The Gemological Institute of America’s annual League of Honor dinner was held Oct. 23 at New York’s Plaza hotel. This year’s inductees are Harshad Mehta of Rosy Blue N.V.; Koichi Takahashi of Rosy Blue Fine Inc.; the De Beers Group; David S. Kwiat and Jacques Roisen, both of Kwiat, Roisen, and Ferman; Toros Kejijian and Toros Z. Kejijian, both of Tycoon Cut Diamonds; Pankaj and Kaushik Mehta, both of Eurostar Diamond Traders; Esther Fortunoff Greene and Ruth Fortunoff Cooper, both of Fortunoff Fine Jewelry; Dr. Edward J. Gübelin; William George Shuster of JCK magazine and The JCK Shows; The Kazanjian Foundation; and Susan Fortgang, Ph.D., of M. Fabrikant & Sons.
Terry Burman, CEO of Sterling Jewelers Inc., and Shmuel Schnitzer of M. Schnitzer & Co. were dinner chairs.
G. Robert Crowningshield, former vice president of GIA Gem Trade Laboratory was recognized and honored with a video presentation detailing his more than 50 years of work in and dedication to the institute’s research efforts, and GIA announced the establishment of the G. Robert Crowningshield Research Fund in his honor.
A highlight of the evening was the unveiling of Legacy of Leadership: A History of the Gemological Institute of America, by William George Shuster, a senior editor at JCK. The 400-plus-page book, more than three years in the making, chronicles the detailed history of the institute from its earliest days through its current research efforts. (See story below.)