Just recently the GEM Awards, one of the highest honors bestowed on professionals and companies in the fine jewelry and watch industries, announced its line-up of award winners and nominees that will be honored live at the 17th annual GEM Award event on January 11, 2019 at Cipriani in New York. Among the nominees named for several categories of Awards, one person is name as the Lifetime Achievement winner. This year, that is Stewart WIcht, head of Rolex North America. He stated his career at Rolex SA in Geneva in 1975, and has been President and CEO of Rolex Watch USA since 2011.
For Media Excellence (a category I am proud to say I won in the past), the nominees are Brecken Branstrator of National Jeweler, Michael Thompson of IW, and Will Kahn of Town & Country.
The Nominees In the realm of Retail Excellence, which “recognizes the companies who are using innovative strategies to create positive change to how jewelry and/or watches are sold. The retailer — online or brick-and-mortar — may be recognized for their excellence in e-commerce, technological advancements, in-store experience, digital applications or any combination thereof.” are Cellini Jewelers, Broken English and Threads.