(PRESS RELEASE) TJS (The Jewelry Symposium), the jewelry industry’s annual international event dedicated specifically to the advancement of jewelry manufacturing technology, announced the 2026 recipients of its prestigious Lifetime Achievement Awards. Dennis “Buzz” Busby, former Casting Director at Stuller and Randy Welch, former Senior Tech Process Engineer at Stuller, will receive the prestigious award in recognition of their decades of exceptional global work, supporting, educating, and advancing the fine jewelry industry. The awards will be presented during the 2026 symposium in Detroit May 16 – 19, 2026.
“We are honored to present Mr. Busby and Mr. Welch the TJS Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s symposium,” says Linus Drogs, Chairman of the Board at TJS. “Both men have contributed much to the progress of fine jewelry manufacturing. ‘Buzz’ Busby was a regular attendee at SFS since the beginning, attending 29 of the 34 years. He and Randy Welch both were ever eager to share the latest advancements in the jewelry making process. Separately and together, they have authored and co-authored presentations for SFS and other conferences, industry wide. Whether shared with hundreds of people at the symposiums or shared in thousands of individual conversations over the years, their goodwill and ongoing endeavors for knowledge sharing represent the embodiment of the TJS mission.”
The two deserving individuals receiving the award this year are colleagues and longtime friends. In 2024, both honorees retired from Stuller, a leading manufacturer, supplier, and technology developer based in Lafayette, Louisiana since 1970. Both men joined the company in the 1980s. Mr. Busby retired in December of 2024 after 41 years of service, and Mr. Welch retired in August that same year, after 43 years of service. In addition to their decades of work at Stuller, both awardees have been lifetime devotees to progress and information sharing in the jewelry industry. Their willingness to share their latest research and advancements in the precious metal casting process has always been greatly appreciated. The two have always been strong supporters of the annual symposiums.
The lifetime achievement award is not presented annually at TJS. The award is intended to bestow recognition of exceptional industry leaders when the timing is right. Previous awardees include Eddie Bell in 2023, the first recipient of the TJS Lifetime Achievement Award, in honor of his founding of the annual Santa Fe Symposium of Jewelry Manufacturing Technology (SFS), after which TJS is modeled, as well as his 34 years of steering SFS. The second awardee was the venerated gold technical expert Dr. Christopher Corti who was honored in 2025. Dr. Corti has over 45 years of experience in the precious metals industry, having worked with Johnson Matthey and the World Gold Council, serving as editor of Gold Technology, Gold Bulletin, and more. Since retiring, Dr. Corti continues his work as a global technical consultant and regularly presents metallurgy papers at TJS, in addition to serving on the Board of Directors.
Lifetime achievement awardees receive a commemorative plaque and a free, full-access pass to TJS’ annual symposium, for life.
For more information or event details regarding TJS, visit thejewelrysymposium.com, or email Jessa Cast or [email protected].
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