Who owns helzberg diamonds

On his own, Barnett rose quickly to the forefront of the jewelry business in the Midwest. An innovative merchandiser, he spent heavily on advertising and displayed a flare for promotions.

He also had great success offering name-brand jewelry on an installment payment plan, an innovative idea in the s. He moved to a lavish new location on Minnesota Avenue, and opened stores in Topeka and at 11th and Walnut streets in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. The supreme optimist, he shocked friends and associates when he doubled the size of his downtown store during the depths of the Great Depression.

Further expansion followed in the ensuing decades, and by the early s, the Helzberg Diamond Shops were operating in six locations in Kansas City and in some 12 other cities, mostly in the Midwest. Helzberg was a founder of the Diamond Council of America and active in other industry groups. He died in after a fall from his apartment, an apparent suicide. By , when the business was sold to investor Warren Buffett, it had grown to stores and was the third largest jewelry store chain in the country.

You are here Articles » Biographies. David Conrads. Primary Sources:. Highly regarded jewelry industry expert and outstanding multi-store retail executive, Beryl Raff was chosen by Warren Buffett to take over the leadership of Helzberg Diamonds.

With more than stores and a retail website, Helzberg became the first nationwide jeweler to qualify for membership in the American Gem Society. Sorry, we had trouble processing your request, please try again! Please ensure you are submitting one of our accepted document types. Join our team at Helzberg Diamonds! We are always looking for passionate and dedicated people to join our team. Let us know about you! Please ensure all fields have been filled.

Please ensure your firstname has been filled. Please ensure your lastname has been filled. Please ensure your email has been filled. Please ensure your desired job title has been filled. Select an option below. A history of success Morris Helzberg opened his first store in Kansas City.