Designer Stephen Webster to Host 2017 Gem Awards

New York--Jewelers of America announced that jewelry designer Stephen Webster will be the host of the annual Gem Awards, scheduled for Jan. 13 in New York.

With an eye for detail, flair and a wild imagination, Webster is widely thought to be one of the industry’s most accomplished and exciting designers, JA said. He has a workshop and design studio in London’s Mayfair neighborhood, a salon on the city’s tony Mount Street and a flagship store on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.

He draws his inspiration from English eccentricity and American iconography, wildlife, the high life, literature, theater and pop culture, the ocean and the animal kingdom, and combines a love of fine craftsmanship with a passion for music, fashion and art.

“Despite carrying the burden of a funny accent and a warped sense of unfiltered humor, the powers that be have asked me to host this year’s Gem Awards. I’m honored and looking forward to it. My wife is equally dreading it, but wouldn’t miss it,” Webster said. “Accepting that the engagement comes with responsibilities, the values of the awards committee and the nominees will be respected at all times. My name is Stephen Webster, and I endorse this message.”

The 2017 Gem Awards will honor Jim Rosenheim, chairman of Washington, D.C. retailer Tiny Jewel Box, with the Lifetime Achievement Award and present Gem Awards in four other categories, Jewelry Design, Marketing and Communications, Media Excellence, and Watch Excellence. Jewelers of America recently announced the nominees in those categories via Facebook Live.

The 2017 Gem Awards will be held at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York, but parts of the ceremony also will be broadcast via Facebook Live on the event’s Facebook page.

“We are thrilled that Stephen Webster has agreed to host the 15th annual GEM Awards,” Gem Award Chair Norman Miller said. “After Stephen presented the Gem Award for Jewelry Design last year, there was immediate consensus with the Gem Awards committee that (he) would be a terrific host for our milestone event. Trust me, you want to attend this event.”

For more information about the event or to order tickets, reserve a sponsorship, or secure an advertisement in the Gem Awards Journal, visit the Jewelers of America website.

National Jeweler is a for-profit subsidiary of Jewelers of America, though the two organizations act independently of each other.