Jewelers of America honors 20 rising stars under 40 in jewelry trade

1. Bobby Bengivengo Jr., Cellini Design Jewelers, Orange, Connecticut

A third-generation family member, Bengivengo grew up at the bench watching repairs, then moved into polishing, battery changes, and buying trips before becoming a top seller of loose diamonds and engagement rings. His path is a reminder that the strongest retail leaders often know both the romance of bridal and the precision of after-sale service.

2. SJ Boardman, Summerwind Jewelers & Goldsmiths, Portsmouth, New Hampshire

Boardman arrived with a luxury sales background but no jewelry experience, then became a top salesperson, a buying-team regular, and the store’s social media marketing manager. That combination of floor skill and digital voice is exactly what many independents now need to keep a case counter relevant online.

3. Kyle Bullock, Bullock's Jewelry, Roswell, New Mexico

As an owner, Bullock represents the independent jeweler as entrepreneur, not just salesperson. In a market where trust matters as much as sparkle, ownership itself signals accountability, local knowledge, and the ability to steer merchandise, repairs, and service under one roof.

4. Lauren P. Clawson, Huntington Fine Jewelers, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Clawson serves as both store manager and advertising and marketing adviser, a pairing that says a lot about modern jewelry retail. The job now asks one person to watch inventory, shape the message, and make sure the brand looks as polished on paper and screen as it does in the case.

5. Baileigh Daoud-Soricelli, Daoud's Fine Jewelry, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

As managing partner and director of marketing, Daoud-Soricelli sits at the point where family business and brand building meet. Her role reflects a broader retail truth: the next generation is expected not only to inherit a store, but to articulate why that store deserves attention.

6. Shelly Devine, Devine & Co. Private Jeweler, Carmel-by-the-Sea, California

Devine brings credentials that still carry real weight in fine jewelry, including Graduate Gemologist and certified appraiser. In a world full of vague luxury language, those titles are concrete proof of expertise, especially for clients making high-value decisions.

7. Karen Fox, Fox Fine Jewelry, Ventura, California

Fox is a shop manager, which may sound straightforward, but in a jewelry store it means the difference between a pretty case and a functioning business. This class makes clear that operational discipline, not just style, is being rewarded.

8. Taylor Frank, Eiseman Jewels, Dallas, Texas

Frank is president of Eiseman Jewels, a role that places younger leadership inside a legacy name. That matters because the future of jewelry retail is not only new brands, but also established houses that are willing to evolve without losing their authority.

9. Charlie Green, Lux Bond & Green, West Hartford, Connecticut

As director of stores, Green is responsible for how a brand feels across locations, not just at one counter. Multi-store consistency is becoming a defining retail skill, especially as clients expect the same service standard whether they shop in person, online, or both.

11. Griffin Holbeck, Korman Fine Jewelry, Austin, Texas

Holbeck is vice president of sales and store director, a dual role that blends revenue, staff leadership, and client experience. That mix signals a retail environment where the best managers are expected to understand both numbers and nuance.

12. Brittany Kelly, David Adams Fine Jewelry, Fayetteville, Arkansas

Kelly is listed as manager and designer, which is a useful reminder that smaller jewelry businesses often thrive on original point of view as much as inventory. When one person can guide both the case and the design table, a store can feel far more personal than a chain.

13. Tony Maggio, Reflections in Gold, Venice, Florida

As owner of Reflections in Gold, Maggio stands for the enduring power of the neighborhood jeweler who knows clients by name and history. Independent ownership still matters because it creates room for local taste, flexible service, and relationships that last longer than a transaction.

14. Sylvan Eugene Needham V, S.E. Needham Jewelers, Logan, Utah

Needham is an assistant manager in a family business, a role that often looks modest from the outside but carries enormous succession value. The future of retail depends on these transitional jobs, where younger professionals learn how to keep tradition alive without freezing it in place.

15. Mackenzie Nguyen, Ylang 23, Dallas, Texas

Nguyen directs both retail and e-commerce, which may be the clearest sign in the entire class that digital and physical jewelry shopping are no longer separate worlds. Customers now expect the same confidence online that they get in store, from product presentation to follow-through.

16. Sara Beth Brown Prendeville, Brown & Co., Atlanta, Georgia

As president, Brown Prendeville represents stewardship at the top of a retail business, where continuity matters as much as innovation. The role suggests a generation that is learning how to preserve client trust while modernizing the way that trust is earned.

17. Sarah Martin Rowe, The Leake Co., Louisville, Kentucky

Rowe is both founder and principal designer, a title that captures the strongest retail trend in the class: point of view sells. Stores with a clear design identity can give shoppers something more memorable than inventory alone.

18. Victoria Ruta, Tiffany & Co., New York, New York

Ruta is an engineer technician at Tiffany & Co., a role that places technical craft inside one of the most recognizable names in jewelry. Her presence on the list is a useful correction to the idea that retail recognition is only about sales, because the trade still depends on precision, repair, and mechanical understanding.

19. J.C. Sanders, Sanders Jewelry, Andalusia, Alabama

Sanders is both owner and jeweler, which keeps the craft side of the business right next to the business side. That combination has always been the backbone of trusted jewelry retail, and it remains one of the clearest signals of credibility.

20. Olivia Wickersham, The Bevy, Denver, Colorado

Wickersham serves as director of sales and operations, a role that captures how retail success now depends on the mechanics behind the scene as much as the experience in front of it. The class ends on a practical note: the next generation of jewelry retail will belong to people who can move seamlessly between client service, business discipline, and brand voice.