The epitome of glamour, Jewelers of America’s 14th annual Gem Awards, at Cipriani on 42nd Street (above), honored the industry’s most talented designers and two very special members of the media. Meanwhile, the 114th annual banquet of the 24 Karat Club of the City of New York got more than a little r-e-s-p-e-c-t.

GEM AWARDS
(pictured, right) Gem Award for Jewelry Design nominees Caroline Scheufele of Chopard and Sevan Biçakçi with award winner Temple St. Clair

 

GEM AWARDS
GIA’s Craig Danforth, The Smithee Group’s Ben Smithee, and spokesperson Michael O’Connor

 

GEM AWARDS
Jewelers of America’s David J. Bonaparte with Rahaminov Diamonds’ Amir Goldfiner

 

GEM AWARDS
Designer Marla Aaron, Todd Reed’s Liz Kantner, and presenter Stephen Webster

 

GEM AWARDS
Jim Rosenheim of Tiny Jewel Box, Marie Helene Morrow of Reinhold Jewelers, and David and Sybil Yurman

 

GEM AWARDS
Lifetime Achievement Award winner Joe Thompson and his wife, Norma Buchanan, both with WatchTime magazine

 

GEM AWARDS
JCK’s Rob Bates, the Media Excellence award winner, with his wife, Susan Posnock of Jewelers of America

 

GEM AWARDS
JCK editor-in-chief Victoria Gomelsky with JCK Events’ Yancy Weinrich

 

24 KARAT 
Myron Toback’s Michael Toback and DMIA president Ronnie Vanderlinden

 

24 KARAT 
Gumuchian’s Myriam Gumuchian, president of the 24 Karat Club, with her husband, Ronnie Schreiber

 

24 KARAT 
Carla Corp.’s Brian Fleming with Larry Pettinelli, president of Patek Philippe USA, and his wife, Julie

 

24 KARAT 
Rolex USA CEO and president Stewart Wicht with London Jewelers’ Candy and Mark Udell and Randi Udell-Alper

 

24 KARAT 
Royal Asscher’s Lita Asscher with her father, World Diamond Council president Edward Asscher

 

24 KARAT 
The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, wows the crowd at the Waldorf Astoria.

Gem Awards: photographs by Sam and Madison/BFA.com; 24 Karat: photographs by Hechler Photographers