NEW YORK – In keeping with The Plumb Club’s long-standing vision of helping to shape the future of the jewelry industry, and his own personal dedication to industry integrity, a key member of the Club has been nominated for vice-chairman of the Responsible Jewelry Council (RJC).

Michael Lerche, a jewelry industry veteran with over 40 years of industry leadership experience, is a long-time supporter and advocate of the Responsible Jewelry Council. It was under his leadership as president of The Plumb Club in 2019 that the Club became the first trade association in the jewelry industry to require all members to become certified members of the RJC as a condition of Club membership. Lerche has also championed and supported the Responsible Jewelry Council as an elected member of the RJC board for 5 years, as well as an early advocate of the Council, spearheading his company’s, Goldstar Jewellery, membership in 2014.

“Over the past 5 years, I’ve had the privilege of helping to spur the growth and organization of the RJC, an organization that positively impacts the jewelry industry overall by instilling trust, transparency and sustainability, benefitting consumers, communities and the environment,” said Lerche. “In order to strengthen the organization and continue to drive the positive trajectory the RJC has been on for the past few years, I would like to join the executive board as vice-chair.”

Lerche currently holds a number of key leadership roles in the jewelry industry as past president and now pavilion chairman of The Plumb Club, and as CEO of a major industry supplier, Goldstar Jewellery. He continues to be an RJC board member and is a member of the 24KT Club of New York. He represents a steady hand and a trusted voice to help guide the Council’s next chapter.