MajorsFeb 06, 2025
Oscar Heyman Employee Celebrates 60 Years With the Company Adam Heyman joined the family business in 1965, just weeks after graduating from Columbia Business School.
IndependentsFeb 10, 2016
WJA Names Hall of Fame Honorees
Sissy Jones, Peter Engel and the team at Ben Bridge Jeweler all will be inducted into the Women’s Jewelry Association’s Hall of Fame this July in New York.
Sissy Jones, the Ben Bridge Jeweler team and Peter Engel are the Women’s Jewelry Association’s Hall of Fame honorees for 2016.
New York--Sissy Jones, Peter Engel and the team at Ben Bridge Jeweler all will be inducted into the Women’s Jewelry Association’s Hall of Fame this year, at the organization’s annual Awards for Excellence gala in July.
This year’s Lifetime Achievement Awards is going to Sissy Jones, who opened Sissy’s Log Cabin antique and jewelry store in Arkansas in 1970 and since has grown the business to its four current locations. Jones has received numerous accolades, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Arkansas Jewelers Association, Retailer of the Year from the WJA and the 2015 Arkansan of the Year by Easter Seals.
Peter Engel, president of Portland, Ore.-based Fred Meyer Jewelers, is receiving the Ben Kaiser Lifetime Achievement Award. Engel first started at Fred Meyer in 1981 as a sales associate, climbing within the company to his current role, which he has held since 2005 and requires him to oversee 328 stores in 31 states. In addition, Engel serves on the board of directors for Jewelers for Children, the Diamond Council of America and the Diamond Empowerment Fund.
The Corporate Award is going to Ben Bridge Jeweler this year, honoring its long-standing commitment to excellence as a jewelry retailer. Established as a small watch shop in downtown Seattle in 1912, the business is run by the fourth and fifth generation of the Bridge family who uphold standards of integrity, quality, value, selection and service. Today, the company is owned by Berkshire Hathaway and operates more than 80 stores in the western United States and Canada.
The 2016 Hall of Fame honorees will be recognized at the WJA’s Awards for Excellence gala, scheduled for Monday, July 25 at a new location, the Hammerstein Ballroom at the Manhattan Center.
The evening also will honor individuals with Awards of Excellence in the categories of retail, design, manufacturing/supplier, sales, marketing and communications, editorial/reporting/publishing and special services. The winners of those awards will not be revealed until the gala.
Editors' Picks
Sponsored by
More on Independents
The Latest
CollectionsFeb 06, 2025
De Beers Jewellers’ New High Jewelry Pays Homage to the Beauty of TreesThe “Essence of Nature, Chapter One” collection echoes trees and roots, literally and figuratively, through three sets of high jewelry.
CrimeFeb 05, 2025
‘The Timepiece Gentleman’ Sentenced to 5-Plus Years Behind Bars Luxury watch dealer Anthony Farrer pleaded guilty late last year to defrauding clients in a scheme with Ponzi-type elements.
Brought to you by
3 Ways to Capitalize on America’s Newfound Love of Colored GemsColored stones are stepping into a jewelry spotlight typically reserved for diamonds—are you ready to sell color?
FinancialsFeb 05, 2025
Pandora Posts Double-Digit Growth After Strong Holiday SeasonIn its full-year results, the retailer shared its 2025 outlook and an update on the global rollout of its lab-grown diamond collection.
Weekly QuizFeb 06, 2025
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
TrendsFeb 05, 2025
Amanda’s Style File: Feeling Fabulous in FebruaryCelebrate February birthstones and the gem shows in Arizona this month with a versatile stone like amethyst.
MajorsFeb 05, 2025
DCA Promotes Kristen Scheetz to Director of Education, MembershipScheetz has been with the nonprofit since 2007.
Brought to you by
3 New Year’s Resolutions for Jewelry Lovers The new year feels like a clean slate, inspiring reflection, hope, and the motivation to become better versions of ourselves.
SourcingFeb 04, 2025
New Deal With Botswana Is Done, De Beers Confirms The agreement will allocate an increasing proportion of the country’s rough diamonds to the government of Botswana over the next decade.
Events & AwardsFeb 04, 2025
Van Cleef & Arpels’ Astronomy-Inspired Jewelry to Land at AMNH“Cosmic Splendor: Jewelry From the Collections of Van Cleef & Arpels,” opens April 11 at the American Museum of Natural History.
SurveysFeb 04, 2025
Valentine’s Day Jewelry Spending Forecast to Hit Record High, Says NRFThose celebrating Valentine’s Day this year are expected to spend a record $27.5 billion on jewels, flowers, candy, and more.
EditorsFeb 03, 2025
Best Jewelry Moments From the 2025 Grammy Awards From Lady Gaga’s 1930s Tiffany & Co. necklace to Taylor Swift’s “T,” Michelle Graff recaps the night’s most memorable jewelry looks.
MajorsFeb 03, 2025
Qurate to Close HSN’s Florida HQ Amid RestructuringLayoffs will reportedly start next month as HSN plans to move into QVC’s location in Pennsylvania.
EditorsFeb 03, 2025
Q&A: 5 Jewelry Designers on Shopping the 2025 Tucson Gem ShowsA group of creatives talked to Associate Editor Lauren McLemore about their approach to the annual Tucson gem, mineral, and fossil shows.
AuctionsJan 31, 2025
Elizabeth Taylor’s Diamond Bracelet Outshines Estimate at U.K. AuctionThe auction also featured the sale of a Cartier necklace made when Egyptomania was sweeping Great Britain.
CollectionsJan 31, 2025
Piece of the Week: Lalaounis’ Good Luck Charm for 2025The “Blossom Rosette” blooms with love, beauty, and hope for the year ahead.
IndependentsJan 31, 2025
Harvey Rovinsky, Longtime Owner of Bernie Robbins Jewelers, Dies at 77Rovinsky is remembered as a great mentor who made the employees of his stores feel like family.
Events & AwardsJan 31, 2025
Facets of Fire Has a Diamond Challenge for RetailersFor every jeweler who tries their luck, the company will make a donation to Jewelers for Children.
MajorsJan 30, 2025
WJA Chapter Leaders Resign as Fallout From DEI Remarks SnowballsThe boards of at least five chapters have resigned in response to controversial statements the WJA national board president made last month.
Policies & IssuesJan 30, 2025
RJC Executive Director Melanie Grant Is Stepping Down An experienced jewelry writer and curator, Grant led the organization for two years.
CollectionsJan 30, 2025
Pharrell Williams Brings Tahitian Pearls to His New Tiffany & Co. CollectionFive new designs were added, all donning Tahitian cultured pearls and spear-like trident motifs, along with the new “Titan” setting.
Events & AwardsJan 30, 2025
Registration Open for Converge 2025The inaugural event is being co-hosted by the American Gem Society and the Gemological Institute of America.
MajorsJan 30, 2025
24 Karat Club of New York Elects 5 New MembersJewelers of America’s Annie Doresca and AGTA CEO John W. Ford Sr. are among the new members.
CollectionsJan 29, 2025
Boucheron’s High Jewelry Takes the Form of ‘Untamed Nature’The jeweler’s latest high jewelry collection looks into the Boucheron archives to create a “living encyclopedia of high jewelry.”
FinancialsJan 29, 2025
LVMH Watch, Jewelry Sales End the Year DownWatch and jewelry sales slipped 3 percent in 2024, though the luxury conglomerate did see business pick up in the fourth quarter.
MajorsJan 29, 2025
Chanel Names New General Manager of Watches, Fine Jewelry for USOlivier Kessler-Gay will take over the role on March 3.
SurveysJan 29, 2025
Consumer Confidence Slips for Second Consecutive Month It hit a four-month low in January due to concerns about the job market, though consumers remain bullish about the stock market.
