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Gold and diamond guru Rick Davis signs multimillion-dollar deal for syndicated show

Rick Davis reaches for a jewelry container behind his desk at his Brainerd Road jewelry store, Rick Davis Gold and Diamonds, on Friday, May 5, 2017, in Chattanooga, Tenn. Davis will be on a television show devoted to buying, selling, and evaluating jewelry.
Rick Davis reaches for a jewelry container behind his desk at his Brainerd Road jewelry store, Rick Davis Gold and Diamonds, on Friday, May 5, 2017, in Chattanooga, Tenn. Davis will be on a television show devoted to buying, selling, and evaluating jewelry.

By Barry Courter 5 min read

Rick Davis is taking his jewelry-based reality TV show to national syndication, and he has Judy O’Neal to thank for it.

O’Neal is the owner of UCTV-TV 265, a small cable-access station in Fort Oglethorpe, Ga. A few years ago, she convinced Davis, who ran ads for his Brainerd Road store, Rick Davis Gold and Diamonds, to appear on the station to talk about precious metals, gems and jewelry.

“He had sort of like an infomercial with us, and he was very informative as to the value of something,” O’Neal remembers. “He’d tell you how to tell a real diamond from a fake one and the value of gold and things like that.”

Davis says he had no intention of becoming a TV personality, but even for a man who is used to bartering with people, he couldn’t stave off O’Neal.

“Judy is very persistent,” Davis says with a chuckle.