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Industry News: JFC Facets Of Hope To Honor Stanley And Weinrich; GIA, NCDIA Elect Boards November 30, 2016 (0 comments)
Facets Of Hope Dinner To Honor Charles Stanley and Yancy Weinrich; New Day Announced For Event
Las Vegas, NV—Jewelers for Children will honor Charles Stanley (left), president of Forevermark US, and Yancy Weinrich, senior vice president of JCK Events, at its annual Facets of Hope dinner in June. The 2017 dinner also will move from its traditional Sunday venue to Wednesday, June 7, to acccommodate the adjusted JCK Show schedule.
The dinner, which will be held at the Mandalay Bay Resort Hotel Casino, will celebrate the success of JFC's fund raising efforts for the year and commitments to JFC’s charity partners will be announced. Nearly 2,000 industry guests attended the 2016 dinner.
Each year, prominent industry leaders are honored by the charity. Both Stanley and Weinrich have agreed to serve as guests of honor with the responsibility of assisting JFC in raising funds to benefit children suffering from catastrophic illness or life-threatening abuse and neglect.
“Charles and Yancy are such great honorees for us,” said JFC chairman Dennis Ulrich. “Both play such major roles in the industry, and their organizations have been major supporters of our cause since we began in 1999. I can think of no two better people to honor.”
Yancy Weinrich
The event will begin at 6:00 p.m. with cocktails in the South Seas Ballroom, followed by dinner and the program beginning at 7:30 p.m. Anyone interested in attending or sponsoring can contact JFC at (212) 687-2949 or info@jewelersforchildren.org. Details and participation forms are available at the JFC website. Following dinner, attendees can enjoy the after-party which will include dessert and after-dinner drink options, as well as entertainment.
GIA’s Annual Board and Research Meetings Draw International Experts
Carlsbad, CA—GIA’s Board of Governors inducted mineralogist Dr. Barbara Dutrow, Adolphe G. Gueymard Professor of Geology at Louisiana State University; and Stephen Kahler, senior vice president of global sales operations for Swarovski Gemstones, as its newest members. The two were inducted during the November 2016 board meeting held at the Institute’s Carlsbad, CA headquarters. Dione Kenyon, recently-retired president and CEO of The Jewelers Board of Trade, was elected Chair of the GIA Board of Governors, succeeding John Green, president and CEO of Lux Bond & Green jewelers, who remains on the board.
Aron Suna of New York-based Suna Bros. and Hank Siegel of Princeton, NJ-based Hamilton Jewelers, who retired from the board during the annual meeting, were honored for their years of dedicated service. Glenn Nord, former president of GIA and a member of the board since 1983, was named Governor Emeritus.
The week prior to the board meeting, nearly 60 experts from across the globe gathered for the Institute’s 10th annual research meeting. Attendees of the three-day meeting included GIA staff involved in research (22 with doctoral degrees), consulting scientists, fellows from the Richard T. Liddicoat Postdoctoral Research Fellowship program, and GIA governors and executives. The researchers reviewed topics including developments in instrumentation, advancements in detecting diamond treatments and synthetics, origin determination of colored gemstones, and pearl structures.
“The remarkable work of this research team is directly incorporated into GIA’s laboratory services and education programs. We’re incredibly grateful for the many breakthroughs they’ve made in the study of gems and minerals,” said Susan Jacques, GIA’s president and CEO.
NCDIA Elects Directors
New York, NY—The Natural Color Diamond Association (NCDIA) announced the results of its 2017 board of directors election. Alan Bronstein of Aurora Gems was elected president. Newly elected board member Jose Batista of Rio Diamond Corp. was elected vice president. Breanne Wittrock of Sioux City, IA-based Gunderson’s Jewelers, a current member of the board, was re-elected as vice president and Scott West of LJ West, also a current member of the board, was elected secretary and treasurer.
Directors include Jordan Fine of JFine Inc., Sean Moore of Omaha, NE-based Borsheims, and Marc Solomon of Plainview, NY-based Solomon’s Jewelers. The directors-elect, who will take office in January 2017, will participate in Board meetings through the end of the year.
Bronstein said, “I am honored to be selected as the new president of Natural Color Diamond Association. It is clear that the focus for growth in our organization, our industry and the natural diamond world we are passionate about, is the education of the public, to liberate prejudices and conditioned notions of beauty and desire.”
NCDIA also recognized Jeffrey Post of Gem Platinum for his years of service as a member of the board. He has served as president, vice president, secretary and treasurer. “I would like to thank the members of the NCDIA as well as the board for the trust that was provided me in guiding the NCDIA on its new direction and wish everyone involved great success in moving forward and making the NCDIA a vital component of the gem and jewelry industry,” said Post.