Articles and News

New York, NY--The GEM Awards Committee and David Yurman named Hiba Husayni of Zahn-Z, Jules Kim of Bijules, Johnny Nelson, Dorian Webb and Lorraine West as the finalists of the inaugural David Yurman GEM Awards Grant.

The finalists were selected from 90 submissions received during the nomination period. Each of the five finalists delivered an in-person presentation to David and Sybil Yurman and the GEM Awards Grant Committee. One designer will be selected to receive the $50,000 grant as well as mentoring meetings with David Yurman executives and consultative meetings with other industry leaders. The recipient will be presented during the 24th Annual GEM Awards on March 13.

The David Yurman GEM Awards Grant was created with Jewelers of America and David Yurman, David Yurman Enterprises LLC, to support and foster an emerging fine jewelry designer who has been in business for at least three years and shows exceptional promise.

“When we started out, we were two artists and we learned, step by step, what it takes to merge art and craft into a business. Those early days were very challenging, which is why we believe so deeply in mentorship and in giving emerging designers real tools and capital to help their growth and development,” said Sybil Yurman. “The David Yurman GEM Awards Grant is our commitment to the next generation of extraordinary talent. It serves as a clear expression of our long-term vision and belief in nurturing what’s next.”

“We were blown away by the number of entries submitted and the finalists are a group of extraordinary designers who have a tremendous future ahead in fine jewelry,” said says Marion Fasel, GEM Awards chair. “Selecting just one winner will be difficult. However, we look to the GEM Awards community and the industry at large to uplift all the finalists as we shed light on their stories, collections and their talent.”