The Jewelry Information Center’s (JIC) inaugural Gem Awards Gala, held at New York’s Cipriani 42nd Street on Jan. 10, was hosted by two-time Emmy award winner Deborah Norville. Lowell Kwiat of Kwiat Inc. and Koichi Takahashi of Mikimoto served as co-chairs for the gala.

Grammy award winners Ashford and Simpson provided entertainment and a portion of the evening’s proceeds went to the Jewelers Charity Fund for Children.

JIC executive director Elizabeth Florence presented the Gem Awards for excellence in journalism to Penny Proddow and Marion Fasel, InStyle, in the magazine category; Sibby Christensen from the Associated Press for newspapers; and London-based freelancer Vivienne Becker for international press.

Jewelers of America president Matthew Runci presented Tiffany & Co. president and CEO Michael Kowalski with a Gem Award for Tiffany’s outstanding marketing campaign featuring the iconic “little blue box.” Gerry Ginberg, chairman of Movado, received the Lifetime Achievement Award from former Finlay chairman David Cornstein.

For more information, contact JIC at (800) 459-0130 or e-mail: info@jic.org.