ABC News
"The Godmother" of Manhattan's go-to spot for everything bling has neither a cat nor cannolis, but she has cemented her position as a leading jeweler in a field dominated by men. Kerri Lavine, who earned her nickname after a photo captured her holding a cognac snifter in one hand and a cigar in the other, has been a longtime jeweler in the Diamond District, a strip of 47th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues that is home to over 2,600 businesses, according to the Diamond District Partnership, a business improvement coalition. Lavine, the co-owner of Diamanti NYC who has been a jeweler for over 43 years, told ABC News that her business has always been a hustle -- not only because she had to compete in one of the busiest jewelry shopping districts in the world, but also in an industry controlled by men.