CALIF. 24 KARAT CLUB SLATES DINNER DANCE
The Jewelers 24 Karat Club of Southern California has scheduled its 56th annual Fall Dinner Dance for Saturday, Nov. 4, at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
The event also will feature the presentation of the Excellence in Service Award to Edward A. Dayoob, president and chief operating officer of Fred Meyer Jewelers. The award is given annually to an individual who has made major contributions to the jewelry industry.
The event is open to all members of the jewelry industry. Brian Cimino of West Bryson Associates is chairman. For information, contact The Jewelers 24 Karat Club of Southern California, 727 W. Seventh St., Suite 918, Los Angeles, CA 90017; (213) 623-5722, fax (213) 623-5742.
WJA GAINS TWO CHAPTERS
The Women?s Jewelry Association has formed two new chapters: a Southwest chapter, which will encompass Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Arizona, and New Mexico; and a Las Vegas chapter.
The Southwest has had a particularly difficult time keeping a chapter alive, says JCK sales representative Patricia Henneberry, one of the founding members of the new group.
Like the mythical phoenix rising from the ashes, 35 women have banded together to re-form the previously defunct chapter. ?We?re so spread out that we can?t have a meeting every month, but we can get together once a year for a mini-conclave weekend,? she says. The mini-conclave idea will most likely encompass a Friday-to-Sunday stay in a resort area, with speakers, roundtable discussions, and free time for networking and sightseeing.
The new Las Vegas chapter was formed on April 6 and has 16 new members. Its president and vice president are, respectively, Yancy Weinrich and Sherri Hendricks, both of the American Gem Society.
According to Weinrich, the group hopes to grow to become a major chapter of WJA to help support The JCK Show and other Las Vegas-based industry events. ? Hedda T. Schupak and Carrie Soucy
ORT TO HONOR BANK OFFICIAL
Anna Martin of ABN AMRO Bank will receive ORT?s Community Achievement Award at a dinner in her honor on Thursday, Sept. 21, at the Grand Hyatt Hotel New York.
ORT is a Jewish community organization that supports technology education and the world?s largest nonsectarian and nongovernment education and training organization. Its network teaches more than 262,000 students in more than 60 countries, including more than 10,000 in the United States.
For information, call American ORT Jewelry Industry Chapter at (212) 353-5822, fax (212) 353-5888.
MASS. GROUP FETE HELPS FIGHT BLINDNESS
The Massachusetts Affiliate of the Foundation Fighting Blindness recently hosted its 11th annual ?Seeing Is Believing? Ball. The theme of the evening was ?All That Glitters.? Participants celebrated the recent surpassing of the $1 million mark in their fund-raising efforts.
Guests bought tiaras (for the women) and cigars (for the men) to enter a drawing for a 1-ct. radiant-cut diamond donated in part by J. & S. S. DeYoung Inc. The evening also included silent and live auctions and netted a total of more than $100,000 for the foundation.
The Foundation Fighting Blindness is a national eye research foundation dedicated to finding cures for retinitis pigmentosa, macular degeneration, and related retinal degenerative diseases. For information, contact its national headquarters at Executive Plaza 1, Suite 800, 11350 McCormick Rd., Hunt Valley, MD 21031-1014; (888) 394-3937 or (410) 785-1414.