WJA honors winners at Awards for Excellence Gala

Amidst a gathering of over 700 attendees, the 2015 Women's Jewelry Association Awards for Excellence Gala held in New York City concluded on a grand scale, with ceremonies of honoring and inducting professionals and raising funds. The event took place on July 27.

Winners of the 2015 Awards for Excellence were announced in 10 categories including Design; Manufacturer/Dealer/Supplier; Retail - 15 doors or more; Retail - Fewer than 15 doors; Non-Traditional Retail; Sales & Merchandising; Marketing & Communications; Editorial Media; Special Services and Watches.

Also, three industry leaders were inducted into the WJA Hall of Fame. The WJA Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award was bestowed to Pam Mortensen, SVP & general merchandise manager, jewelry, watches and fashion accessories at JCPenney. C. Clayton Bromberg, President, Underwood Jewelers, Jacksonville, Florida was honored with the Ben Kaiser Lifetime Achievement Award. The Corporate Award was given to Gumuchian - Anita, Myriam, and Patricia Gumuchian.

The event also raised $60,000 for the WJA Foundation's Scholarship and Grant program. To highlight the importance of the dinner for the latter purpose, the group also invited scholarship winners and winners of the WJA-Carelle Grant in honor of Brooke Tivol McGrath, to attend the event. Several grant and scholarship winners addressed the crowd, extolling the value of the awards in furthering their studies and careers.

An auction and raffle were held during the dinner to raise funds for next year's WJA scholarships and grants, and guests were also given the opportunity to donate funds via envelopes on each of the gala's tables. "Through your generous support, the WJA community is able to make a difference for women in every stage of their careers," WJA Executive Director Bernadette Mack told attendees. "The funds we distribute annually will help a member in Texas buy a new piece of jewelry making equipment, help a woman launch a new jewelry line in Chicago, aid a student at the University of Georgia, and help a military veteran pay for courses. These are just a few of the remarkable ways you are supporting this vibrant and future thinking community."