Alexis Padis Takes Over as AGS Board President
Padis succeeds Lisa Bridge, marking the first time the organization has had two women board presidents in a row.

Ben Bridge Jeweler CEO Lisa Bridge completed her second one-year term and welcomed Alexis Padis as the new board president, marking the first time in history that the presidency has passed from one woman to another.
Padis is president of Padis Jewelry, a San Francisco-based independent jeweler with five stores that she runs alongside her parents, Steve and Judy Padis. She is also an AGS Certified Gemologist Appraiser.
Bridge passed the torch to Padis at the organization’s annual Membership Breakfast, held April 17, the final day of AGS Conclave in Austin, Texas.
For the 2024-2025 term, Padis will lead a board consisting of the following.
President-Elect: Bryan Moeller
Secretary: Mitchell Clark
Senior Advisor: William Farmer Jr.
Treasurer and Chair, Finance, Audit & Legal Committee: Sumit Dangi
Chair, Young Titleholders Committee: Dave Bindra
Chair, Gemological Sciences Committee: John Carter
Chair, Membership Committee: Sarah Person
Chair, International Guilds Council: Amanda Coleman-Phelps
Chair, Education Committee: Kevin Mays
Chair, Conclave Subcommittee: Denise Richards
Director-At-Large: Sarin Bachmann
Director-At-Large: Ryan Berg
Director-At-Large: Melissa Quick
Director-At-Large: Brad Hampton
Director-At-Large: David Mazer
Director-At-Large: Niveet Nagpal
Director-At-Large: Larry Rickert
Quick, Hampton, and Bindra are new additions to the board.
Also during Conclave, AGS handed out its traditional slate of awards.
Jewelers Mutual Group received the Sallie Morton Award, the award given to people or organizations for their contributions to the AGS’s national guilds.
The Guild of the Year Award went to Andy Martin, CEO of Wishfluence and president of the Northwest Arkansas Guild, while FBI Supervisory Special Agent Jeffrey Rolands received the John J. Kennedy Award, which honors law enforcement for outstanding service to and support of the jewelry industry.
At the Titleholders Luncheon, Mays of John Mays Jewelers received the Young Titleholder of the Year Award.
Valerie Madison of Valerie Madison Fine Jewelry was recognized as the recipient of the scholarship to attend Conclave presented by the Black in Jewelry Coalition and the Young Titleholders’ Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.
The Young Titleholders also awarded scholarships to attend Conclave to seven jewelers this year.
They were: Daniel Abdallah, Maya Caroleena Jewelers; Lisa Bradshaw, John J. Bradshaw; Kimberly Ngarupe, Duke’s Jewelers; Leslie Rollins, Zachary’s Jewelers; David Rubenstein, Betz Jewelers; Torre Spellman, Skeie’s Jewelers; and Tiana Yamaguchi, Vardy’s Jewelers.
The Latest

While the overall number of crimes was down, there were more incidences in which robbers pulled out guns, mace, or rammed cars into stores.

Jack Sutton Fine Jewelry is closing its store inside the downtown shopping center after 40 years in business.

Reena Ahluwalia’s painting of the rare red diamond is the first contemporary painting to join the National Gem Collection.

With the trade and customer trust in mind, GIA® developed NextGem™ – on-demand training designed specifically for retail.

The price of gold has risen, affecting the number of pieces designers make, the materials they use, and how they position themselves.


Peter Smith gives tips on leading meetings, developing marketing, and making trade show appointments in the age of short attention spans.

The 11-piece “Medallions” capsule collection features five motifs: a crying eye, a heart on fire, a spiral, a flower, and a swallow.

Gain access to the most exclusive and coveted antique pieces from trusted dealers during Las Vegas Jewelry Week.

From Gen Z’s view of luxury to “doom spending,” these are the six consumer trends to note this year.

The owners of Staats Jewelers are heading into retirement.

Jeffrey Gennette, who retired in 2024 after 41 years with Macy’s, is the newest member of the jewelry retailer’s board of directors.

May babies are lucky to have emeralds, a gemstone admired for centuries, as their birthstone, writes Amanda Gizzi.

The new module allows retailers to plan, promote, and measure the success of events from a single dashboard.

NDC said in an open letter that Pandora’s statements about the carbon footprint of lab grown versus natural diamonds are inaccurate.

The diamantaire and industry leader succeeds Feriel Zerouki and said he will focus on being a “champion” for natural diamonds.

She wore our Piece of the Week, Glenn Spiro’s “Old Moghul Golconda” earrings, featuring fancy brown-yellow diamonds totaling 51.90 carats.

The jewelry retailer noted resilience among its higher-end customers while demand softened for its lower-priced offerings.

Led by the 6.59-carat sapphire, the sale garnered $9.7 million, a record total for a Heritage jewelry auction.

In his new role, sales specialist Billy Welshoff will focus on the eastern United States.

José Gaztelu has been promoted to the role, which has been vacant since last year.

It has also opened the application period for the Seymour & Evelyn Holtzman Bench Scholarship through June 30.

The owner of the Ekati mine, which opened in 1998, has filed for insolvency protection amid the significant decline in diamond prices.

The company announced the change alongside its Q1 results, which showed that the jewelry brand’s year is off to a shaky start.

The retailer will cut 16 percent of its corporate workforce as part of its plan to exit bankruptcy.

Of the many examples used in the filming of “Le Mans,” this one is believed to have spent the most time on Steve McQueen’s wrist.

Megan Piccione dressed Lauren Wasser in layers of diamond jewelry, making her stand out in a crowd that included celebrities like Beyoncé.

Following decades of association leadership, the “semi-retired” colored gemstone expert is turning his focus to gemstone education.























