent honorees include The Kind Campaign, started by two young women to discourage girl-on-girl bullying, and the Travis Mills Foundation, which benefits wounded and injured veterans. 

“We have an opportunity to create positive social and cultural change with our collective desire to make a difference in the world,” Seymour said after receiving her Good Award on Thursday. “When we do that, everyone wins and the entire world can be impacted by doing just a little good.”

The evening’s other recipient, Rocha, is the executive director of well-known industry charity Jewelers for Children, which raises millions for children-focused charities, such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the National CASA Association. 

He said the jewelers he works with are “constantly involved with helping others in the community--not for any personal recognition, but because it is their community and they truly care about making it a better place to live and work.” 

Based in New York, the Diamond Empowerment Fund is a global nonprofit co-founded by music mogul Russell Simmons. It currently works to raise money for three educational institutions in Africa--CIDA City Campus, African Leadership Academy and Botswana Top Achievers--and launched a consumer-facing website this year designed to inform consumers about all the good diamond do around the world.