Meet some of the women at Stuller who are designing, manufacturing, and finishing pieces sold across the world.
All over the world, March 8 is celebrated as International Women’s Day — a day commemorating the achievements of women throughout history. From designers and saleswomen to manufacturers and bench jewelers, there are countless women in the jewelry industry to recognize for their contributions. While it hasn’t always been this way, the jewelry industry is as diverse and expansive as ever, thanks to the women in our history.
“At Stuller, women make up 66% of our workforce and we’re very proud of that. It’s certainly ingrained in our culture and who we are. Every day, I am inspired by the women that we get to work with — whether it’s through our finance, technology, manufacturing, merchandising, or design teams,” says Emily Graffagnino, Senior Director of Fine Jewelry.
In honor of International Women’s Day, we want to introduce you to just a few of the women that help make Stuller a great place to work. In fact, these are the women who are creating the very pieces jewelers around the world are providing their customers every day.
The Women of Stuller
Emily Bute
Executive Director of Product Design and Development
“I am approaching four fabulous years with Stuller and my job is to coordinate our design department, with fabrication and merchandising, to create new designs to be made and released to our customers. I am lucky enough to work with such a kind, talented, and smart group of people who are truly as passionate about jewelry as I am.
To me, the combination of knowledge needed to succeed in the jewelry industry is such a mix of technical know-how, getting gritty in the shop, and the glamor and beauty of the end results. I enjoy being at a company that is so female dominant as I find the jewelry industry to be home to driven, sharp, and inspiring women. It's absolutely a joy to work every day alongside my fellow jewelry mavens!”
Rustie L. Huval
Senior Director of Wax-CAM Operations-Traditional Manufacturing
“I have been with Stuller for 30 years and my job is to lead a manufacturing team to produce jewelry that is ready to wear or ready for stone setting — whatever our customers need. I am very proud to have a career in this industry. The challenges of manufacturing are what drive me to be a strong role model for my daughter. Truly, my favorite part of my job is that I work with a team that creates lasting memories for our customers.”
Alecia Frederick Hebert
Director of CAD Operations & Customer Support
“I have worked at Stuller for 28 years. Working with our CAD department, I see my job as creating custom, one-of-a-kind creations for our customers. I’m humbled to have the opportunity to work for a company that promotes and invests so much effort into growing the person, not the gender. As with most jobs 20 years ago, men dominated the jewelry industry (outside of Stuller). But for the 28 years I’ve worked here, we’ve always employed more women than men — at least in the areas I worked in. I’m very blessed to have moved up the ranks to lead other women into being the best version of themselves.”
Kristi Broussard
Tools & Supplies Senior Technical Specialist
“As a Senior Technical Specialist for Tools & Supplies as well as a Master Stone Setter, I do all our in-house customer training for stone setting and laser welding. I’ve been working at Stuller for more than 26 years and really am blessed to have a job where I interact with jewelers, help others, and share my knowledge with the future of our industry. I have really enjoyed these years of watching the company grow into what it has become today.”
March Is MeSM Month
With today being International Women’s Day and March being Women’s History Month, Stuller is joining in the Women’s Jewelry Association’s campaign to empower women to celebrate themselves and their achievements with beautiful jewelry: March Is Me Month. By participating in this campaign, we hope to encourage the success, confidence, self-appreciation, and smart investments of women across the globe.
We invite you to join in our celebration in a number of ways:
- Join the Women’s Jewelry Association
- Browse our curated selection of products made by the women of Stuller
- Become a Stuller First® member and access branded March Is Me promotional materials
To learn more about how to participate in March Is Me Month, visit Stuller.com/MarchIsMe.
Remember, as a jeweler, you can help women everywhere celebrate themselves in the simplest of ways. Be sure to use #MarchIsMeMonth on social media during March to join in the conversation of empowering women through jewelry.
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Read more about the ways you can celebrate March Is Me Month in our recent post on the Stuller Blog.