Graduate Gemologist harnesses her experience in entertainment for a successful career on Jewelry Television

By Tara J. McKenna

You may not know her by name, but place Diana Jarrett in a pub and she just might be recognizable to die-hard fans of the hit television show “Cheers.”

The veteran Screen Actor’s Guild (SAG) member played a regular customer on the popular sit-com from 1991-93 when she moved through the scenes and took in everything that went on around her on one of the longest-running comedies in television history.

The opportunity to watch some of the show’s most popular actors at work each week was one of her greatest experiences on the job, Jarrett said.

“I’ve seen Shelley Long sit down and enroll herself so completely into character before a show that she would stand up and just step into the role. It was an amazing thing to watch and learn,” she said.

These days, she’s traded her spot at the pub for a seat on the home shopping channel Jewelry Television, where she is the communications director and chief resident gemologist. Her favorite job puts her behind the lens – the loupe’s lens. As the chief resident gemologist, she evaluates the company’s entire inventory.
 
“I’m usually the first person to look at every loose gemstone and finished jewelry piece that comes into the studio to estimate its value,” Jarrett said. “It allows me to see a wider variety of gemstones than most people in the industry, which is a tremendously unique and rewarding position to be in.”

Jarrett said she’s almost always had a thing for gems, but she wasn’t ready to pursue a career in the jewelry industry until she felt she had accomplished all she could as an actress. Once she was ready, Jarrett went to work on obtaining her Graduate Gemologist diploma before seeking a position where she could use her acting experience and gemological knowledge to her advantage.

“Diana’s background in gemology and entertainment make her a perfect match for our company,” said Sheree Henry, director of Show Performance. “She helps us see the beautiful aspects of all jewelry, regardless of the price, and points out the unique features of a piece, which enables our on-air hosts to better describe the benefits.”
 
‘Discovered’ on 5th Avenue
It’s hard for Jarrett to image her life without gems and jewelry even though they weren’t her vocation until the 1990s. She got her first acting gig when she was 17 years old after she moved from Michigan to New York City on a whim and was literally “discovered” on the street.   

“It sounds so cliché, but someone spotted me and a girlfriend walking down 5th Avenue,” she said. “He told me I had that all-American look and I should be in commercials.”

The stranger wasn’t in the entertainment industry, but his comment led Jarrett to pick-up a copy of BackStage magazine where she read about upcoming “cattle calls” in New York City. Armed with a small Polaroid snapshot of herself, she set off for her first audition, a commercial for the President’s Council on Fitness. She was amazed when she got the part, and a membership to SAG.

“I didn’t know how grateful to be until years later after I had heard how hard it was for some people to break into the business,” she said.

Jarrett adapted quickly to her new life of casting calls and odd business hours. National commercials became her stock-in-trade and she pitched everything from soup and cars to toothpaste.

Her television career lasted for more than 20 years, but even while she was sitting at the bar on “Cheers,” she felt like something was missing. She found herself analyzing her life and remembered the excitement she felt years earlier when she was on an archeological dig in Central America.

It took her two weeks, traveling by plane, helicopter, truck, horseback and on foot, to reach La Ciudad Blanca in northern Honduras. She enjoyed every aspect of the trip, from learning to how use fireflies as flashlights to telling time by the sounds of the jungle. But her passion for jewelry did not ignite until she unearthed a strand of polished emerald beads.

“It thrilled me that someone from 3,000 years ago loved this piece of jewelry and here I was 3,000 years later, loving the same piece,” Jarrett said. “It particularly impressed me that, while people have a short life span, gems and jewelry don’t. They are able to outlive the people who own them and pass on a story to future generations.”

Jarrett enjoyed the experience so much that she returned to explore Central American ruins several more times. Despite her growing interest, the acting bug still had a hold of her and Jarrett didn’t make her move to join the jewelry industry until 1997.

“I decided to jump in full force by getting my education from GIA and finding a fit that would utilize my career in the media,” Jarrett said. “I knew there were some home shopping networks and I aimed right for that target.”

A Jewelry Industry Ambassador
Jarrett received her G.G. in 2002. By then, she was writing freelance jewelry articles and working at Sotheby’s Beverly Hills as support for their Elite Jewels Auctions, a position she acquired in 1997. She left to develop her own antique jewelry retail and appraiser business, Heritage Gems, in 2000, before contacting Jewelry Television about an on-air host position in 2003.

Her enthusiasm helped her land the job, where her coworkers affectionately named her the jewelry/gemstone goddess.

 “Diana is charming, beautiful inside and out, and full of incredible stories about gemstones,” Henry said. “Listening to her is intoxicating. Her complete essence comes together in an enchanting way when she talks about gems.”

Jarrett gives lectures, creates educational material for Jewelry Television’s 1,500-plus employees, travels to trade shows and writes articles for various publications.

Occasionally, she joins on-air personalities during their broadcasts to talk about gemstones that are not well-known by the 68 million homes that tune into the network each day. In fact, Jarrett started her career at Jewelry Television in front of the camera selling jewelry before she was promoted.

A self-described workaholic, Jarrett said she doesn’t leave her passion for gems and jewelry at work. She believes in continuing education and earned her Registered Master Valuer designation from the California Institute of Jewelry Training in 2004. She also spends every spare moment dedicated to jewels, whether she’s discussing them over dinner with clients, reading trade magazines, researching gemstones or writing her monthly column for the North Carolina-based newspapers Southern Jewelry News and Mid-Atlantic Jewelry News.

“Someone once asked me how I do it, how I spend so much time working,” Jarrett said. “For me it’s not just a job, it can’t be, I have to love it. It’s almost a bonus that I get paid to do it.”

Jarrett credits the entertainment industry for enhancing her communication skills, both on and off the camera, but she believes her success in jewelry is directly linked to her passion for the pieces her company sells.

“I think the best use of my skill set and background will be realized in the media as an ambassador to the jewelry industry,” Jarrett said. “I plan on contributing to our industry by stimulating interest and confidence in gemstones as art and a creative expression of nature.”