Bush Helzberg Net Worth: Aspen Jeweler and Investor (1971–2023)

Bush Charles Helzberg died unexpectedly on May 23, 2023, at age 52. He was an investment banker and investor who founded Expedition Capital and the Aspen jeweler Best & Co., and he was a son of the family behind Helzberg Diamonds. No reputable outlet ever published a net worth figure for him. The $4.6 million figure this page used to show had no source and has been removed. Older versions of this page also wrote about him as if he were still alive, which was wrong.

What was Bush Helzberg's net worth?

There is no reliable estimate. His own companies were private and small, and his family's wealth came mainly from Helzberg Diamonds, a business his father ran for decades. Bush did not own it himself. No rich list or business publication valued his personal estate, and estate details were not made public after his death.

His money came from a few sources, according to his obituary in the Kansas City Jewish Chronicle:

• Finance – He worked as an investment banker at Lehman Brothers and co-founded the investment firm Helzberg Angrist Partners.
• Expedition Capital – An investment firm he founded.
• Best & Co. Jewelers – A luxury jewelry business he founded in Aspen, Colorado.

The old page described Best & Co. as a jewelry brand worn by celebrities, and said he had given millions of dollars to charity. We found no source for either claim, so both have been removed.

Bush Helzberg's yearly income

His income was never published. The old page listed $200,000 a year, $16,000 a month and $555 a day, with no source, so those figures have been removed.

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The Helzberg family and Helzberg Diamonds

Bush was born in Kansas City, Missouri, to Barnett C. Helzberg Jr. and Shirley Bush Helzberg. According to Kansas City Magazine, Barnett's grandfather opened the family jewelry store in Kansas City in 1915. Barnett took over in 1963 after his father died suddenly and grew the chain to more than 200 stores in 23 states. In 1967 he came up with the "I Am Loved" lapel button, which became the company's best-known campaign. Shirley Bush Helzberg is a well-known Kansas City philanthropist.

This is why the old page said Bush was "born into a family of luxury jewelers." That part is true, but its claim that he spent hours in a family workshop learning to make jewelry had no source.

Career

• 1971 – Born in Kansas City on January 15, according to his memorial page.
• School – Attends Pembroke Hill School in Kansas City, then the University of Michigan.
• After college – Serves two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Mali, West Africa.
• Graduate school – Earns graduate degrees from Columbia Business School and Stanford Law School.
• Finance – Works as an investment banker at Lehman Brothers, co-founds Helzberg Angrist Partners and founds Expedition Capital.
• Aspen – Founds Best & Co. Jewelers.
• 2016 – Helps bring Student Diplomacy Corps study-abroad scholarships to the Roaring Fork Valley.
• May 23, 2023 – Dies unexpectedly at 52.

Education and the charter school book

On his Charter Schools Work website, Helzberg wrote that a high school homestay in France and a semester in Kenya with the National Outdoor Leadership School shaped his interests. At Michigan he designed his own major in development strategies for Africa. He later wrote Charter Schools Work: How America's Failing Urban School Districts Can Be Transformed, based on University Academy, a Kansas City charter school that the school says his parents helped found. He served on the school's board.

Board roles and giving

His obituary lists a long record of nonprofit work. He was past chairman of YPO Aspen and served on the boards of University Academy, Aspen Country Day School, World Learning and St. Luke's Hospital of Kansas City. He also sat on the advisory council of the National Outdoor Leadership School, the collections committee of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and the Board of Visitors of Stanford Law School.

In 2019, The Aspen Times reported that he and Jamie Helzberg had hosted a reception for local students returning from Student Diplomacy Corps programs abroad. He had helped start the local program in 2016, working with The Buddy Program. It grew from six students in its first summer to 15 in 2019, with each scholarship costing $7,500.

Family

Bush Helzberg's wife

The old page said he was married to Jamie M. Helzberg. His 2023 obituary lists Jamie Helzberg as his former wife. He was survived by his parents; his brother, Barnett C. Helzberg III; and five children, sons Oliver, Benton, Leo and Arthur and daughter Amelia.

Age, height and weight

Bush Helzberg was born on January 15, 1971, and died on May 23, 2023, at 52. The old page gave his age as 54 and said he had spent more than 30 years building one of the world's largest jewelry companies. Neither is correct. The height and weight given there had no source and have been removed.

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Why no figure is given

Helzberg's businesses were private, and his share of his family's wealth was never reported. Any number would be a guess, especially one that treats his parents' company as his own. The public record shows a Kansas City-born banker, investor and Aspen jeweler who spent much of his time on education and study-abroad causes.