Jim & Ann Marie Dunn, the two people who built J.R. Dunn into a staple in the South Florida community, were simply “Mom and Dad” to Sean.

When Jim passed away in 2021, the loss reverberated far beyond the walls of J.R. Dunn Jewelers. For more than five decades, he had been a force in the business and the community: a mentor, a philanthropist, and a visionary whose word was as solid as his handshake. In the two years that followed, Ann Marie, his wife and Co-Founder, became the rock that held the company together. As Sean reflects, “She was here every day believing in the vision, that it could last into the future, and carrying it there. Just an incredibly strong woman.”

Two years later, Sean steps fully into the driver’s seat, bringing the lessons he absorbed from them every day of his upbringing. In this interview, he speaks candidly about the weight of responsibility, the values he inherited, and the moment he finally knew he could carry forward the legacy his parents built: one of family, community, and heart.

Name: Sean Dunn, Vice President & Co-Owner, J.R. Dunn Jewelers

Birthstone: Sapphire

Interests: “I love my wife, I love my kids, I love my family, dogs, the boat, surfing, spearfishing, fishing — anything on the water, you name it. That’s me.”

Q: What is it about Paraiba Tourmalines that speak to you?
Sean: “That gemstone spoke to me the first time I saw it… it just brought me back home.” For Sean, home was the South Florida water. He spent his childhood fishing off the dock with his parents, boating, and making trips to the Bahamas. Those memories of growing up not just as their son, but as their fishing buddy and partner in adventures, tie him deeply to the gem’s ocean-like glow. “The colors were electric. Neon. I’d never seen anything like it. It was always my mom’s favorite, too. She and I are like twins.”

Q: What’s your favorite part of the new showroom?
Sean: “The Heritage Lounge is being built built so our clients and my kids can connect to where it all began.” Inside is the original “House of Gems” sign from his parents’ first location in 1969, along with antique gemology tools, awards, and photographs of the J.R. Dunn journey.

“My mom has an incredible eye for one-of-a-kind treasures, a gift she brought to both leading the buying team at J.R. Dunn and antiquing with Dad. Every piece she finds seems to come with its own story.” Sean smiles at the thought, then laughs recalling photos of his father’s playful side, like the time he arrived at a company party in full Elvis attire: wig, sunglasses, sequins and all. “He did a great Elvis impression… put on his best moves!”

For Sean, honoring his father means preserving his laughter as well as the peer-nominated awards that placed him alongside his idols in the business community, recognitions like Entrepreneur of the Year and the Excalibur Award. Jim Moran and Rick Case were mentors Jim Dunn deeply admired. “Dad was proud, but always humbled to be in that company.”

It’s those personal memories, mixed with decades of awards and history, that make the Heritage Lounge more than just a display. “It’s a living memory of the two people who built the company.”

“I couldn't have done it without my team... they brought me through until I believed in myself. Once I realized I was comfortable in my own skin and in the role, that's when I knew I was doing it. Leading.”

Q: What values from Jim Dunn guide you most as a leader?

Sean: “When my Dad made a promise, you could take it to the bank.” He explains that when they first started, jewelry was a handshake business. “Your word was everything.” Jim and Ann Marie were new to the Diamond District in New York, still finding their footing in an industry built on connections. A diamond vendor Willie asks Jim for a “password” of sorts: “Name three people you buy from.” When Jim did, opened his long jacket putting packets of diamonds on the table, scribbled inventory on a coffee-stained napkin, and handed over Jim’s favorite stones on trust alone. “You’ll pay for what you sell.” Jim hesitated: “You don’t even know me.” Willie replied, “No, but I know a face.” That moment shaped how Jim did business for the rest of his life, and it remains Sean’s standard today: “Tell the truth, keep your word, follow through.”

Sean laughs remembering another lesson. “One summer at 14, my dad arranged for me to work at a construction site with Jimmy Bryant, a family friend. Jimmy looked at me and said, ‘What am I going to do with a 14-year-old kid?’ It’s funny thinking back... Me and my lunchbox. But it taught me how to get along with everybody, all walks of life. That was my dad, too. The same respect for everyone he meets.”

Q: The showroom project came with its share of challenges, including a robbery right before the Soft Opening. What was going through your mind?

Sean: “It was about 12:30 at night and I got a call from our GM, Tyrone: ‘We’ve been hit.’ I thought, what is this, a movie?” With no glass on the storefront, the showroom was wide open to the night sky. “Surreal.” Sean notes the irony: decades earlier, his parents had faced a robbery in their early days of business. In both cases, business went on as planned. “We weren’t going to postpone. We were moving forward. That’s what my dad would have done.”

Q: Community has always been part of J.R. Dunn’s story, and continues to shape the company today. What does it mean to you now?

Sean: “The community came, supported us, and embraced my family when we needed it the most.” Giving back, he says, has always been part of the Dunn family story. Sean’s grandmother was a visiting nurse, always helping people, and that spirit shaped Jim Dunn from the beginning. “Once he became successful in business, that was in his heart. He wanted to be able to give back, and he did. His whole life.”

Sean shares a story he only discovered after his father’s passing: “Our electrician was working in Africa, helping to build clean water wells. One of them was funded by J.R. Dunn. My dad did that quietly; we didn’t even know until the electrician brought back photos of a well dedicated from J.R. Dunn.”

From supporting local organizations like the Boys & Girls Club to ensuring J.R. Dunn’s traceable natural diamond program does good in mining communities abroad, philanthropy remains at the core of J.R. Dunn’s mission.

Q: And on a personal level, what was it like stepping into this role after your father passed?

Sean: “After my mom had stayed so strong, running the show for 3 years, I knew I had to follow her lead. Some of the most soul-searching moments of my life were realizing I was responsible for 40 employees, this showroom project, and I didn’t know how I was going to pull it off.”

He laughs about the nerves of asking for his first business loan to fund the new building, feeling younger than his years. “I didn’t know whether the bank was going to lend me the money… all I knew was that I had a job to do.”

Decades of trust and community, built by his parents, anchored him. “That path my parents laid down is what got us through the hardest times of my life.” His mother’s steady hand kept the business together in the immediate aftermath, and in the years since, team J.R. Dunn became a source of belief when his own confidence wavered. “I couldn’t have done it without my team… they brought me through until I believed in myself. Once I realized I was comfortable in my own skin and in the role, that’s when I knew I was doing it. Leading.”

Q: How do you bring the brand vision forward while staying true to your roots, and what’s next?

Sean: Sean reflects on being an early adopter of digital retail. In 2005, he spearheaded JRDunn.com, making them one of the first independent jewelers to bring luxury brands online. “I just connected the dots. People were looking for the brands we carried— I knew we had to do it.”

Almost 20 years later, his approach to innovation hasn’t changed. “Technology should enhance the personal touch, never replace it. When you call us, it’s still Steve or Cheri on the other end of the phone, just like before.” Steve and Cheri, J.R. Dunn’s online sales professionals have both been working with the family for over ten years, ensuring the same warm, familiar experience customers have always known.

Looking ahead, Sean is deeply committed to supporting meaningful causes both locally and globally, leveraging blockchain technology to make a lasting impact. J.R. Dunn’s Single Source diamonds from Botswana, for example, support free education, healthcare, and job opportunities in mining communities. “It feels good knowing you’re representing a product that’s benefiting someone along the way. It’s just a magical feeling to be able to operate with that sense of purpose.”

Today, Sean leads J.R. Dunn with the same values his parents instilled: work hard, care deeply, and uphold the tradition of giving back. The new showroom is more than a sparkling space, it’s a living tribute to the exciting journey that Jim & Ann Marie started in a small Massachusetts house in 1969.

“When you walk into J.R. Dunn and see the renovation, the new Rolex room, the diamonds… All of that was built on the foundation my parents laid. Every piece is chosen with heart, and every client is part of the family. We can’t wait to welcome you into our new home.”