Tiffany & Co., CFDA Name First Winner of Jewelry Designer Award
Jameel Mohammed, founder of Afrofuturist brand Khiry, will receive a cash prize and a one-year paid fellowship with Tiffany & Co.

Jameel Mohammed, founder and designer of Afrofuturist brand Khiry, is the winner of the award.
He will receive $50,000 and a one-year paid fellowship with Tiffany & Co.’s design department beginning in February.
Mohammed was honored at a cocktail reception celebrating the award at the retailer’s Fifth Avenue flagship, The Landmark, on Wednesday.
At the event, Stéphanie Oueda-Cruz, global vice president of diversity, equality, inclusion, and belonging at Tiffany & Co., CFDA CEO Steven Kolb, and Andrea Davey, chief marketing officer of Tiffany & Co., presented the award to Mohammed.
The Tiffany & Co. x CFDA Jewelry Designer Award is the first of its kind from the two collaborators, recognizing American jewelry designers who are committed to driving inclusivity within the design industry, they said.
The 10 finalists who were chosen to compete for the award were tasked with a design challenge paying homage to Tiffany & Co.’s illustrious heritage and inventiveness, with a selection committee reviewing the designer’s final collections.
The finalists for the 2024 award were: Mohammed, Symoné Currie of Metal x Wire, Ian Delucca, Marvin Douglas Linares, Angie Marei of Marei New York, Malyia McNaughton of Made by Malyia, David Perry, Maggi Simpkins, Hi Vu, and Pamela Zamore.
Their designs were evaluated by Tiffany & Co.’s chief artistic officer for jewelry and high jewelry Nathalie Verdeille, as well as Bethann Hardison, board member and advocate for CFDA; Frank Everett, vice chairman for jewelry at Sotheby’s; actress Gabrielle Union; designer and stylist Jahleel Weaver; CFDA member and designer Jason Wu; actress and model Joan Smalls; and Rajni Jacques, global head of fashion and beauty of Snap Inc.
From October 2024 to January 2025, the finalists participated in monthly mentoring sessions with Tiffany & Co.’s design team, received tours of The Landmark and the retailer’s jewelry design and innovation workshop, and attended a lecture series focusing on a variety of topics, including visual merchandising, jewelry trends, brand identity, sustainability, and gemstones.
The award is part of both institutions’ social impact platform, Tiffany Atrium and CFDA Impact, reflecting their shared ideas of innovation and commitment to excellence with the world of design, they said.
The Latest

Everett covers colored stones’ surging popularity, the mellow return of the “Mellon Blue,” and his “The Devil Wears Prada” doppelgänger.

The NYPD is warning elderly New Yorkers to keep their jewelry hidden when walking outside to avoid being a target.

Designer Viviana Langhoff has realized her dream of owning a space for her Chicago jewelry store that looks and feels like her brand.

As gold prices rise, today’s retailers are looking for alternatives at prices that will appeal to wider audiences.

The sessions will run from Friday, May 29, to Sunday, May 31, with one being a live taping of an episode of Couture’s podcast.


Former Stephanie Gottlieb Fine Jewelry executive Morgan P. Richardson is joining the lab-grown diamond jewelry brand.

The $400 pocket watch is a blend of Audemars Piguet’s iconic eight-sided Royal Oak and Swatch’s unserious Pop watches from the ‘80s.

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

With gold prices on the rise, the “Modern Electrum” collection uses an alternative, non-tarnishing metal alloy composed of gold and silver.

Fruchtman Marketing has new owners, Erin Moyer-Carballea and Manuel Carballea, and will relocate to Miami.

In a column for the 2026 State of the Majors issue, Smith lists 10 time-tested principles about sales that still ring true.

In a column for the 2026 State of the Majors issue, Golan spells out how the growing economic divide in the U.S. is reshaping the market.

The “Limitless Expansion of Joy and Hope” collection evokes summer through colored gemstones and motifs of butterflies and florals.

The jewel, circa 1890, is from the late Victorian era and was owned by descendants of the last high king of Ireland.

This is what the nine recipients plan to do with the funds.

The Western star’s 14-karat gold signet ring sold for six times its low estimate following a bidding war at U.K. auction house Elmwood’s.

The discussion, "Rebuilding the Jewelry Workforce," will take place on Saturday, May 16, in Troy, Michigan.

The jewelry industry is reassessing its positioning as Gen Z reshapes the retail landscape and lab grown continues to gain market share.

A matching pair of 18.38-carat, D-color diamonds from Botswana’s Jwaneng mine sold for $3.3 million, the top lot of the jewelry auction.

Sponsored by A Diamond Is Forever

The next generation of lapidarists are entrepreneurial, engaged online, and see the craft as a means for artistic expression.

It was the second auction appearance for the fancy vivid blue-green diamond, which sold for $7.8 million at Christie’s Geneva 12 years ago.

Members of the U.S. Marshals Task Force took a 22-year-old man into custody. He was charged with tampering with evidence.

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.

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



























