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New York, NY—In a packed ballroom at the Plaza Hotel, industry leaders and luminaries gathered Tuesday to honor designer David Yurman and his wife Sybil, this year’s recipients of the American Gem Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

The designer, who began his career as “Putnam Artworks,” was one of the original designers brought into the mainstream jewelry industry by the late Mort Abelson of Jewelers of America. He thanked Abelson—who encouraged him to design under his own name—during the AGS event, along with the rest of the jewelry industry, which he likened to an extended family. Sybil Yurman, chief marketing officer for the company, said the couple never would have been able to put their visions and thoughts into reality if not for the industry.

The 2011 AGS Triple Zero Awards were presented to GIA vice president and CMO Kathryn Kimmel, pictured above left, and Jewelers for Children executive director David Rocha. Ruth Batson, AGS executive director and CEO praised Kimmel for her role at AGS’s “sister” organization (both were founded by Robert M. Shipley) and Rocha for his work on behalf of children and as a fellow association professional.

Kimmel described her upbringing in the industry, as the daughter of a jeweler and watchmaker, who celebrated many of her childhood birthdays at tradeshows. “I thought everyone went to a jewelry show on their birthday,” she quipped. She also praised Donna Baker, Martin Gruber, Bill Boyajian, Richard T. Liddicoat, and Robert Crowninshield as not only bosses but also as visionaries who helped guide and inspire her in her career.

See an exclusive video interview with Kimmel here.

Rocha, meanwhile, joked that when he applied for a job at Manufacturing Jewelers and Silversmiths of America, as it was known at the time, its then-leader Matt Runci had to convince him that the jewelry industry wasn’t a bad place to spend a career. Skeptical, Rocha took the job, rising up through the ranks at MJSA before moving over to JA and, ultimately, taking over as executive director for Jewelers for Children in 2004 following the retirement of Patti Light. He told the audience that while all his time in the jewelry industry has been rewarding, the work he’s been able to do leading the industry in helping sick or abused children is the greatest reward of all.

See an exclusive video interview with Rocha here.

Separately, the Women’s Jewelry Association’s annual Awards for Excellence were held on Monday, July 25 in New York. Varda Shine, CEO of the Diamond Trading Company, was the 2011 inductee into the WJA Hall of Fame. Matthew Stuller, chairman of Lafayette, LA-based Stuller received the organization’s Ben Kaiser award, given to a male leader who has helped support the advancement of women in the industry. Kansas City, MO-based Helzberg Diamonds received WJA’s corporate award, given to the company that also supports the advancement of women in the industry.

Although Shine has De Beers’ highest EBITDA performance ever to her credit, in her acceptance speech she emphasized the greater importance of giving back, and pointed with particular pride to her firm’s contributions to the Diamond Empowerment Fund, which supports education in African diamond-producing nations, and the Diamond Development Initiative, whose mission is to improve conditions in diamond-producing regions worldwide. She pointed to the country of Botswana as an example of the power of diamonds to provide opportunity, and joked that with so many women in high government positions there, no wonder the country is well run.

Individual category awards for excellence were presented to Katey Brunini Marotta of K. Brunini for design, Joanne Slawitsky of Kassoy for manufacturer/dealer/supplier, Debbie Sloan of Cartier for retail with 15 or more stores, Maria Piano of Shreve & Co. for retail with fewer than 15 stores, and Diane Irvine of Blue Nile for non-traditional retail. Dawn McGuire of Sterling received the award for excellence in sales and merchandising, Michelle Orman of Last Word Communications received the award for marketing and communications, Jennifer Heebner of JCK magazine for media, and Yancy Weinrich of JCK Events for special services.