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Jewelers of America will honor Larry Pelzel, vice president and divisional merchandise manager of precious jewels at Neiman Marcus, with its Gem Award for Lifetime Achievement at the 13th annual Gem Awards in January.
Larry Pelzel, vice president and divisional merchandise manager of precious jewels at Neiman Marcus, has been named as the recipient of Jewelers of America’s 2015 Gem Award for Lifetime Achievement.
New York--Jewelers of America will honor Larry Pelzel, vice president and divisional merchandise manager of precious jewels at Neiman Marcus, with its Gem Award for Lifetime Achievement at the 13th annual Gem Awards in January.
The Gem Award for Lifetime Achievement is granted to an individual for an accumulated career’s worth of contributions to the fine jewelry industry. Honorees set a standard of excellence that serve as an inspiration to industry colleagues, JA said.
Pelzel has been in the industry for more than 34 years, getting his start as an understudy with some of the jewelry world’s most highly regarded jewelers and designers, learning skills like goldsmithing, design, appraising, buying, selling and merchandising firsthand.
He joined Neiman Marcus in 1980, working his way up from a sales associate in the precious jewels department to his current position, where he oversees all aspects of the precious jewels division, including buying, in-house design, promotions and advertising.
Pelzel also was inducted into National Jeweler’s Retailer Hall of Fame in 2012, in the SuperSellers/Majors category.
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“Larry has an eye for beautiful jewelry, a talent for discovering jewelry designers and an unwavering passion for the jewelry industry,” said Gem Awards Chair Norman Miller. “His career is a shining example of everything the Gem Award for Lifetime Achievement stands for. We are honored to celebrate his contributions to the jewelry industry with this prestigious award.”
The Gem Awards ceremony is scheduled for Jan. 9 at Cipriani 42nd St. in New York City, during which the winners of the Gem Awards in the three categories--Design, Marketing and Communications, and Media--will be announced live.
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