jewelry industry leaders gathered in New York City

Spirits were high and the star power in full effect over the weekend when jewelry industry leaders gathered in New York City for the industry’s annual slate of post-holidays fêtes.

The celebrations kicked off with the Jewelry Information Center’s (JIC) 9th Annual GEM Awards gala, held at Cipriani 42nd Street in Manhattan. The JIC is the consumer education arm of Jewelers of America (JA). The annual event honors the achievements of those whose work raises the profile of fine jewelry and watches. Style expert Lloyd Boston, host of HDTV’s Closet Cases, hosted the gala.

Actress and singer Jennifer Hudson, who won an Oscar for her performance in 2006’s Dreamgirls, was on hand to present the GEM Award for Jewelry Style to celebrity favorite and red carpet go-to designer Neil Lane. But she wasn’t the only big-name actress to take the stage. Also on hand for the evening was Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon, who presented the GEM Award for Journalistic Excellence to Marie Claire magazine Editor-in-Chief Joanna Coles. The magazine won for its consistently excellent coverage of fine jewelry and watches.

In addition, Breitling USA President Marie Bodman accepted the GEM Award for Corporate Communications on behalf of the international watch company. Presenting the award was Breitling ambassador and former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason. Collecting the GEM Award for Lifetime Achievement from JA President and Chief Executive Officer Matthew Runci was Jeffrey E. Post, curator of the U.S. National Gem and Mineral Collection at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. The awards program ended with a surprise video honoring Post from former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, the recipient of last year’s GEM Award for Style.

On Saturday night, members of the industry’s exclusive 24 Karat Club of the City of New York--a group founded in 1902 that is limited to just 200 members of the jewelry industry--and their guests gathered at The Waldorf-Astoria hotel for the club’s annual banquet. Industry leaders mingled and celebrated while Gladys Knight (below), the “Empress of Soul,” wowed the crowd with an exclusive performance.