JCK Editor-in-Chief Hedda Schupak was honored in October as one of the newest inductees of the Gemological Institute of America’s (GIA) esteemed League of Honor during the recent 2002 League of Honor Founders Dinner in New York City.

Schupak represented JCK at the event, where the organization was recognized for its gift of $100,000 to GIA Research. JCK has historically been a major donor to GIA for the Institute’s research in diamond detection, and the gift will support the Institute’s ongoing research efforts.

JCK’s executives have generously given more than $625,000 since its first donation more than two decades ago. Once again, they join the industry’s top leaders as members of the GIA League of Honor. As a journalist who covers the latest industry developments in the magazine, Schupak said JCK’s generous donation for continued research is critical to keep jewelers and consumers informed.

“Research is important because nothing is static, and the more we learn, the more we can advance the professionalism of the whole industry,” Schupak said, in an interview during the JCK Show in Las Vegas, where she was also a guest panelist for a Women’s Jewelry Association educational seminar. “Obviously, treatment is very critical, and if we don’t know how to detect treatments and they slip into the consumer pipeline, then the confidence in the entire industry is going to be eroded. It’s better, in my opinion, to keep fires from starting, than having to put them out.”

David Bonaparte, vice president of JCK Shows, and Frank Dallahan, publisher of JCK magazine, have each been inducted into the League of Honor twice before. They also reinforce the need for continued research in treatments in a letter addressed to GIA. “Our committee continues to believe that GIA’s work in developing practical detection techniques for treated diamonds is significant and will do a great deal to ensure jewelry credibility in the eyes of the jewelry consumer,” it stated.

Others who were inducted into the Institute’s esteemed League of Honor were:

* Ralph Destino, Chairman Emeritus of Cartier, Inc., and Chairman of the Gemological Institute of America’s (GIA) Board of Governors. Destino was recently recognized for his generous gift to GIA’s newly launched Endowment Campaign. He was honored for his $100,000 contribution to the fund, which provides a permanent source of income for critical educational and research programs and services offered by GIA.

* Peter K. Gross, global head of the International Diamond & Jewelry Group for ABN AMRO Bank. Gross represented the international bank for its recent donation of $250,000 to GIA’s Endowment Fund.

* Martin Klein of Julius Klein Diamonds Inc., a New York-based diamond manufacturer and distributor, for its donated of $100,000 to GIA’s Endowment Fund.

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