(IDEX Online) - Jewelers of America (JA) presented actress Debra Messing with the GEM Award for Jewelry Style, while Sally Morrison was the recipient of the GEM Award for Lifetime Achievement at its 16th annual GEM Awards in New York.
Meanwhile, Irene Neuwirth won the GEM Award for Jewelry Design. The other nominees in the Jewelry Design category were Coomi Bhasin and Nikos Koulis. The award was presented by Serena French, Fashion Editor of The New York Post and Editor-in-Chief of Alexa.
The GEM Award for Media Excellence was given to Marion Fasel of The Aventurine. 2017 GEM Awards winner Grace Fuller, Jewelry Editor of W magazine, presented the award. The other Media Excellence nominees were Benjamin Clymer of HODINKEE and Michelle Graff of National Jeweler.
Moda Operandi received the GEM Award for Retail Innovation. The award was presented by Rachel Shechtman, Founder and CEO of STORY. The other nominees for Retail Innovation were ByGoldGirl and Govberg Jewelers.
Jewelry designer Jennifer Fisher presented the GEM Award for Jewelry Style to Debra Messing.
Sally Morrison was honored with the GEM Award for Lifetime Achievement for a career's worth of contributions to the fine jewelry and watch industry. In her acceptance speech, she focused on the importance of women in the industry by saying, "We make products that represent and celebrate the most meaningful and transformative moments in a woman's life. Ultimately, she is our customer and we need to honor her. We need every aspect of what we do to be worthy of the product we sell. To do a better job at this we must involve women in all aspects of our industry."
Jewelry designer Stephen Webster hosted the event.