Jan Mohr, Couture’s ‘North Star,’ Dies at 71

Kingwood, Texas—Couture Retailer Liaison Jan Mohr, known for her kindness, elegance, and grace under pressure, died Dec. 25, a few months after being diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer.

She was 71.

Mohr began her career in jewelry working behind the counter at a local retailer before becoming the fine jewelry buyer at Henry Birks USA and, later, regional sales manager for Tiffany & Co.’s trade division.

In 2000, she started her own consulting firm, Jan Mohr & Associates.

It was through her firm that she worked as Couture’s retailer liaison, helping jewelers navigate the show with endless patience and answering all their questions, big and small.

Mohr retired this past June after 26 years with the show.

In a tribute video played during the 2025 Couture Design Awards, Matt Rosenheim of Tiny Jewel Box in Washington, D.C., a longtime Couture retailer, shared a few examples of the types of questions she fielded regularly.    

“Jan, how am I going to register? How am I going to get into the show? Do I need a business card? I lost my phone, can you help? What am I going to do, Jan?”

The Guarino family, owners of Louis Anthony Jewelers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, another Couture retailer, described Mohr as a “constant source of warmth and kindness” who had a genuine interest in getting to know the people around her.

“We were deeply saddened by the news of Jan’s passing,” the Guarinos said. “Her devotion to this industry was personal and heartfelt. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her.”

Adam Glassman, creative director of Oprah Daily, also noted Mohr’s attentive nature. 

“Jan knew everyone’s kids’ names, everyone’s pets’ names,” he said. “It went beyond just the work.”

A veteran jewelry journalist, Glassman has been attending Couture since the show’s Arizona days (Couture moved to the Wynn Las Vegas in 2005) and knew Mohr for about 20 years. 

He said she was more than a retailer liaison; she helped press too. 

Glassman said Mohr kept in touch with him year-round, calling to tell him about a designer she thought would be perfect for his publication.  

“She really supported the entire jewelry community,” Glassman said.

“I’m going to miss her humanity, and her personality. The world has lost a wonderful spirit.”

In addition to supporting retailers and press, Mohr was an “inimitable” member of the Couture team, the show said in a statement about her passing.

She offered level-headed guidance and perspective to colleagues whenever they were confronted with a problem or dilemma. 

Gannon Brousseau, executive vice president at Emerald, which produces Couture, described Mohr as the show’s “rock, our unsung hero, our North Star, and the most inspiring person I’ve ever met.”

“When I took this job, I knew that I just wanted to make her proud. Jan’s impact on our industry, on our community, and on me personally, is indelible,” he said. 

“We join her family and the entire industry in mourning this tremendous loss.”

At the Couture Design Awards, the show presented Mohr with a new award, the Hidden Gem Award, an honor that came as a complete surprise to the humble Mohr, who largely preferred to remain behind the scenes. 

In the wake of her death, Brousseau announced that the award will be renamed the Jan Mohr Award for Excellence.

It will be presented to a retailer who honors Mohr’s legacy by “consistently showcasing kindness, respect, and dignity to their brand partners and maintains a commitment to fostering the success of the designers with whom they work,” Brousseau said. 
 

Born Janis Lynn Carpenter in Toledo, Ohio, Mohr grew up in Holland, a Toledo suburb.

She attended Springfield High School and Ohio Northern University, graduating with honors in 1976.

Outside of work, Mohr loved being active. She’d ride her red bike along the greenbelt trails in Kingwood, Texas, where she lived.

She’d also make homemade soups every year for her annual Christmas soup party, which brought together friends and family in a spirit of “generosity, laughter, and love—much like Jan herself,” her obituary said.

Mohr is survived by her husband of 46 years, Larry Howard Mohr; her beloved and only daughter Madelyn Meryl Fischer; son-in-law Andrew James Fischer; four siblings, Timothy Daniel Carpenter, Christine Ann Flanagan, Mary Beth Carpenter-Pandhi, and Teresa Ellen Haque; and her dear friend Kathy Ilene Bellos (and her husband Michael Bruce Bellos), whom she loved like family. 

She was preceded in death by her parents, Betty Ruth Carpenter and George William Carpenter.

A celebration of life will be announced when arrangements are finalized.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her honor to the Glioblastoma Research Organization.