WJA Celebrates Honorees & Announces 2014 Awards for Excellence

WJA Celebrates Honorees and

 Announces 2014 Awards for Excellence

The annual gala also raises important funds for scholarships and grants 

The Women's Jewelry Association bestowed Hall of Fame honors and Awards for Excellence in 10 categories at the association's 2014 Awards for Excellence gala, held on Monday, July 28, 2014, at Pier 60 on the Chelsea Piers in New York City. The annual event is the largest fundraiser of the year for the association's scholarship and grant programs. Guests were given the chance to bid on a spectacular array of donated gifts to Broadway shows, restaurants, hotels, museums, beauty salons, and spas. There were also cigar and golf packages upon which to bid, as well as jewelry, watch, gift, and clothing prizes from well-known brands.

Among the headlined honorees: Ruth Batson, executive director and CEO of the American Gem Society and AGS Laboratories, received the Lifetime Achievement Award; David J. Bonaparte, president & CEO of Jewelers of America, received the Ben Kaiser Lifetime Achievement Award; and Richline Group was given the Corporate Award.

Click to see photos from the memorable evening on WJA's Facebook page.

The association also named Awards for Excellence winners for 2014 in 10 categories. For the first time, the nominees for these awards didn't know if they'd won until the Gala event, adding excitement to the evening. Winners included:

• Design - Heather B. Moore of Heather Moore Jewelry
• Manufacturer/Dealer/Supplier - Chana Regev of Carelle
• Retail 15+ Doors - Kim Adams of Reeds
• Retail <15 -="" calhoun="" cathy="" doors="" jewelers="" li="" of="">
• Retail Non-Traditional - Jennifer (Peck) Arthur of Amazon
• Sales - Amy Jackson of Fragments
• Marketing & Communications- Fran Pennella of Benali Consulting
• Editorial Media - Michelle Graff of National Jeweler
• Special Services - Desiree Hanson of JCK
• Watches - Rosanna Sarcona-Doherty of Cartier

Posing here with WJA President Andrea Hansen ofLuxeintelligence, are:  (l.to.r.): Desiree Hanson, JCK Events (Special Services); Chana Regev Carelle (Manufacturer/Dealer/Supplier); Fran Pennella, Benali Consulting (Marketing & Communications); Amy Jackson, Fragments Jewelry(Sales); Michelle Graff, National Jeweler (Editorial Media); Heather Moore, Heather Moore Jewelry(Design); Hansen; Rosanna Sarcona-Doherty, Cartier(Watches); Jennifer (Peck) Arthur, Amazon(Non-Traditional Retail); and Kim Adams, @Reeds Jewelers (Retail - 15 doors or more). Missing from photo: Cathy Calhoun, Calhoun Jewelers (Retail - Fewer than 15 doors)

"WJA congratulates our distinguished 2014 honorees, and celebrates the winners of our Awards for Excellence," says Andrea Hansen, president of the Women's Jewelry Association. 
"We also extend our heartfelt thanks to all of the attendees and sponsors who supported our signature event by their attendance and donations to the gala, silent auction, and raffle. Because of you, many more women will receive WJA grants and scholarships to enter or further their careers in the jewelry industry." 
 
The WJA Awards for Excellence Transformation Sponsor was Sterling Jewelers, and Richline Group was the event's Premier sponsor. Rio Tinto served as the evening's "Paparazzi" Sponsor, hosting a photo booth where attendees could pose for photos with friends and colleagues. The World Gold Council's Love Gold initiative sponsored the Gala's After Party, with music and dancing. Sponsors of Distinction included JA New York Show, Couture, Jewelers of America, and Forevermark. Sponsors of Honor included Hearts on Fire, Eurostar Diamond Traders, and Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company.
 
The WJA Awards for Excellence gala has been a part of the industry's social calendar since 1984. In 2014, WJA once again awarded more than $30,000 in scholarships and grants to deserving recipients.

via the WJA website and Facebook page