Independents

Meet Jewelers of America’s 2026 ‘20 Under 40’ Class

IndependentsApr 21, 2026

Meet Jewelers of America’s 2026 ‘20 Under 40’ Class

The annual list honors rising professionals on the retail and supply sides of the jewelry industry.

Jewelers of America 20 Under 40 winners collage
Jewelers of America has named the retailers and suppliers in its 2026 “20 Under 40” class.
New York—Jewelers of America has announced the inductees into this year's “20 Under 40” program.

Launched in 2022, the program recognizes rising professionals in the jewelry industry under the age of 40.

The program features two lists, one recognizing jewelry retail members and one for jewelry supplier members, which was introduced last year.

Each list recognizes 20 individuals for a total of 40 honorees.

“We are thrilled to celebrate this year’s 20 Under 40 class, an inspiring group of professionals who represent the next generation of leadership in our industry,” said David Bonaparte, president and CEO of Jewelers of America.

“By continuing to recognize both retailers and suppliers, the program highlights the collaboration and creativity that fuel the jewelry community.”

The retail recipients are:

Bobby Bengivengo Jr., owner at Cellini Design Jewelers in Orange, Connecticut;
SJ Boardman, senior sales consultant and social media marketing manager at Summerwind Jewelers & Goldsmiths in Portsmouth, New Hampshire;
Kyle Bullock, owner at Bullock's Jewelry in Roswell, New Mexico;
Lauren P. Clawson, store manager and advertising & marketing advisor at Huntington Fine Jewelers in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma;
Baileigh Daoud-Soricelli, managing partner and director of marketing at Daoud's Fine Jewelry in Fort Lauderdale, Florida;
Shelly Devine, Graduate Gemologist and certified appraiser at Devine & Co. Private Jeweler in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California;
Karen Fox, shop manager at Fox Fine Jewelry in Ventura, California;
Taylor Frank, president at Eiseman Jewels in Dallas, Texas;
Charlie Green, director of stores at Lux Bond & Green in West Hartford, Connecticut;
Morgan Hancock Lewis, director of marketing at Merkley Kendrick Jewelers in Louisville, Kentucky;
Griffin Holbeck, vice president of sales and store director at Korman Fine Jewelry in Austin, Texas;
Brittany Kelly, manager and designer at David Adams Fine Jewelry in Fayetteville, Arkansas;
Tony Maggio, owner at Reflections in Gold in Venice, Florida;
Sylvan Eugene Needham V, assistant manager at S.E. Needham Jewelers in Logan, Utah;
Mackenzie Nguyen, director of retail & e-commerce at Ylang 23 in Dallas, Texas;
Sara Beth Brown Prendeville, president at Brown & Co. in Atlanta, Georgia;
Sarah Martin Rowe, founder and principal designer at The Leake Co. in Louisville, Kentucky;
Victoria Ruta, engineer technician at Tiffany & Co. in New York, New York;
J.C. Sanders, owner and jeweler at Sanders Jewelry in Andalusia, Alabama; and
Olivia Wickersham, director of sales & operations at The Bevy in Denver, Colorado.

 Related stories will be right here … 

The supplier recipients are:
Laura Berardocco, sales director and senior vice president at Roberto Coin Inc. in New York, New York;
Domenique Collins, strategic partnerships & roadmap at Adaptive in Saratoga Springs, New York;
Rohan Desai, operations manager at Star Gems in Atlanta, Georgia;
Elliot Dilamani, vice president of global sales at Dilamani in Great Neck, New York;
Javier Garza, founder at Xavier Jewelers in Austin, Texas;
Josh Genovese, vice president at Child-Genovese Insurance Agency, Inc. in Hingham, Massachusetts;
Melanie Goldfiner Goldberg, chief marketing & business development officer at Rahaminov Diamonds, Inc. in Los Angeles, California;
Sarah Haugaard, co-founder and creative & operations director at Lionheart in New York, New York;
Hiba Husayni, founder and designer at Zahn-Z in New York, New York;
Nicolai Israileff, co-owner at ASBA USA in Sarasota, Florida;
Gaurav Khandelwal, chief operating officer at Union Gems in Houston, Texas;
Steven LeVian, manager of couture at Le Vian Corp. in Great Neck, New York;
Casey Perez, founder and designer at Casey Perez in Brooklyn, New York;
Meir Saban, president at Saban Onyx in New York, New York;
Olga Shatrova, designer and founder at Olga Shatrova LLC in Irvine, California;
Stella Song, founder and CEO at Stella Song Designs in Irvine, California;
Nicole Stern, co-founder and vice president at Everspark in Great Neck, New York;
DeAndre Williams, senior account executive at Aurora Payments in Tempe, Arizona;
Ersin Yildirim, owner and CEO at Golden Planet USA Inc. in New York, New York; and
Gabriella Zwirn, founder and designer at Nur Jewels in Carlsbad, California.

The recipients were chosen by a panel of industry judges, and were evaluated on their professional success, innovative thinking, leadership qualities, and dedication to the greater jewelry community.

Each nominee also demonstrated a commitment to the Jewelers of America Code of Professional Practices and the highest standards of professional ethics, said JA.

For more info about this year’s recipients, visit the JA website.

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