(PRESS RELEASE) NEW YORK CITY, NY — New York, NY – Jewelers of America (JA), the national trade association for businesses serving the fine jewelry marketplace, and the GEM Awards Committee proudly announce the 2026 GEM Award Nominees in the categories of Jewelry Design, Media Excellence and Retail Innovation. The winners in these three categories will be announced live during GEM Awards on Friday, March 13, 2026, at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City.
GEM Awards honors individuals and brands whose work raises the visibility and status of fine jewelry and watches. Each nominee has achieved excellence in their respective field. The GEM Award nominees are:
GEM Award for Jewelry Design:
Cece Fein-Hughes, Cece Jewellery
Cece Fein-Hughes
Cece Fein-Hughes has always been fascinated by how art carries stories through time. After studying History of Art at Exeter University and working at Christie’s and Sotheby’s, she began goldsmithing in 2018. At the British Academy of Jewellery, she discovered enameling—an ancient technique she now reimagines for today’s collectors. Her creations, hand-engraved and enameled in recycled 18K gold, fuse fairy-tale imagery, tattoo motifs, and timeless symbolism. Pearls and star-set diamonds complete each miniature artwork, making every piece unique. Drawing on her father’s deep-sea diving adventures and his tattooed storytelling, Cece’s jewels brim with nautical emblems, animal totems, and mythic creatures—vivid symbols of history, imagination, and modern artistry.
Silvia Furmanovich, Silvia Furmanovich
Silvia Furmanovich
Silvia Furmanovich is a renowned Brazilian jewelry designer celebrated for transforming global traditions and materials into wearable art. Descended from Italian goldsmiths—her great-grandfather crafted ornaments for the Vatican—she launched her namesake brand in 1998 and continues to work from her São Paulo atelier with her three sons. Her creations blend marquetry, lacquer, miniature painting, and natural materials like bamboo, silk, and wood with precious gems, reflecting a deep respect for craftsmanship and cultural collaboration. Partnering with artisans worldwide and institutions such as The Met and MFA Houston, Furmanovich has earned four Couture Design Awards and a 2019 GEM Award nomination. Her work also appears in museum collections in New York and Minneapolis.
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Catherine Sarr, ALMASIKA
Paris-born Catherine Sarr is the Founder and CEO of ALMASIKA, a Chicago-based fine jewelry brand inspired by universal symbols and stories that connect cultures. Believing jewelry carries meaning beyond adornment, she creates designs that bridge art, heritage, and shared human experience. Worn by Michelle Obama, Alicia Keys, and Reese Witherspoon, ALMASIKA embodies elegance with depth. Beyond jewelry, Catherine and her husband champion emerging artists through The Sarr Collection, which includes the PRIX Sarr with Les Beaux-Arts de Paris and a U.S. residency with Villa Albertine. She serves on the board of the Terra Foundation for American Art and was named Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government in 2022.
GEM Award for Media Excellence:
(left to right) Nicole Martine Chapoteau, Emili Vesilind, Thomas Waller
Nicole Martine Chapoteau
Nicole Martine Chapoteau is a fashion director, stylist, and creative visionary shaping Vanity Fair’s visual identity as Fashion Director. A graduate of NYU and member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., she began her career in architecture before moving into fashion, blending structural design with editorial storytelling. Her previous roles at Marie Claire, InStyle, and Allure established her as a leader in accessories and style direction. Renowned for uniting fashion with cultural resonance, she has styled Regina King, Bad Bunny, Simone Biles, Angela Davis, and more. Her work appears in Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, The Cut, and Ebony, collaborating with photographers like Mickalene Thomas and Mark Seliger. Chapoteau’s work embodies inclusivity, artistry, and narrative depth.
Emili Vesilind
Emili Vesilind’s been writing about jewelry as a business and an artform since 2012, first as a senior editor at JCK magazine for nearly a decade, and currently is the editor-in-chief of Gem + Jewel, a glossy magazine and website produced by Jewelers Mutual Group and designed to elevate its readership’s love of fine jewelry and luxury watches. Prior to pivoting to jewelry journalism, she covered the fashion industry for both the Los Angeles Times as a staff writer and Women’s Wear Daily as its west coast retail editor. She’s a co-host at-large for jewelry podcast Rough Cut, and over the years has contributed articles and personal essays to CNN, New York Magazine’s The Cut, Vogue Australia, Curator, and Vox, among others. She lives on the Beltway in Virginia with her husband and two kids.
Thomas Waller
Thomas Waller is the Senior Fashion Market Editor for Accessories at WWD, where he covers everything from handbags to heels — but his true obsessions are watches and fine jewelry. Drawn to the craft, precision, and storytelling behind them, he explores how design, heritage, and innovation shape the way we adorn ourselves. His work spans collection critiques, business and retail features, industry trend analysis, and collaborating on WWD’s visual storytelling through fashion and accessory editorials. With a deep appreciation and curiosity for craftsmanship and design, he explores how artistry and innovation shape the way people buy, wear, and value what they own. Before joining WWD, he held editorial roles at InStyle and Allure. Outside of the office, he is a culture and travel nerd and a self-professed Real Housewives historian.
GEM Award for Retail Innovation:
Day’s Jewelers
Founded in 1914, Day’s Jewelers has been New England’s trusted jeweler for over a century. Evolving from a small Maine family business to a 100% employee-owned company in 2021, Day’s is celebrated for quality jewelry, fair value, and exceptional service that spans generations. With nine locations across Maine and New Hampshire, the company champions responsible sourcing, community involvement, and lasting value for customers and employee-owners alike. Blending tradition with innovation, Day’s offers immersive in-store experiences, advanced digital tools, and heartfelt customer care. Its motto, “Sparkle Everyday,” captures the brand’s enduring mission—to bring joy, connection, and timeless beauty to life’s most meaningful moments.
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Emily Chelsea Jewelry
Founded by designer Emily Phillippy in 2015, Emily Chelsea Jewelry is redefining retail excellence through inclusivity, transparency, and values-driven innovation. Based in Philadelphia, the brand is known for its gender-free fine jewelry, traceable sourcing, and deeply personal design process. A passionate advocate for LGBTQIA+ representation, Emily has challenged the industry’s traditional norms to ensure every client feels seen and celebrated. What began with a single bench has grown into a nationally recognized destination for meaningful, identity-affirming jewelry. Under Emily’s leadership, ECJ continues to expand its team, showroom, and impact—driving a movement toward authenticity, accountability, and representation in modern jewelry.
Jessica McCormack
Jessica McCormack is a London-based fine jewelry brand celebrated for its signature antique-meets-modern aesthetic. Female-led and rapidly expanding, the company has grown from £9 million in 2020 to over £30 million in 2024, earning a global following of collectors, entrepreneurs, and celebrities. In 2025, the brand opened its first U.S. store on Madison Avenue in New York and a concession in London’s Harrods, marking major milestones in its international expansion. Known for its “Day Diamonds,” Jessica McCormack creates heirloom-quality pieces designed for everyday wear. Each jewel is crafted in the brand’s in-house Mayfair workshop, ensuring exceptional craftsmanship and timeless appeal.
The 2026 GEM Awards will also honor Mark and Candy Udell of London Jewelers with the GEM Award for Lifetime Achievement. Proceeds from GEM Awards directly benefit valuable industry programs that enhance JA’s mission to improve consumer confidence in jewelry and watches. To support the honorees, purchase sponsorships and explore advertising opportunities, visit gemawards.jewelers.org.
