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And the Winner of the 2022 Gem Award for Lifetime Achievement Is …
A longtime De Beers executive will receive the honor at the next Gem Awards, scheduled to take place in person in January 2022.
De Beers Executive Vice President Stephen Lussier will receive the Gem Award for Lifetime Achievement at the 2022 gala, scheduled to take place in January. Lussier, who started working at De Beers in 1985, has been integral in marketing diamonds to consumers over the past four decades.
New York—A De Beers executive described as being “at the heart of” diamond marketing for four decades will receive the 2022 Gem Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Stephen Lussier, chairman of De Beers Jewellers and De Beers Forevermark and executive vice president of Brands & Consumer Markets for De Beers Group, will receive the award at the 20th annual Gem Awards, set to take place in January 2022.
Lussier has been with De Beers since 1985.
Ten years after joining the company, he was appointed a director of the Diamond Trading Co. (or DTC, the name once used for De Beers’ sales and marketing arm) and in 2002 joined the DTC Executive Committee.
In 2005, Lussier was appointed to De Beers Group’s executive committee with responsibility for overseeing external and corporate affairs.
Four years later, he became CEO of Forevermark and executive vice president of marketing for De Beers Group.
In 2019, Lussier stepped back from day-to-day operations of Forevermark to focus on his role as executive vice president of Brands & Consumer Markets, a role in which he helps to shape De Beers’ strategy at the consumer level.
He also serves as chairman of the Natural Diamond Council and is a Responsible Jewellery Council board director.
“For over 40 years, Stephen Lussier has been at the heart of De Beers and diamond marketing worldwide,” Jewelers of America said in a press release. “His achievements and accolades exemplify the defining characteristics of a Gem Award for Lifetime Achievement recipient.”
After taking place virtually in 2021, the Gem Awards are slated to return in person on Friday, Jan. 14, 2022 at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York.
Now marking its 20th year, the Gem Awards gala celebrates individuals or companies that raise the visibility of fine jewelry or watches through their work, as Lussier has done for decades in marketing diamonds.
“Stephen has done so much for the diamond business and, in turn, for the jewelry industry as a whole,” JA President and CEO David Bonaparte said. “We look forward to bringing the industry together in total celebration this January as we honor Stephen.”
In addition to the Lifetime Achievement award, JA will be announcing other Gem Awards categories and nominees in the coming weeks.
For more information, to purchase tickets, or to show support for Lussier via a sponsorship, visit the Gem Awards website.
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