MajorsMay 01, 2025
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Here’s Who Made Jewelers of America’s New ‘20 Under 40’ List
Expanded this year to include suppliers, JA’s 2025 list honors 40 up-and-coming professionals in the jewelry industry.
On Tuesday, Jewelers of America announced the names of the 40 individuals who made its two “20 Under 40” lists for 2025. One list of 20 recognizes retailers, while the second list of 20 individuals is dedicated to suppliers.
New York—On Tuesday, Jewelers of America revealed who made its “20 Under 40” list for 2025, a recognition that has been expanded to include another facet of the industry.
Launched in 2022, the 20 Under 40 program originally was designed to highlight emerging talent in jewelry retail.
This year, JA added a new category recognizing jewelry suppliers—individuals working in design, manufacturing, wholesale, and service companies that support retail.
A total of 40 individuals are part of the 20 Under 40 Class of 2025, 20 representing jewelry retailers and 20 representing jewelry suppliers.
The 20 retail members are as follows.
• Daniel Arik, co-owner at Happy Jewelers, Fullerton, California
• Cece Baggott, chief strategy officer at The Vault Nantucket, Boston
• Lauren Boc, founder and CEO at Hera Fine Jewelry, Brooklyn, New York
• Fallon Bock, vice president and head buyer at Bachendorf’s, Dallas-Fort Worth
• Chase Brinson, owner at Ed & Ethel’s Fine Jewelry, Christiansburg, Virginia
• Chae Carter, president and owner at Carter’s Collective Fine Jewelry, Hattiesburg, Mississippi
• Robert Chorost, CEO at Precious Metals Refinery, Tucson, Arizona
• Helen Fuqua, bench jeweler at Christopher’s Fine Jewelry, Pawleys Island, South Carolina
• Vanessa Guarino, director of social media at Louis Anthony Jewelers, Pittsburgh
• Ricardo Guerrero, manager at Ben Bridge Jeweler, Bellevue, Washington
• Peter Hannes IV, chief operating officer at Craig Husar Fine Diamonds, Brookfield, Wisconsin
• Iris Jarvis, vice president at Young Jewelers, Jasper, Alabama
• Kathleen Thompson Kimball, CEO and president at George Thompson Diamond Company, Camarillo, California
• Chelsea Holtzman Lawrence, chief marketing officer at CD Peacock, Oak Brook, Illinois
• Joseph Meadows, creative design manager at David Douglas Diamonds, Marietta, Georgia
• Mike Nekta, partner at Leon Diamond, New York
• Mallory Shelter, owner at Shelter, Washington, D.C.
• Megan Sherrer-Neel, graduate gemologist/marketing and sales manager at Lou’s Jewelry, Mobile, Alabama
• Chris Wattsson, owner and bench jeweler at Wattsson & Wattsson Jewelers, Marquette, Michigan
• Rose Wong, CEO and founder at Kolohe Jewelry, Honolulu
The 20 supplier members are as follows.
• Allyna Ahrens, director of sales at Aurora Payments, Tempe, Arizona
• Aaron Ariel, co-founder at Dialog Solutions Inc., Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
• Dakota Badia, co-designer at Buddha Mama, Miami
• Mathew Behnam, president at Everspark, Great Neck, New York
• Cecily Bowen, national sales director at Hearts On Fire and Memoire, Boston
• Fernanda Durmer, owner and designer at Universal Deco, Denver
• Vanessa Fernández, jeweler and artist at Vanessa Fernández Studio, Miami
• Kiran Golakiya, chief operating officer at Dharm International LLC, New York
• Nichole Guillory, public relations and social media manager at Stuller Inc., Lafayette, Louisiana
• Joy Haugaard, creative director and co-founder at Lionheart, New York
• Joshua Israileff, co-owner at ASBA USA Inc., Sarasota, Florida
• Jean Kee, vice president of design at John Hardy, New York
• Jonathan LeVian, vice president of sales and marketing at Le Vian, Great Neck, New York
• Haim Medine, creative director at Mark Henry Jewelry, New York
• Raja Mehta, president at AG Gems, Los Angeles
• Trevor Mendelsohn, vice president of merchandise and sales at Robert Procop Exceptional Jewels, Beverly Hills, California
• Paras Pandya, managing director at Ashi Couture, New York
• Jordan Peck, head of operations at Brevani, New York
• Romy Schreiber Gow, art director at Gumuchian, New York
• Ross Wesdorp, senior director of sales/co-owner at Jewel-Craft Inc., Erlanger, Kentucky
Related stories will be right here …
Launched in 2022, the 20 Under 40 program originally was designed to highlight emerging talent in jewelry retail.
This year, JA added a new category recognizing jewelry suppliers—individuals working in design, manufacturing, wholesale, and service companies that support retail.
A total of 40 individuals are part of the 20 Under 40 Class of 2025, 20 representing jewelry retailers and 20 representing jewelry suppliers.
The 20 retail members are as follows.
• Daniel Arik, co-owner at Happy Jewelers, Fullerton, California
• Cece Baggott, chief strategy officer at The Vault Nantucket, Boston
• Lauren Boc, founder and CEO at Hera Fine Jewelry, Brooklyn, New York
• Fallon Bock, vice president and head buyer at Bachendorf’s, Dallas-Fort Worth
• Chase Brinson, owner at Ed & Ethel’s Fine Jewelry, Christiansburg, Virginia
• Chae Carter, president and owner at Carter’s Collective Fine Jewelry, Hattiesburg, Mississippi
• Robert Chorost, CEO at Precious Metals Refinery, Tucson, Arizona
• Helen Fuqua, bench jeweler at Christopher’s Fine Jewelry, Pawleys Island, South Carolina
• Vanessa Guarino, director of social media at Louis Anthony Jewelers, Pittsburgh
• Ricardo Guerrero, manager at Ben Bridge Jeweler, Bellevue, Washington
• Peter Hannes IV, chief operating officer at Craig Husar Fine Diamonds, Brookfield, Wisconsin
• Iris Jarvis, vice president at Young Jewelers, Jasper, Alabama
• Kathleen Thompson Kimball, CEO and president at George Thompson Diamond Company, Camarillo, California
• Chelsea Holtzman Lawrence, chief marketing officer at CD Peacock, Oak Brook, Illinois
• Joseph Meadows, creative design manager at David Douglas Diamonds, Marietta, Georgia
• Mike Nekta, partner at Leon Diamond, New York
• Mallory Shelter, owner at Shelter, Washington, D.C.
• Megan Sherrer-Neel, graduate gemologist/marketing and sales manager at Lou’s Jewelry, Mobile, Alabama
• Chris Wattsson, owner and bench jeweler at Wattsson & Wattsson Jewelers, Marquette, Michigan
• Rose Wong, CEO and founder at Kolohe Jewelry, Honolulu
The 20 supplier members are as follows.
• Allyna Ahrens, director of sales at Aurora Payments, Tempe, Arizona
• Aaron Ariel, co-founder at Dialog Solutions Inc., Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
• Dakota Badia, co-designer at Buddha Mama, Miami
• Mathew Behnam, president at Everspark, Great Neck, New York
• Cecily Bowen, national sales director at Hearts On Fire and Memoire, Boston
• Fernanda Durmer, owner and designer at Universal Deco, Denver
• Vanessa Fernández, jeweler and artist at Vanessa Fernández Studio, Miami
• Kiran Golakiya, chief operating officer at Dharm International LLC, New York
• Nichole Guillory, public relations and social media manager at Stuller Inc., Lafayette, Louisiana
• Joy Haugaard, creative director and co-founder at Lionheart, New York
• Joshua Israileff, co-owner at ASBA USA Inc., Sarasota, Florida
• Jean Kee, vice president of design at John Hardy, New York
• Jonathan LeVian, vice president of sales and marketing at Le Vian, Great Neck, New York
• Haim Medine, creative director at Mark Henry Jewelry, New York
• Raja Mehta, president at AG Gems, Los Angeles
• Trevor Mendelsohn, vice president of merchandise and sales at Robert Procop Exceptional Jewels, Beverly Hills, California
• Paras Pandya, managing director at Ashi Couture, New York
• Jordan Peck, head of operations at Brevani, New York
• Romy Schreiber Gow, art director at Gumuchian, New York
• Ross Wesdorp, senior director of sales/co-owner at Jewel-Craft Inc., Erlanger, Kentucky
A panel of industry judges selected the 20 Under 40 recipients for 2025, evaluating them on their professional success, innovative thinking, leadership qualities, and dedication to the industry.
Each nominee also demonstrated a commitment to JA’s Code of Professional Practices and the highest standards of professional ethics.
“We are incredibly proud to announce this year’s class of the 20 Under 40 program and to expand our recognition to include supplier professionals, who are essential to our industry’s growth and innovation,” JA President and CEO David Bonaparte said.
“The 20 Under 40 Class of 2025 represents the future of fine jewelry, and we are honored to celebrate their accomplishments and support their continued success.”
For more information about the recipients, visit the JA website.
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