The American Gem Society held its annual Circle of Distinction Dinner to honor the outstanding accomplishments of key jewelry industry leaders.

The distinguished event, held at the historic Plaza Hotel, celebrated the careers of three, highly-regarded industry professionals. Stephen Lussier, Chief Executive Officer, Forevermark, Terry Chandler, President/CEO, DCA, and David A. Bouffard, Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Signet Jewelers Ltd.

“I am extraordinarily honored to be recognized by America’s preeminent jewelry industry organization, the AGS,” said Stephen Lussier, accepting his Lifetime Achievement Award. “Diamonds form a deep emotional bond with their owners. They are like a vault holding life’s memories for one’s life. De Beers has given me a platform to take this message to generations of Americans and to new consumers all over the world. At De Beers, I have found a company that thinks long term, is not afraid to take bold action when it is needed, is passionate about doing the right thing, and fundamentally appreciates that at the heart of our industry lies one thing—the consumers’ belief in the diamond dream.”

Terry Chandler was the evening’s first recipient of the AGS Triple Zero® Award. “I am honored and humbled to receive this special award from the American Gem Society and to join the ranks of the previous honorees, as well as tonight’s honorees,” Mr. Chandler said. “DCA has been a member and supported AGS for nearly two decades because they stand in the doorway to protect and promote the integrity and ethics of our industry.”

“I am honored and humbled to receive the AGS Triple Zero Award,” said David A. Bouffard, Signet Vice President, Corporate Affairs, and the second AGS Triple Zero® Award recipient of the evening. “I’m also proud to be part of a company that takes its leadership position in the industry seriously, values integrity, collaborates with its business partners, and actively works towards the continuous improvement in the integrity of the global jewelry supply chain to ensure consumer confidence in the products we all sell.”

The Lifetime Achievement Award is one of the highest honors an individual may achieve from the American Gem Society—instituted to honor those who have made significant contributions to the industry throughout their career.

The AGS Triple Zero® Award was aptly named after the highest grade in the AGS Diamond Grading Standards and is presented to members of the jewelry industry for their countless accomplishments and contributions.

The American Gem Society would like to thank their sponsors for their generous support in making the event both memorable and a success: Jewelers Mutual Insurance Group, Signet Jewelers Ltd., Forevermark, JCK, and Wells Fargo.


About the American Gem Society
The American Gem Society, founded in 1934 by Robert M. Shipley, is a nonprofit trade association dedicated to promoting a high standard of ethics, continuous education, and consumer protection within the jewelry industry. The American Gem Society is a professional organization awarding credentials for its members, who are held to the highest ethical and professional standards in the industry and must pass annual recertification examinations to maintain their titles. Less than one in twenty jewelers in the country have chosen to meet the exacting standards necessary for membership.

To learn more about the American Gem Society, please visit www.americangemsociety.org

On September 29, 2018 Jewelers for Children will celebrate the first annual JFC Day. The day will be a way for all supporters of JFC and for potential new ones to celebrate the success of the industry’s support for children in need and raise visibility and funds for the charity. JFC Day is the brain child of Steven Vardi, a JFC board member who helped develop the concept along with JFC’s Marketing Committee.

“We’ll be asking all of our current supporters to focus their efforts on JFC Day, helping us to educate consumers about the good the industry is doing, and we’ll also look for companies to run some type of fundraising activity on that Saturday as a nationwide effort for children in need,” said Vardi.

Those on the supply side of the industry will be asked to reach out to all of their retail customers, asking them to participate in the initiative. Many will be offering partnership programs for the day. Retailers will be asked to reach out to their customer base to educate them about JFC and invite them to participate in whatever activity the retailer has planned for September 29. Everyone will be asked to use their social media presence to promote the day, particularly on that Saturday to encourage nationwide, blanket of exposure for the charity.

JFC will be providing participants with materials to make it easy to promote the day, as well as ideas on how they can participate. Support will include trade ads, sample social media, customer communications, and in-store signage.

“It’s exciting that as we celebrate our 20th anniversary, we launch JFC Day,” said Pamela Mortensen, JFC board chair. “This will become an annual campaign to raise the visibility of JFC and the amazing work that the jewelry industry is doing by supporting the charity,” she added. “Tens of thousands of children have benefited from the good we do and we need to share that message with the consumer.”

Companies interested in participating in JFC Day can sign up on the JFC website at www.jewelersforchildren.org,