A year ago, we opened the doors to our Matawan headquarters with a clear purpose: to build a modern, service-driven environment that would make life easier for jewelers. Now, as we celebrate our first year in Matawan and our 75th year in business, we are proud of how transformative this move has been and how it positions us for the future.
A Home Built for Today’s Diamond Business 
Our new home is far more than a change of address. It represents a real shift in how we operate:
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- Purpose-built workspaces
Open, efficient, and designed so our team can work seamlessly from intake to quality control to your store. - State-of-the-art quality control
Lighting, scopes, RFID inventory control, and imaging systems have all been upgraded to give you faster and more accurate information. - A home for FireMark innovation
Every FirePrincess, FireCushion, and FireOval that leaves our building reflects the consistency and precision this space was built to support.
- Purpose-built workspaces
As we enter our second year in Matawan, our focus remains simple: faster service, better value, better communication, and the same reliability that has defined Hasenfeld-Stein for the past 75 years.
State of the Market — Thoughts from Hertz
You have read every kind of advice and prediction the market has to offer, and if you are still scratching your head, you are not alone. Many of us did not foresee how dramatically LGD would reshape the industry over the past few years.
After 50 years in this business, I can say honestly that very few expected the scale or speed of the shift we all experienced.
The market is now adjusting, and the real question is what comes next.
Several trends are defining how retailers and manufacturers should be thinking about inventory and strategy as we head into the final stretch of 2025.
1. Demand is real but selective
Consumers are buying, but they are choosy. Cut is king.
Well-made long fancies are moving while problematic stones are not.
Two-carat-plus rounds are selling, while pointers and four-fours are essentially not moving because of the LGD expansion.
2. Pricing spreads are widening
What sells well is holding value and in some areas even strengthening.
Weak goods are weakening further. As the middle thins out, having the right mix matters more than at any point in recent memory.
3. Tariffs and sourcing are reshaping the pipeline
The new tariff landscape is forcing the industry to rethink where it buys, where it cuts, and how it prices.
Retailers want origin clarity. Manufacturers are adapting cost structures and shifting production models accordingly.
4. LGD pressure is easing somewhat but its shadow remains
Lab-grown diamonds are no longer the tidal wave they were two years ago, but their aftershocks continue to distort certain size ranges and quality bands. The story is far from over.
Overall, the tone is cautious but constructive. Retailers offering transparency, well-made stones, and strong value are seeing real traction.
Heading into the first quarter of 2026, the landscape looks more stable and far more predictable than it did a year ago.
Spotlight: A Six-Carat Celebration
A jeweler came to us with a meaningful request. A client wanted to celebrate a major anniversary with a six-carat cushion and wanted a story to accompany a unique setting.
What We Did
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- Sourced the right rough
- Managed the cutting and transformation, documenting every step of its journey
- Collaborated on a custom mounting
- Delivered a diamond and a story
The result was a breathtaking six-carat cushion ring and a story the client will never forget.
📸 See the finished ring
View the Ring Photo
📖 Explore the journey
View the Storybook
Imagine This for Your Client
If you have a customer with a milestone worth celebrating, we can help you create something just as meaningful from rough to ring to story.
Let us build the next moment together.
