Press Releases

Stephen Webster Receives Cindy Edelstein Award for Human Spirit at Couture

Published

7 years ago

June 6, 2017

INSTORE Staff

“I’m lost for words.”

(Press Release) LAS VEGAS — British luxury jeweler Stephen Webster received the Cindy Edelstein award for Human Spirit at the 2017 Couture Design Awards in Las Vegas.

The award was renamed in 2016 in honor of Cindy Edelstein, the designer advocate and industry veteran who passed away suddenly last year. Edelstein’s daughter Remy presented the award in recognition of Webster’s contribution to the jewelry industry, his ongoing support of up-and-coming designers through the British Fashion Council’s Rock Vault platform, his work with numerous charitable organizations and his dedication to ethical sourcing and sustainability.

On accepting the award, Webster paid tribute to the late Edelstein: “I’m lost for words. I feel really emotional here … because obviously I knew Cindy very, very well. I was right there in the beginning when she was the champion of designer jewelry in America, and as a Brit, I always felt very much a part of the spirit that she just passed on to everybody.” INSTORE stephenwebster

Stephen Webster received the Cindy Edelstein award for Human Spirit at the 2017 Couture Design Awards in Las Vegas.

When There’s No Succession Plan, Call Wilkerson

Bob Wesley, owner of Robert C. Wesley Jewelers in Scottsdale, Ariz., was a third-generation jeweler. When it was time to enjoy life on the other side of the counter, he weighed his options. His lease was nearing renewal time and with no succession plan, he decided it was time to call Wilkerson. There was plenty of inventory to sell and at first, says Wesley, he thought he might try to manage a sale himself. But he’s glad he didn’t. “There’s no way I could have done this as well as Wilkerson,” he says. Wilkerson took responsibility for the entire event, with every detail — from advertising to accounting — done, dusted and managed by the Wilkerson team. “It’s the complete package,” he says of the Wilkerson method of helping jewelers to easily go on to the next phase of their lives. “There’s no way any retailer can duplicate what they’ve done.”