Women’s Jewelry Association’s board of directors selected Juell Kadet to the 2003 “Hall of Fame.” She will be honored at the WJA 20th Annual Awards for Excellence dinner, at Pier Sixty in New York City on July 27 at 6:00 p.m.

Kadet is an innovative jewelry designer and owner of Rogers & Hollands Jewelers, one of the largest chains of family-owned and operated jewelry stores in the United States, headquartered in Matteson, Ill. She was the first woman to be featured on the cover of National Jeweler magazine and the first to be admitted to functions of the previously ‘Men Only’ 24K Club of The City of New York and Jewelers Association of Chicago.

“Juell Kadet is one of the great treasures of the jewelry industry,” said WJA president Anna Martin. “For decades, she has been an inspiration to women jewelers and designers. She is a dynamo, an extraordinary multi-tasker, gifted designer and business entrepreneur, a philanthropist, accomplished singer, TV and radio personality, and a devoted mother and grandmother. Juell has set a high standard for all of us to aspire to.”

Kadet studied design at Indiana University, where she met and married Alan Kadet, who began working at Rogers & Hollands, which had been founded by her grandfather, Julius Friedman. After they had three children and with her husband’s encouragement, Kadet joined Rogers & Hollands, where she worked her way up through each department, determined to really understand all phases of the business.

Later, she designed her own collection, which became the hallmark of Rogers & Hollands. Kadet is recognized nationally for her creative talents in the jewelry industry. Along the way she launched a second career as a singer, performing for pure enjoyment. She has appeared at such famous Chicago venues as the Pump Room and Toulouse, and the Helmsley Palace in New York. Juell recorded two albums, “My Kind Of Town” and “Juell Of The Mile.” Proceeds from sales of the albums went to benefit Neediest Families and the latter to cancer research, for which she formed a family foundation.

This year is the 20th anniversary of the WJA Awards for Excellence dinner. Held during the JA New York Summer Show, the dinner is one of the most popular events in the jewelry industry.

WJA’s Awards for Excellence recognize outstanding women professionals in seven different categories: design; manufacturer/dealer/supplier; sales; retail; marketing; editorial/reporting/publishing; and special services. These awards, voted on by the WJA membership, will be announced at the July 27 event.

The awards dinner includes a Silent Auction that benefits the WJA Scholarship Fund.

For more information about the WJA Awards dinner, tickets, sponsorship opportunities or how to participate in the Silent Auction, contact WJA at 973-575-7190.

JCK