WJA Silent Auction Valued at $100,000

By JCK Online Staff -- JCK Online, 7/22/2008 11:35:00 AM

Two tickets to “Oprah” will be among more than 100 items offered at the Women’s Jewelry Association Silent Auction.

The auction is being held during the WJA’s 25th Awards for Excellence gala on July 27 at 6:15 p.m. at Chelsea Piers in New York City. The Oprah tickets are donated by Hearst Integrated Media.

The annual Silent Auction, always a highly competitive event, will also feature a chance to visit Harper’s Bazaar’s Fashion Closet; go behind the scenes at a Marie Claire editorial shoot; a $1,000 Night on the Town, from Vanity Fair magazine; a trip for two to Bermuda donated by the Fairmount Southampton and LUXURY by JCK Bermuda; a trip for two to Grenada, including a yoga class on your private veranda, from Laluna; and a private cooking class and luncheon for four, sponsored by Gourmet Magazine.

Ad space donated by many of the industry trade publications will also be a highly valued item, according to Nessi Erkmenoglu, chair of the silent auction.

“The value of all the items is over $100,000,” Erkmenoglu said. “The monies we raise will help to fund WJA’s Scholarship and Grant programs.”

This year’s WJA Awards for Excellence will honor Sybil Yurman with the 2008 Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award. Steven Kaiser will receive the Ben Kaiser Award.

WJA will also pay special tribute to industry leaders who have supported the organization, including all its past presidents and past and current Hall of Fame and Ben Kaiser Award recipients.

Tickets for the event are $325 for members and $365 for non-members and are available at www.womensjewelry.org or by calling WJA Headquarters at 708-361-6266.