David and Sybil Yurman Honored by AGS

Pioneering designer David Yurman and his wife, Sybil, were honored
with the American Gem Society’s prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the
organization’s Circle of Distinction dinner at New York City’s Plaza Hotel on July 26.

In an emotional speech, the Yurmans stressed they would not
have been able to accomplish what they did without each other and the
industry’s backing. 

“[The industry has] supported us in every way we could be
supported,” said Sybil, the chief marketing officer of the David Yurman
company. “We could have all these visions and these thoughts, but without you…we wouldn’t be able to create what we do.”

David Yurman repeatedly thanked the
late Mort Abelson
, former director of the JA Show, for giving his career a
boost. And he compared to the industry to a “family.”

“There is an amazing feeling of love and acceptance in the
industry that one would never expect to find in an industry,” he said. “We all
like each other. We all share.”

“I want to thank you for nurturing me,” he continued. “We
didn’t intend to impact anything. We just wanted to do what we loved…We are
honored to be part of this world.”

Also honored with Triple Zero Awards were David L. Rocha,
executive director of Jewelers for Children, and Kathryn Kimmel, vice president
and chief marketing officer of the Gemological Institute of America.

Rocha was called one of the “unsung heroes of our industry”
by AGS executive director Ruth Batson. In his speech, Rocha thanked the
industry for its ongoing support of his charity.

Kimmel was hailed for her role in starting the GIA’s Career
Fair and the Women’s Jewelry Association. “This award really belongs to the
heroes and the sheroes on my great team at GIA,” she said.

Former AGS president George Gleim began the evening by
announcing the establishment of the Zoe Bromberg Scholarship Fund, which will
enable individuals working at AGS firms to apply for scholarships at the
Gemological Institute of America. The
fund is named after the daughter of past AGS president Clayton Bromberg, who
died in an accident July 12 at age 23
.

Zoe Bromberg “was an amazing, vibrant, beautiful, loving young
woman,” whose loss is deeply felt, Gleim said.

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