By Deborah Samuels

Deborah Samuels is CEO of Lumije New York.

As CEO of Lumije my goal was to combine my love of diamonds and jewelry with my passion for women’s causes - and in particular women’s economic growth and opportunity. Lumije New York is a Direct to Consumer premier online diamond jewelry retailer that partners and donates a percent of all sales to the non- profit Bpeace.

Lumije’s mission is to bring 5th Avenue quality jewelry directly to women, without the luxury retail markup. Living in NYC, I was inspired by the women of New York; designing collections inspired by and for women in the city including the Hamptons, Soho Boutique and Central park collections.

But inspiration and quality alone was not enough. I believe in the power of the multiplier effect. A woman buys a piece from Lumijé to empower herself, and through her purchase, which benefits Bpeace, she is empowering another woman who is gaining the knowledge and skills to be more successful in her career.

Bpeace initiates change around the world, by empowering women entrepreneurs. This women-owned business in conflict-affected areas help to create jobs in small businesses. These jobs lift families in communities everywhere.

Bpeace is working with more than 100 small businesses this year and our goal is to help them grow and create thousands of new jobs so that families can feed their children, send them to school and hope for a brighter future. These businesses employ more than 5,000 people who in turn support 20,000 family members. A good job changes everything for those families. A job is the bridge to education, poverty reduction, improved health and ultimately less violence.

More than 60% of the businesses we support are owned by women. We are very proud of our partnership.

““Bpeace initiates change around the world, by empowering women entrepreneurs. This women-owned business in conflict-affected areas help to create jobs in small businesses. These jobs lift families in communities everywhere.@BpeaceHQ #PowerToChangeStories” ”

Deborah Samuels is CEO of Lumije New York and partners with Bpeace. https://www.bpeace.orgFacebook; https://www.facebook.com/lumijenewyork https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborah-samuels-9a0b7513/ ; www.lumije.com