Supplier News: Week of Nov. 10

By Brittany Siminitz | November 10, 2025

Canadian Trade Group Holds Annual Summit

The Canadian Jewellers Association (CJA) hosted over 250 industry professionals at the third annual CJA Industry Summit, held Oct. 27 at the Omni King Edward Hotel in Toronto.

The event included CJA’s annual general meeting, led by outgoing CJA chair Angela Betteridge, who highlighted key initiatives the group undertook in 2025. During the meeting, the 2026 board of directors, headed by new co-chairs Chau Lui and Eric Senftleben, was unanimously voted in. Following the co-chairs’ address, Betteridge was presented with the past president’s pin in honor of her years of service.

The day’s educational sessions kicked off with Duncan Parker, of Dupuis Fine Jewellery Auctioneers, speaking about how jewelers can make sales of estate jewelry. Two separate presentations on asset protection of jewelry businesses were given, by Mark Devereaux of Jewelers Mutual—a cosponsor of the CJA Industry Summit—and Scott Hates of Jewellers Vigilance Canada. In the afternoon, De Beers’ Sally Morrison of De Beers Group, delighted attendees with a talk about the Desert Diamonds campaign.

Other seminars were conducted by Wendi Swanson of Etymon Group, Yann You-Ten and Arya Ghaeli of Affirm, and Eric Jodouin and Chantal Arbique of the Royal Canadian Mint. The keynote speakers were Grant Mobley of the Natural Diamond Council and Canadian author and journalist David Sax.

CJA’s Summit concluded with an awards dinner, sponsored by De Beers. Award winners were J.H. Young & Sons, for Independent Retailer of the Year; Appelt’s Diamonds, for Multi-Store Retailer of the Year; MDL Diamond Merchants, for Supplier of the Year; and Northern Watch Services, for Emerging Business of the Year. In addition, Sarah Dougall of Made You Look Jewellery received the Erol Paylan Impact Award.

Top: During the awards dinner at the CJA Industry Summit