(PRESS RELEASE) LOS ANGELES, CA — The Jewelers 24 Karat Club of Southern California and its board of directors announced that Martin Rapaport, Douglas Kazanjian, and Carl Larson will be honored at The Club’s 80th annual dinner and dance on September 28, 2024. This year’s exclusive event will be held at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, a new venue for the gala.
The Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Martin Rapaport, founder and chairman of the Rapaport Group. Established in 1978, the Rapaport Group is well known for the Rapaport Price List, Information Services, RapNet Trading Network, and Rapaport Auctions. Martin is the primary advocate for ethical, transparent, competitive, and efficient diamond markets. Martin transformed the diamond industry by providing global price availability and trading transparency in competitive markets. The Rapaport Group has over 21,000 members in 127 countries.
The Excellence in Service Award will be presented to Douglas Kazanjian, CEO of Kazanjian Beverly Hills. Douglas is the third generation to lead his family’s estate jewelry firm, now celebrating 111 years in business. He searches the world for the finest rare gems and estate jewels from private estates, and helped uncover one of the world’s most historical diamonds in 2007 with the rediscovery of a 5.05 carat red diamond. Through the Kazanjian Foundation, he helped donate the world’s four largest sapphires, carved into the busts of US Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Eisenhower, to the American people for display in the Oval Office. He is actively involved in supporting his local community, industry trade organizations, and gives lectures on estate jewelry and gemstones to organizations around the country.
The Rising Star Award will be presented to Carl Larson, Director of Gems at Pala International. Carl’s keen eye for the world’s best gems and minerals has been honed since birth and fine-tuned by his education at the GIA and the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle in Paris. In 2023, Carl won his first AGTA Spectrum Award for jewelry design. He has successfully placed many high-quality gemstones with large brands and auction houses, thus making a name for himself as a go to dealer and broker. As the five decades old company ventures into the future, Carl’s expertise and unwavering dedication will undoubtedly play a key role in Pala’s continued success.
“I am thrilled to continue the tradition and legacy of our annual awards gala into its eightieth year,” said Kimberly Overlin, president of the club. Our new venue, the iconic Petersen Automotive Museum, reflects our commitment to innovation and celebrates our industry’s rich heritage. Our members and longtime attendees of this event are in for an amazing evening of networking, recognition, and entertainment. I urge everyone to secure their tickets early, and join us for a memorable celebration of excellence in the jewelry industry.”
During this celebratory dinner & dance, guests will enjoy exquisite food, live entertainment, and the automotive treasures of the world-famous Petersen Museum. The annual black tie event honors the jewelry industry’s finest leaders and supports upcoming educational programming, and is made possible thanks to generous sponsorships from Krainz Creations, GIA, JCK, Heritage Auctions, IGI, and BriteCo.
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The Club invites retailers, wholesalers, and colleagues in the jewelry, diamond, colored stone, and watch industries to join us in celebrating 80 years of industry excellence and honoring this year’s award recipients.
Information on the 80th Annual Dinner Dance and Gala, including tickets and sponsorship, is available online.
