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JA Announces 2018 Gem Award Nominees
And the categories are: Jewelry Design, Media Excellence and, new this year, Retail Innovation.
The nine nominees for the 2018 Gem Awards are, for Jewelry Design (top row, from left to right), Coomi Bhasin, Nikos Koulis and Irene Neuwirth; for Media Excellence, Benjamin Clymer, Marion Fasel and Michelle Graff; and for Retail Innovation, Govberg Jewelers, ByGoldGirl and Moda Operandi.
New York--Jewelers of America has announced the nominees for the 16th annual Gem Awards, which will take place this coming January in New York.
This year, the Gem Awards will recognize nominees in three areas: the traditional Jewelry Design and Media Excellence categories plus Retail Innovation, a new category added this year to recognize those businesses that are evolving along with the retail landscape.
The winners of each will be announced live at the Gem Awards, scheduled for Jan. 19, 2018, at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York.
They will join this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Sally Morrison, and actress Debra Messing, a lifelong jewelry lover who’s receiving the Gem Award for Jewelry Style, in being recognized that evening.
And the nominees are …
Jewelry Design
Coomi Bhasin, Coomi. Bhasin launched her namesake line in 2002 and followed up with the launch of Coomi47AG, a silver collection, in 2012. Her hand-finished, hand-set pieces are imbued with her signature style, a blend of a modern and an ancient aura.
Irene Neuwirth, Irene Neuwirth Jewelry. Neuwirth’s leading independent jewelry brand is known for its one-of-a-kind pieces that appeal to a fashion-forward clientele. Her pieces also are a favorite among editors and have been donned by numerous celebrities, most recently “Black-ish” star Tracee Ellis Ross at the Primetime Emmy Awards.
Nikos Koulis, Nikos Koulis Jewels. Koulis, whose family has been in the jewelry business for generations, created his eponymous brand in 2006. His beloved pieces--which are quickly becoming red carpet favorites (hello, Oprah)--showcase his artistic spirt and the intricate craftsmanship derived from the Greek goldsmithing tradition.
Media Excellence
Benjamin Clymer, Hodinkee. Clymer is the founder and CEO of popular online watch magazine Hodinkee, which recently announced it was expanding offline with a biannual print edition. Dubbed “The High Priest of Horology,” Clymer is widely quoted in majors publications such as The New York Times, GQ and The Financial Times.
Marion Fasel, TheAdventurine.com. Fasel is founder and editorial director of TheAdventurine.com, an online magazine that is a reflection of two decades of work as a jewelry editor, author and expert. She has written a total of eight books on the history of 20th century jewelry, including “Bejeweled: Great Designers” and “Hollywood Jewels: Movies, Jewelry, Stars.”
Michelle Graff, National Jeweler. Graff started at National Jeweler in 2007 as the senior editor covering the diamond industry before being promoted to editor-in-chief in 2013. She oversees the content for the website’s daily newsletter and also has revived two of the publication’s popular print issues, “The State of the Majors” and the “Retailer Hall of Fame.”
Retail Innovation
ByGoldGirl. Lauren Kaminsky Goldman operates and curates the jewelry for ByGoldGirl, a unique retail space situated at the entrance of New York City hotspot Beauty & Essex, a restaurant and lounge operated by the Tao Group that now also has locations in Las Vegas and Hollywood.
Govberg Jewelers. Founded in Philadelphia in 1916, Govberg Jewelers has evolved to become one of the country’s most specialized purveyors of luxury timepieces today. Under Danny Govberg, the retailer has merged traditional brick-and-mortar charm with the interest of today’s tech-savvy luxury consumer.
Moda Operandi. A top online luxury retailer, Moda Operandi allows customers to preorder looks straight from the unedited runway collections of designers before they are available elsewhere. Moda is also the company that held the virtual trunk show during Couture this year, making designs available to consumers as soon as they were introduced at the show.
To purchase tickets or find more information about the nominees and sponsorship and advertising opportunities, visit Jewelers.org/GemAwards.
National Jeweler is a for-profit subsidiary of Jewelers of America, which purchased the publication in 2015. The two organizations act independently of each other.
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