24th Annual Gem Awards Delivers Memorable Speeches, Surprises, and Style

Jewelers of America presented the 24th annual Gem Awards on Friday, March 13, at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City. Chaired by Marion Fasel of The Adventurine, the event drew a sold-out house to the Midtown Manhattan venue for an evening that honored the people and brands doing the most to elevate fine jewelry and watches in the public imagination. The Oscars were less than 48 hours away, but the jewelry industry had already staged its own red-carpet moment.

Talk of who wore what to the Oscars dominated headlines on Sunday and Monday, but the jewelry industry had its own celebration Friday night that was arguably just as interesting. There were touching speeches, a surprise appearance by a supermodel, and plenty of good fashion, like Lauren Harwell Godfrey's "Granny Squares" dress, Randi Molofsky's vintage top and skirt, and Johnny Nelson's white-hot suit.

The evening's opening moment set the tone immediately. "Fans of 'Freedom! '90' were gagged when Linda Evangelista took the stage to start off the evening, presenting the Gem Award for High Jewelry to Ana Khouri." The first honoree of the evening was Khouri, who was introduced by the supermodel, saying: "I've seen how a silhouette, an image or even a haircut can change how the world sees beauty." Founded by artist and jeweler Ana Khouri, her brand is grounded in a sculptural fine-arts practice that has informed its jewelry since 2002. The house opened its New York salon in 2013 and has since presented high jewelry through major solo exhibitions at Phillips, Sotheby's, and Christie's, as well as at TEFAF New York. One-of-a-kind pieces are shown exclusively at the New York salon, while numbered limited editions are presented at The Row worldwide. All jewelry is crafted using 18K Fairmined gold, platinum, and ethically and responsibly sourced gemstones.

WWD Senior Market Editor for Accessories Thomas Waller accepted the 2026 Gem Award for Media Excellence from Sam Broekema, last year's winner. Three awards were presented live at the Gem Awards: Media Excellence, Retail Innovation, and Jewelry Design. Of the live awards, Media Excellence was presented first to Waller, who thanked his team and his sources, including the retailers, the creative directors, and the executives. "It's a challenging time in media but I'm proud to say that I work somewhere where every day, I show up, and old-fashioned journalism still matters, integrity in storytelling still matters," he said to applause from the audience.

Jessica McCormack won the Gem Award for Retail Innovation, and the award was accepted on stage by Leonie Brantberg. The other nominees were Day's Jewelers and Emily Chelsea Jewelry. The award was presented by 2025 Gem Award for Retail Excellence recipients Yael Reinhold and Mildred Marcano of Reinhold Jewelers. The New Zealand-born, London-based jewelry designer opened a store on Madison Avenue in New York in 2025, in a Beaux-Arts building dating to 1879. McCormack was not in attendance at the Gem Awards.

The Jewelry Design category was stacked this year, with each nominee equally talented and distinctive in their styles: CeCe Fein-Hughes of CeCe Jewellery, Catherine Sarr of Almasika, and the winner, Silvia Furmanovich. In her acceptance speech, Furmanovich said: "In a world that sometimes feels full of discord, I believe creativity has a quiet and powerful way of bringing people together. For me, art has always been a way through, a way to transform differences into dialect and beauty." The award was presented by the 2025 Gem Award for Jewelry Design winner, Beth Hutchens of FoundRae.

David Yurman admittedly went off script the second he took the stage to honor the winner of the first David Yurman Gem Awards Grant, a $50,000 prize for an emerging jewelry designer that includes mentoring with industry leaders and members of Yurman's team. As previously announced, the inaugural winner was Johnny Nelson. Wearing fistfuls of his own jewelry, the designer opened his speech by offering peace and blessings to the audience before expressing gratitude. "I'm very grateful to have a mentor like David Yurman [who trusts] in my vision. I feel like David gets me," Nelson said, drawing laughter from the audience.

The last award of the evening, the Gem Award for Lifetime Achievement, went to Mark and Candy Udell of London Jewelers, which is celebrating its centennial in 2026. The duo was introduced by Verdura's James Haag, who recalled meeting the Udells three decades ago. "They radiated warmth and familiarity and it was like love at first sight," Haag said. "Over the years, just by being close to them I learned everything from them — first and foremost, importantly, always do the right thing. Gain people's trust, guard that trust with your life, build a sense of community around you, and take the 300 people who work with you along for the ride." Mark Udell, the chief executive officer who joined the business founded by his grandfather in 1973, has grown it to now entail 18 stores. Randi Udell-Alper looked on from the audience as her parents accepted the honor.

Fresh off winning the David Yurman Gem Awards Grant, Nelson will discuss the ring that launched his career and his plans for the future in a forthcoming interview available through National Jeweler's ongoing episode series.