24 Karat Club SEUS Inducts New Members

Atlanta--The 24 Karat Club Southeastern United States welcomed six new members at its annual banquet held in early August at the Atlanta Country Club.

Membership to the 24 Karat Club is on an invitation-only basis, offered to select members of the industry based on their accomplishments in their jewelry career, personal and civic contributions and their commitment to the betterment of the jewelry industry.

The following people were inducted into the 24K Club Class of 2017.
--Dick Abbott, president, The Edge jewelry store software;
--Allan Cagle, southeastern sales representative, Equity Diamond Brokers, Frederic Duclos, Color Merchants & Viken’s Jewelry Manufacturing Co.;
--Cindy Hartzog, sales representative, Gabriel;
--Lecil Henderson, owner/designer, The Henderson Collection by Lecil;
--Tammy Lail, vice president of merchandising, Stuller; and
--Mel Schmidt, COO, LFS Consultants/Don Conkey & Sons.

“We’re thrilled to welcome such an outstanding group of jewelry professionals to the 24 Karat Club,” Club President Bill Newnam said. “We expect each of these new members will be a tremendous asset to our organization.”

The 24 Karat Club SEUS also awarded 11 scholarships at the event.
--The Robert Foreman Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Jennifer Chastain of Ware Jewelers in Opelika, Alabama. She’ll receive a $2,000 Scholarship to pursue GIA classes.
--Sterling Reputation-24K Scholarships were awarded to Nicholas Bates of Anthony Jewelers in Nashville, Tennessee, and Jonathan Paz of Worthmore Jewelers in Atlanta. Both will receive $1,250 to pursue educational goals.
--Diamond In The Rough-24K Scholarships were awarded to Skye Gillis of Gillis Jewelers in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and Adriana Hoover of Grogan Jewelers in Florence, Alabama. Both will receive $1,250 to pursue educational goals.
--DCA-24K Scholarships were awarded to six individuals; the Diamond Council of America donates the recipients’ choice of three on-line accredited courses. 2017 recipients are: Iris Sanders-Jarvis of Young Jewelers in Jasper, Alabama; Devin Trachtman of Seabreeze Fine Jewelry in Daytona Beach, Florida; Kory Kowalski of Ellis Jewelers in Concord, North Carolina; Colt Snowden of Snowden’s Jewelers in Wilmington, North Carolina; Flower Gattone-Enix of Fountain City Jewelers in Knoxville, Tennessee; and Sarah Bliven of Tara Fine Jewelry in Buford, Georgia.