“Women of the Diamond Industry” focuses on the issue of gender equality along the entire diamond and jewelry supply chain. The series provides a platform for women in the industry to tell their own stories and to describe the particular challenges they have faced in their careers.
The 21st article in the series is authored by Rebecca Boyajian-Pecnik, a more than 20-year industry veteran, who today is Director of Market Development at the Gemological Institute of America.
OUT OF THE SHADOW, DOING IT ON MY OWN
“I couldn’t have known at that young age what it would be like for me, on my own, with no family business to take over,” writes Rebecca Boyajian-Pecnik. “Joining a male dominated industry, while standing in a shadow that others seemingly were more aware of than me.”
JUNE 4, 2025
“Come work for me, you won’t regret it.”
Over the course of the past 20 years, I’ve replayed these words in my mind many times over. I heard them while I was traveling in Hawaii on a college internship, and at the time needed to determine my next step after graduating. The biggest decision I had to make was whether to go study at GIA to become a Graduate Gemologist. It was then that Bill Larson of Pala International and The Collector phoned me. We talked for a long time, but the only part of our conversation I recall precisely was that exact line.
At the time, I wouldn’t have considered myself intentional. I was much more carefree, but I also was acutely aware I needed to make choices that, in the long run, would secure my happiness. It’s who I was, and it is what life has always been about for me.
The world I was about to join as a full-time professional was hardly ever far away. When I was only three and my younger brother just a newborn, my parents’ lives changed dramatically. At age 34 my father was appointed President of GIA, and for the 20 years that followed, 1986 through 2006, I knew my dad in no other position.
GIA – its mission, its legacy and its people, past, present and future – was a defining part of his life. But what about me? Once, without much specific context I can recall, he remarked, “You should consider the jewelry business. I think you’d have a knack for it.”
Looking back, it was astute and prescient observation.
Curious and rambunctious
GIA was the place my father not only worked at, but it’s what he devoted his life to. It was part of him, and part of him was in it. Arguably, this is still true today.
As a small child he would bring me into work to be entertained by the GIA staff. They lovingly showed me rubies under the microscope. I’d play with large – although, not to worry, not rare – crystals. I was a curious and rambunctious kid. It’s a characteristic that has served me as an adult, fueling drive, determination and tenacity.
Two generations. The author at a 24 Karat Club dinner in New York with her father, Bill Boyajian.
I recall driving down to Carlsbad from Los Angeles for a groundbreaking. The new West Coast campus of GIA was to be up on a hill, overlooking the ocean. It seemed quite fitting – an emblem of promise, vision. It took risk for all those involved in its planning, not simply constructing a building, but representing the spirit and significance of GIA.
I couldn’t have known at that young age what it would be like for me, on my own, with no family business to take over. Joining a male dominated industry, while standing in a shadow that others seemingly were more aware of than me.
The Boyajian family, mother Joyce, father Bill, brother David and the author, Rebecca, against the backdrop of the fields in Southern California on which would rise the GIA’s West Coast campus at Carlsbad.
A journey with many turns
The first Bill, my dad, planted the seed, and the other Bill watered it. After university, I did choose to study at GIA. Simultaneously I began working in the industry.
My first step was working for Bill and Jeanne Larson, where I became immersed in the world of colored gems, crystals and jewelry. There I had the opportunity to gain experience in fields of the business that very few do. Pala was really a mine-to-market operation. It was one of the most fun times of my life, meeting people from all over the world in a job that never felt like work.
My journey through the industry has included a good many turns. From Pala I went to work for the globally renowned Italian designer, Roberto Coin, and afterwards I joined my dad, who by that time had established a consulting business.
Then I moved into corporate retail, first at Bloomingdales and thereafter at Neiman Marcus. They provided me the chance to elevate my experience in gems and jewelry to include luxury fashion.
In turn, the department store giants led to me take on the secondary market, at FASHIONPHILE, the ultra-luxury accessory-only e-tailer. It had pioneered the buying and selling of pre-owned designer products.
The author presenting jewelry live online, during the time she worked at the ultra-luxury pre-owned accessory retailer, FASHIONPHILE.
Judged on my own success
The corporate fashion positions changed me. They made me tougher, but at the same time nicer. I worked with and led multiple business divisions, including large and very demographically diverse teams of people, many of whom became friends.
As I moved from position to position, and particularly during the latter period when I was ensconced in the world of high-end retail, the people who hired me had less and less idea of who I was. My family name, which is so immediately recognizable in the gem and jewelry industry, meant very little to them.
What mattered was that I was successful. I had put in the time, and I had shown I could deliver. I could speak to a breadth of business areas and categories. There’s a sense of pride I have in my journey. Despite my name, I had nothing handed to me. I did it all on my own.
A product of the people who invested in me
Today, as the Director of Market Development at GIA, it would seem that I returned to where it all it began. But, in truth the position I hold is entirely the result of the career I built for myself, and the skills and experience I nurtured individually.
Each year now I spend just under 100 days out in the field. Going from city to city in North America, I connect with the trade and promote the knowledge, tools and resources GIA offers. Working mainly with industry organizations, I have the opportunity to meet many people and support a broad-spectrum of businesses. I am passionate about supporting individuals at all levels of the market and maintaining the integrity and longevity of our industry.
I have the privilege of being a small part of the story of the pioneers of gemology. I am able to continue the legacy of GIA’s leadership, sustaining the mission and protecting consumers globally with the standards we built.
The author (right) presenting at the JCK Talks series, at the JCK Show in Las Vegas.
My story begins with the two Bills, and the truth is there are so many more people who have been and will be a part of my journey – before and after the moments I now recall. I am the product of the people who invested in me. All of them kept the spark alive and deserve my thanks.
In my work in the industry, the relationships I build are of paramount importance. My ultimate goal is to walk into an event 30 to 40 years from now and be able to call everyone my friend. That’s my north star.
How can we continue the work we do, enhancing and commemorating the most beautiful and poignant moments of people’s lives through the absolute wonder of nature’s treasures and humankind’s ability to enhance them?
Our industry has been billions of years in the making. Our individual careers are somewhat shorter, but I’d like to think I’m just in the middle of mine. I hope to continue contributing, with many years more of “no regrets” ahead.