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RAPAPORT... The Women's Jewelry Association (WJA) named its Hall of Fame honorees for the association's annual awards for excellence gala, scheduled for July 27 at Pier 60 in Manhattan.
Pam Mortensen, the senior vice president and general merchandise manager for jewelry, watches and fashion accessories at JCPenney Inc., will receive the lifetime achievement award; C. Clayton Bromberg, the president of Underwood Jewelers of Jacksonville, Florida, will receive the Ben Kaiser Award and Gumuchian will receive the corporate award. Mortensen joined JCPenney in 2009 in her present role and has been implementing popular customer concepts, such as Modern Bride and Bijoux Bar. Prior to JCPenney, Mortensen served in leadership roles at Walmart as vice president and divisional merchandise manager of fine jewelry and watches. She started her jewelry career at Zale Corporation and her retail career at Federated Department Stores. Mortensen serves on the boards of the Jewelers Vigilance Committee (JVC) and Jewelers for Children.
Bromberg has been the president of Underwood Jewelers since 1988 and began his career at Bromberg & Company in Alabama, where he represented the sixth generation of family in this jewelry business. A graduate gemologist from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), he is a registered jeweler and certified gemologist of the American Gem Society (AGS). Bromberg also served as president of AGS and chairman of the AGS Laboratory. He is a winner of the Robert M. Shipley Award, and the Triple Zero Award, both bestowed by AGS. He has served on the boards of Jewelers of America, the JVC, the Jewelry Information Center and as president of the Florida Jewelers Association. He worked on the advisory board of the JCK Show and was given the National Jeweler Retail Hall of Fame award. Bromberg has also distinguished himself as an avid community volunteer and board member in a variety of positions.
Gumuchian was founded by Anita Gumuchian. Her daughters Myriam and Patricia carry on a family legacy in the jewelry industry that dates back more than 100 years. Together, the Gumuchian women combine the excellence of traditional European craftsmanship with fashion-forward designs. From this vision the brand's promise, "Designed by Women for Women," emerged, in which the Gumchians set out to embody the confidence and beauty of all women. The Gumuchian trio spends its days developing new designs with innovation and an enthusiasm and each design is brought to life by master jewelers in Gumuchian's Manhattan atelier, treating each design as a tiny sculpture, ensuring each piece is built to wear with comfort for a lifetime. "WJA congratulates these three deserving recipients," said Andrea Hansen, the president of the WJA. "We celebrate their careers of achievement and the ways in which they are advancing women's careers in the jewelry industry." At its annual gala, WJA also will present awards for excellence in retail, design, manufacturing and supplier, sales, marketing and communications, editorial/reporting/publishing and special services.
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