Joel Schechter – CEO of HONORA

Joel Schechter, CEO of HonoraMany of you know Joel from QVC where he has explained Freshwater Pearls and brought some of the most unique pearl jewelry to the QVC audience for over 12 years.  Here’s more about his history with Honora…

Joel has spent over 30 years in the jewelry industry traveling the world to buy various types of cultured pearls, diamonds and colored stones.  He travels to China constantly to buy from some of the world’s largest pearl farmers.  When Freshwater Pearls came onto the market over 20 years ago, Joel knew he was seeing the future of the pearl world.  Shifting the focus of the company from traditional Akoya pearls and designer diamond jewelry, he began to shape Honora into the leader in Freshwater Pearls that it is today.

Joel graduated from The George Washington University in 1976 with a BA in Economics.  He holds a Graduate Gemologist degree from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and attained the title for Certified Gemologist from the American Gem Society (AGS).  One of the foremost experts in pearls in the country, Joel has lectured at industry shows, jewelry store educational meetings and at GIA.

In addition to his love for Honora, Joel enjoys playing guitar, snowboarding, sailing and playing golf in his free time.  He works alongside his sister, Roberta, his brother-in-law, Ralph and his son, Michael.   He has proudly seen Honora into a third generation.  Joel has two other sons, Daniel and Brandon and lives in New York City with his wife, Eileen.

If you have questions or comments below, feel free to leave a comment below or email us at community@honora.com.

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  • Dee Prieto
    Dear Joel:

    Thank you for bringing Honora Pearls to QVC. I am a June baby and have been in love with pearls for many years. With your QVC collection, I can now afford pearls of all shapes, sizes and colors. It has been a fantastic way to shop, and I am building a very interesting collection.
    One of my recent purchases was the station necklace with the white ring pearls. It is georgeous!
    I was wondering if you would consider making a matching bracelet?

    I look forward to many years of collecting, and hope to get to your Flagship Store for a visit.

    Best regards,
    Dee
  • Thanks so much for the kind words, we will be sure to pass the message along
    to Joel! I am also going to pass your product request along as well!

    We are glad to be a part of your pearl collection and hope to keep tempting
    you with all of the designs to come! Hope to hear from you again soon or
    better yet see you at our NY store!
  • Joyce Brown
    Hi Joel! I love your pearls! I have many of your designs and multi colored strands. Lately,
    some have been offered at QVC that are 18" or 22". The 18" is too short and the 22" too long.
    I would like an extender to use with the oval sterling Honora clasp! I know you can do it!
    Let me know.
    Thank-you,
    Joyce
  • We are actually working on this very item! We hope to have an
    extenders that will offer more versatility to all of our 18" necklaces
    in late 2009/early 2010. Thanks for your comment.
  • deborah leslie green
    I adore the pearls used by Hagit Gorali and Barbara Bixby in their jewelry, especially Hagit's peach-tone pearls. Of course, I love the pearls right from Honora on QVC. Thank you for not bringing cheap-looking pearls to QVC. I just can't afford jewelry otherwise, even though my Mom has had an art [original] gallery for 41 (yes!) years. Even the jewelry at the American Craft Council wholesale shows are too expensive for me because of the volume required to be bought and the quick decisions needed to be made. On the Internet, I can take my time and THANK YOU SO MUCH JOEL SCHECHTER. Deb Green, Atlanta.
    P.S.: I adore all pearls except for the "ringed" kind. I really dislike those.
  • joanfallon
    Could you please give me your address in New York?
    I need to have a bracelet repaired.
    Many thanks, Joan Fallon
  • Hi Joan!

    Thanks so much for reading. I am attaching our repair guidelines, I
    hope they help. If you have any additional questions, be sure to send
    us an email at community@honora.com.

    REPAIRS. If your HONORA item should require repair, please follow the
    mailing instructions below:
    1. Mail us your item through a traceable shipper, UPS, USPS Priority
    Mail, etc., to the address listed below. We recommend that you insure
    your package for the original purchase value in the unlikely event
    that it is lost in transit. HONORA is not responsible for lost packages.
    2. Enclose a check or money order in the amount of $ 15.00 to cover
    processing, handling and return postage made payable to HONORA
    Industries, Inc.
    3. If available, kindly enclose a copy of the original sales receipt
    to validate the date of purchase and a note explaining what service is
    needed. Remember to include your name, return mailing address, contact
    number and email.
    4. DO NOT send the original pouches or packaging received at the time
    of purchase along with your item as it will not be returned.
    Package the item carefully, enclose the necessary documents mentioned
    above and send to address below. Please allow for 3 to 4 weeks on all
    repairs.
    HONORA Industries, Inc.
    Attn: Repair Center
    18 East 48th Street
    New York, NY 10017
  • pencraft
    Hello. I recently bought a lovely strand of golden-colored pearls on QVC. Could you tell me how the pearls get that color? I was curious about the process that would imbue them with a particular shade. Thank you!
  • Hi Pencraft! We are just finishing up a blog post that will address
    that, it is a great video from Joel our CEO. I am going to send you a
    private email answering your question, but be sure to look out for
    that post very soon! Thanks for commenting!
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