The pieces in “Animali Tarallo” portray animals from stingrays to elephants through portraits and interpretations of their patterns.
And the Gem Award Winners Were …
A New York-based journalist, a Brazilian-born designer and an innovative fashion company that is everywhere were honored alongside Rolex’s Stewart Wicht and Tiffany & Co.

New York—When Stewart Wicht was 21 years old, he had no idea what he wanted to do.
But he was “working out” what he didn’t want to do, he told the crowd at the 17th Annual Gem Awards Friday evening after stepping onto the stage to accept the 2019 Lifetime Achievement award.
He did not want to: be a priest, work in a factory, go into IT or HR, work for a company that produced plastic bottles or hair-care products, or wear a canary-yellow jacket while renting cars at an airport.
In the summer of 1975, Wicht started at the one job that stuck—working for Rolex in Geneva where, Hodinkee founder Benjamin Clymer shared in introducing Wicht, he was put in charge of “a little of bit of everything” as the only native English speaker at Rolex Geneva at that time.
Over the years, he worked all over the world for Rolex while establishing departments that proved key to the company’s future success, trademarks and domain names.
In 2011, following the death of Allen Brill, Wicht received his most important assignment yet—come to the United States to head the watch brand’s No. 1 market. Here, he strengthened both the brand and its relationship with retailers and led the company in achieving phenomenal growth during his eight years at the helm.
Wicht retired as president and CEO of Rolex Watch U.S.A. as of Jan. 1, though he remains on the company’s board of directors.
In accepting his award Friday, he thanked a few of the many people who helped him in the U.S., including Ed Bridge and the late Martin Gatins of Cartier.
“I always say that you can go faster alone but you can go further together, and I think that is what you have to understand (about) the way I think about things,” he said.
And the Winners Were …
In addition to Wicht, the Gem Awards recognized achievement in jewelry media, design, retail and marketing.
The first award of the night, Media Excellence, went to Town & Country’s Will Kahn, who has been covering jewelry for more than a decade and created #willsnotebook for Instagram.
Brazilian-born, U.K.-based designer Fernando Jorge—who

The Gem Award for Retail Excellence went to Threads Styling, a personal styling service that provides fashion editorial to its clientele—largely high-net-worth millennials—then finds what they want, sources and ships it to them, all via mobile chat platforms.

Ferg Alert
While the Media, Design and Retail Excellence awards were the only winners revealed Friday night—Tiffany & Co. already had been announced as the recipient of the Gem Award for Marketing & Communications, and the Lifetime Achievement Award recipient is always known in advance—there was one more surprise to come.
Rapper and New York City native A$AP Ferg, who released an updated version of “Moon River” for “Believe in Dreams,” the innovative marketing campaign that netted Tiffany a Gem Award, came on stage to present the award to Senior Vice President of Marketing Andrea Davey.
A$AP Ferg told the crowd how as a kid growing up in Harlem, he would walk past the Tiffany flagship on Fifth Avenue on his way to the subway, look in the windows and think, “One day, I’ll be able to actually walk in the store and get something.”

“This is a huge moment for me because … I come from New York City, (from) Harlem. We look and aspire to get diamonds, and we love this lifestyle.
“When you go from the inner-city kid to the Gem Awards ...,” he trailed off to applause from the crowd.
The Gem Awards was the first in a string of jewelry events that took place in New York over the weekend.
On Thursday, the Jewelers Vigilance Committee held its annual luncheon, while the Jewelers’ Security Alliance’s annual event was Saturday afternoon.
The JSA honored journalists Rob Bates of JCK and National Jeweler Editor-in-Chief Michelle Graff along with the Paramus (New Jersey) Police Department’s Deputy Chief Robert M. Guidetti, Detective Lieutenant Frank Scott and Detective Nicholas J. Luciano.
On Saturday night, the 24 Karat Club of the City of New York held its yearly gala at the New York Hilton Midtown—the banquet’s longtime home, the Waldorf Astoria, is still undergoing renovation—with entertainment by legendary R&B group The O’Jays.
The Latest

Ronald Winston, son of Harry Winston, donated the diamonds to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

The virtual event will take place April 7 at 3 p.m.

Bench jewelers spend years honing their skills, Jewelers of America’s Certification validates their talents.

The educational event will take place in Charlotte, North Carolina, this May.


The independent jeweler first opened its doors in 1888.

The debut event will take place in Miami’s Coconut Grove neighborhood this fall.

Natural diamonds mean more than lab-grown, but when every cut is ideal, they all look the same. Customers want more—Facets of Fire delivers.

The roundtable will take place May 17 ahead of the trade show’s welcome dinner.

The “Peanuts x Monica Rich Kosann” collection features the comic strip’s classic vocabulary across 10 bracelet designs.

Three industry experts dive into the complexities of the material often marketed as an “ethical” alternative for metal in jewelry.

Diamonds are not only one of the most prominent gemstones, but the birthstone for those born in April.

The Utah-based company known for making wedding bands has acquired Doubloon Golf.

The longtime luxury executive led one of LVMH’s watch brands, TAG Heuer, for 12 years before taking over Bulgari in 2013.

Authorities said the robbers fled with jewelry and 70 Rolex watches, later taking pictures of themselves posing with big stacks of cash.

Lotus Gemology founder Richard W. Hughes has translated Heinrich Fischer’s 1880 book “Nephrit und Jadeit” from its original German.

The ring's design features contrasting lines influenced by work from architecture-inspired photographer Nikola Olic.

The Conference Board’s index fell as consumers continued to worry about the impact of tariffs, the labor market, and the price of eggs.

However, two medieval jewels surpassed estimates at Noonans Mayfair’s recent jewelry auction in London.

The Oscar-nominated actor debuted in the campaign for the new “Top Time B31” collection, which introduced Breitling’s Caliber B31.

The Congress is scheduled to take place May 19-22 in Brasilia, Brazil.

The family-owned retailer is the new owner of Morrison Smith Jewelers in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The “150 Art Deco” collection features a Miss America timepiece and a pocket watch from the brand’s Archive Series.

Alex Wellen, formerly CEO and president of MotorTrend Group, has taken on the role.

The Impact Initiative is part of the nonprofit association’s new three-year strategic plan.

The ruby and the sapphire, which Christie’s calls a “once-in-a-generation masterpiece,” are part of the upcoming Hong Kong jewelry auction.

The two pairs of earrings, snatched from a Tiffany & Co. store in Orlando, Florida, are valued at a combined $769,500.