5 inducted into 24 Karat Club SEUS

Marietta, Ga.--National Jeweler Publisher Matthew Tratner, Joe Carullo, Shelley Schulz, Gary Wesdorp and Deirdre Hanrahan are the newest members of the 24 Karat Club Southeastern United States.

The five were inducted Saturday during at event held at the Atlanta Country Club in Marietta, Ga., which also included the presentation of the 2015 Robert Foreman Award to Mary Jane Smirh from Gary K Jewelers in Madison, Ala. and the Jeweler of the Year Award to Hayes Jewelers in Mobile, Ala. 

The event was held in the midst of the Atlanta Jewelry Show, which took place Saturday through Monday at the Cobb Galleria Centre.

Tratner, who was named publisher of National Jeweler in May, also is the director of membership and sales for Jewelers of America, a position he has held for the past two years. Prior to that, Tratner was the chief operating officer for online retailer GemsAround.com and also served as the director of sales at Maya J Diamond Jewelry.

Carullo is the vice president of marketing and sales for New York-based fashion diamond jewelry manufacturer KC Designs, which he runs alongside his longtime business partner and friend, Lenny Krol.

Schulz is the marketing lead for luxury markets at Synchrony Financial (formerly GE Capital Retail Finance), a position she has held for the past nine years. Prior to that, Schulz held a number of different positions with GE Capital.

Wesdorp, meanwhile, is the president and chief financial officer of Erlanger, Ky.-based Jewel-Craft Inc., a jewelry manufacturing and repair facility that he runs with his brother Benet, also a company president and the chief operating officer.   

Hanrahan is the president and chief designer at What’s Your Sign? Jewelry, a line of sterling silver, 14- and 18-karat gold jewelry with designs, including the zodiac symbols, “inspired by the energy of the cosmos.”

Members of the jewelry industry are chosen for induction into the 24 Karat Club Southeastern United States, which represents the supplier side of the business, for their accomplishments in the jewelry industry as well as their personal and civic contributions.

This year marked the organization’s 40th anniversary.