Gerald D. "Jerry" Sisk Jr. (February 2, 1953 – January 13, 2013) was an American gemologist who co-founded Jewelry Television (JTV) in 1993.[1][2] Sisk also served as the executive vice president of Jewelry Television until his death in 2013.[1]

Biography

Sisk was born in New York and raised in the New York City Metropolitan Area.[2][3][4] He began working in the jewelry industry as an apprentice as a teenager.[1] He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, where he was a member of the Pride of the Southland Band as a student.[2]

Sisk, who spoke six languages fluently, was a graduate gemologist accredited through studies at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).[1][2][3][5] He traveled to approximately forty countries during his career.[2] He was a national committee member for the Gemstone Industry and Laboratory Conference and a member of the International Colored Gemstone Association.[3]

In 1993, Sisk co-founded what would become Jewelry Television together with two partners and longtime friends, Bob Hall and Bill Kouns.[1][2][3] Kouns was a jewelry expert, while Hall had spent his career in the television industry.[2] The new home shopping channel broadcast from a small studio in Greeneville, Tennessee, utilizing just one television camera.[2] Eventually, Sisk and his partners moved to a larger, permanent television studio in Knoxville as business and viewers increased.[2] Jewelry Television, which calls itself the largest retailer of loose gemstones in the United States, employed more than 1,200 people by the time of Sisk's death.[2]

Sisk's best known book, Guide to Gems & Jewelry, has sold more than 15,000 copies, resulting in a second edition.[1][3] In April 2012, the Jewelers Circular Keystone, an industry trade magazine, included Sisk on its "Power List of industry movers and shakers" within the gem and gemstone field.[2][6] The magazine called Sisk the fourth most influential person in its "Gems and gemology" sublist.[6]

Within the Knoxville area, Sisk served as a former President of the Knoxville Opera Company and held a seat on the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra.[2]

Sisk died in his sleep at his home in Farragut, Tennessee, on January 13, 2013, at the age of 59.[1][3] He was survived by his wife of thirty-seven years, Karen Lawhorn Sisk, his mother, Elaine Sisk, and his sister, Melanie.[1] He was buried in Concord Masonic Cemetery in Concord, Tennessee.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Jewelry TV Cofounder Jerry Sisk Dies". Jewelers Circular Keystone Magazine. 2013-01-14. Retrieved 2013-01-23.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Jerry Sisk, co-founder of Jewelry Television, dead at 59". Knoxville News Sentinel. 2013-01-13. Retrieved 2013-01-23.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Jerry Sisk, JTV co-founder, dies at 59". National Jeweler. 2013-01-15. Archived from the original on 2013-01-18. Retrieved 2013-01-24.
  4. ^ "Gerald D. Sisk Jr. Memorial Page". JTV. 2018-05-25. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
  5. ^ "Co-founder of Jewelry TV, Jerry Sisk, passes away". WBIR. 2013-01-14. Retrieved 2013-01-24.
  6. ^ a b "The JCK Power List: 50+ Movers, Shakers, and Tastemakers in the Jewelry Industry". Jewelers Circular Keystone Magazine. 2012-04-01. Archived from the original on 2013-02-19. Retrieved 2013-01-23.
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