JA RECEIVES AWARDS FOR TWO VIDEOS

Jewelers of America has received Bronze Telly Awards for The JA 100 Club documentary and The Jewelry Buyer’s Guide infomercial. The Telly Awards are part of a 16-year-old national competition that recognizes outstanding video productions.

The Jewelry Buyer’s Guide, produced by Broadcast News Associates, New York, N.Y., was designed for JA members to use on local TV programs or in their stores to teach customers about what’s important when buying fine jewelry.

The JA 100 Club, produced by Rainbow Video Inc., New York, N.Y., was honored in the history/biography category. The 10-minute video salutes JA members who have been in business 100 years or more.

Both videos also won 1995 Communicator Awards (see JCK, May 1996, p. 286), and The Jewelry Buyer’s Guide also is a finalist in the 1995 Infotel Awards, a competition sponsored by the International Marketing Association.

“JA is gratified and proud of the honors we’re attaining in the visual communications field,” says Eileen Farrell, JA’s director of communications. “We are happy to provide our members with award-winning videos. This way when they show them to consumers, they can be confident the message is getting across.”

Separately, JA announced that more than 100,000 visits had been made to its home page on the Internet’s World Wide Web between its premiere Nov. 1 and late March. “The information generated by JA is now reaching people around the globe,” says Farrell. “The Web site has been visited by people in such places as Singapore, France, China, Brazil and Germany — not to mention across the U.S.”

JA members can benefit from a search mechanism on the Web site that allows consumers to select a jeweler by geographic locale from among more than 10,000 member stores listed in the database. The most visited sites are a series of “What You Should Know About…” brochures that cover such topics as buying platinum, diamonds, cultured pearls and birthstones.

“We’re still refining the home page to make it more user-friendly for JA members and those surfing the ‘Net for information,” says Farrell. “For instance, we’ve created two categories of news files — Consumer News and Membership News — and have installed a Jewelry Trivia page that’s both informational and fun.”

Jewelers of America, 1185 Ave. of the Americas, 30 Fl., New York, NY 10036; (800) 223-0673.

DIAMOND INDUSTRY TO HONOR FOUR

The New York diamond industry will hold its annual dinner July 30 in the Waldorf-Astoria, New York, N.Y.

“This year there is an exceptional roster of distinguished industry leaders being honored,” says Matthew Runci, executive director of Jewelers of America Inc. and chairman of the dinner committee. Scheduled to be inducted into the Diamond Industry Steering Committee Hall of Fame are Ray Perlman, vice president of the Diamond Dealers Club of New York; Jacques Roisen, president of the International Diamond Manufacturers Association; and Michael Roman, director emeritus of JA.

Michael Grantham, a past director of De Beers’ Central Selling Organisation and the Diamond Trading Co. in London, will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award.

The dinner, sponsored by ABN Amro Bank, also will include a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Diamond Promotion Service.

Diamond Dealers Club of New York, 580 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10036; (212) 869-9777.

GEMS & GEMOLOGY HONORS AUTHORS OF TOP STORIES

Gems & Gemology, the quarterly publication of the Gemological Institute of America, has named Shane F. McClure and the late Robert C. Kammerling as winners of its Most Valuable Article Award. Readers chose the winners by evaluating stories that appeared in 1995.

McClure, supervisor of identification services in the West Coast GIA Gem Trade Laboratory, and Kammerling, who was vice president of research and development at the time of his death earlier this year, were chosen for “A Visual Guide to the Identification of Filled Diamonds.” The article appeared in the Summer 1995 issue.

Second-place went to James E. Shigley, Emmanuel Fritsch, Ilene Reinitz and Thomas M. Moses for “A Chart for the Separation of Natural and Synthetic Diamonds.” The story appeared in the Winter 1995 issue. Third-place went to A.J.A. Janse for “A History of Diamond Sources in Africa, Part 1.” This article also appeared in the Winter 1995 issue.

“Diamond was the topic of the year, if the final vote tally is any indication,” says Alice Keller, editor of Gems & Gemology. “These articles were cited for being the most informative and educational, covering what is arguably the most valuable gem material in past, present and future industry concerns.”

For copies of the issues in which the winning articles appeared, contact the Gemological Institute of America, Gems & Gemology Subscriptions, Department PR66D, P.O. Box 2110, Santa Monica, CA 90406-2110; (800) 421-7250 or (310) 829-2991, ext. 201.

AJDC WELCOMES TWO NEW MEMBERS

The American Jewelry Design Council has welcomed two new members.

Diane Chrambanis of Diana Vincent, Washington Crossing, Pa., and Steven Kretchmer of Kretchmer Designs, Los Angeles, Cal., join 26 other members of the council, which is a non-profit educational organization that recognizes and promotes jewelry of original design as art.

Chrambanis began her company in 1982 after graduating from Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia. “I’ve always had an internal force that wanted to create,” she says. “My interest in drama and dance has subconsciously inspired my designs, with my jewelry always showing movement and drama.”

Kretchmer has been making jewelry since 1970. He graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design and the University of Michigan, where he earned a master of fine arts degree, and studied goldsmithing in Milan, Italy. “I challenge myself to go beyond the aesthetic and functional design solutions,” he says. “My passion is to create jewelry that contains wizardry, enchantment and power that reunite us with our timeless imaginations.”

INTERMOUNTAIN JEWELERS SCHEDULE CONVENTION

The Intermountain Jewelers Association will hold its annual convention Sept. 13-15 at the Elkhorn Resort in Sun Valley, Idaho. The program will feature gemological workshops and sales/management training.

Intermountain Jewelers Association, 1575 W. 2000 S., Rexburg, ID 83440; (208) 356-6085, fax (208) 356-3243.

WJA TO PRESENT SIX AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE

The Women’s Jewelry Association will present six Awards of Excellence July 14 during a gala at Tavern on the Green in New York, N.Y. The awards will honor women for achievement in jewelry design, manufacturing, sales, retail, marketing and editorial. Winners are selected by secret ballot after nomination by members.

WJA also will present its first Associate Member Award to a man who has made a significant contribution to WJA.

A Silent Auction to be held in conjunction with the event will raise money for the WJA Scholarship Program and related activities. The auction includes a Tiffany “Fireworks” brooch with mabe pearl valued at $2,150, a Judith Leiber handbag valued at $2,400 and two tickets to A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and dinner at Torre de Pisa in New York City.

Tickets are $160 for members, $175 for non-members. For reservations or more information, contact the Women’s Jewelry Association, 333 B Route 46, Suite B 201, Fairfield, NJ 07004; (201) 575-7190, fax (201) 575-1445.