UJA-Federation to Honor Beryl Raff
Beryl Raff, president and chief operating officer of Zale Corp., will be honored by the Diamond, Jewelry, & Watch Division of UJA-Federation for outstanding achievements in her professional career and community service. UJA-Federation, a voluntary human-service network, aids more than 4.5 million people in the United States, in Israel, and around the world.
Raff will be fêted at the division?s annual dinner on Thursday, April 15, at Pier Sixty in New York City. Chairman of the dinner is Robert DiNicola, chairman and CEO of Zale Corp.
Raff?s retail career began in 1973 at Macy?s Department Stores. In 1983, she was given responsibility for Macy?s jewelry business. She was appointed senior vice president of jewelry at Macy?s East in 1990. From 1994 to 1997, she was president of Zales Jewelers. During that time, the division grew from approximately 500 to 700 stores. In 1997, she was promoted to executive vice president and chief operating officer of Zale Corp.; in August 1998, she was named to her current position.
For information on the dinner, contact Nurit Seri-Pokart at (212) 836-1115.
APPOINTMENTS
Harvey Sulkin, recently retired from Mayer?s Jewelry Co. of Hollywood, Fla., will continue in the industry as a consultant based in South Florida. He represented Mayer?s for more than 30 years in the Midwest.
Cindy Groover has been appointed vice president of distribution at Aurafin Gold Jewelry of Sunrise, Fla. She joined Aurafin Corp. in 1997 as director of distribution and was instrumental in the consolidation of the company?s bridal jewelry division and in its ISO 9001 accreditation. Prior to joining Aurafin, she was vice president of operations for Mayor?s Jewelers and vice president of distribution and repair at Sterling. She holds an MBA from Case Western Reserve University and a Graduate Gemologist diploma and has more than 20 years? retail management experience.
The European Gemological Laboratory USA in New York has made two appointments. Branko Deljanin, G.G., has been named director of gem identification. Deljanin, previously with the Gemological Institute of America in New York, will be responsible for overseeing the growth and development of EGL?s colored stone services. Alex Volynets, G.G., is the new supervisor of diamond grading services. Volynets, also previously of GIA in New York, specializes in fancy colored diamonds. He will be responsible for hiring and training diamond graders and for day-to-day operations of EGL?s diamond grading division.
C&K Nissenbaum of New York has hired four salesmen: Gus Trimis, Warren Sollod, Bob Weinberg, and Avi Swed.
Elliot Leselrod has been appointed director of sales for Gabrielle Diamond and the men?s collection Sebastian Saint, two divisions of Suberi Brothers Inc., New York. Prior to joining Suberi Brothers, he was sales manager for Corum Watch Co. for 18 years, where he was ?Salesman of the Year? more than a dozen times.
Jewelry designer Jan Domenico is now associated with the firm of Quenton Elliott Creative Jewelers in Houston. For more than a decade, she has been known for her custom work in fine diamond, pearl, and colored gemstone jewelry.
Rebecca Johnson, G.G., has been named training manager at Borshiem?s Fine Jewelry and Gifts, a Berkshire Hathaway company in Omaha, Neb. Her responsibilities will involve research as well as development and implementation of training programs for Borsheim?s associates. She has been an instructor at the Gemological Institute of America as well as a manager at J.B. Rudolph in Eau Claire, Wis., and assistant manager of Helzberg Diamonds at the Mall of America in Minnesota.
OBITUARIES
Irwin Moore, 71, a watchmaker in the Atlanta area for 40 years, died June 24. He began his career at Central Jewelers in Atlanta in 1953 and worked there for 18 years. In 1971 he opened his own business, Moore Jewelers, which he operated until 1989. After retiring, he worked on watches at his home in Stone Mountain, Ga.
Anita Fiedler, 69, died July 2. She started selling jewelry to raise money for cancer and heart charities; the business evolved into Treasures in Jewelry Ltd. in Scarsdale, N.Y. The business will continue to be operated by the family.
R.C. May, 75, of Columbia, Tenn., died July 8. He owned and operated R.C. May Jewelers.
Inez Mary Swiber Mangiaracina, 87, a retired jewelry technician, died Oct. 1. She worked for many jewelry stores in the New Orleans area.
John H. King, 87, of Mount Pleasant, Tenn., died Oct. 14. He was the retired owner of King?s Jewelers.
Arthur A. Fisher, 82, of Scottsdale, Ariz., a retired jeweler, died Oct. 27. He was a World War II Navy veteran.
Mirko ?Mike? Culibrk, 79, of Scottsdale, Ariz., a self-employed jeweler, died Nov. 1.
George W. Opp, 76, died Nov. 8. For more than 40 years he was a sales representative for Byard F. Brogan Inc. in Glenside, Pa. In 1975 he was recognized by the Pennsylvania Jewelers Association as Salesman of the Year. He served in the Pacific during World War II. His son, Brian Opp, is following in his father?s footsteps at the company.
Berkley Meade Clark, 84, of Clarksville, Tenn., owner and operator of A.J. Clark Jewelers, died Nov. 17.
Samuel George Mitchell, 71, of Baton Rouge, La., died Dec. 1. He was a retired jewelry merchandise manager and a U.S. Navy veteran of World
War II.
Carl Schmieder Dies in Plane Crash
Carl Schmieder, 60, a former officer of the American Gem Society and past president of the Arizona Jewelers Association, was killed in a plane crash on Jan. 23. He was the owner and operator of Otto Schmieder and Son Jewelers, which has stores in Phoenix and Sun City, Ariz.
Schmieder was well known in the jewelry industry as an active member and officer of a number of industry associations, including AGS, Jewelers of America, the Jewelers Security Alliance, and the Jewelers Vigilance Committee. His jewelry creations also won a number of awards over the years from De Beers and the Cultured Pearl Association.
He was involved in the Phoenix community, serving stints as president of the Better Business Bureau and of the Valley of the Sun Kiwanis and serving on a local hospital board.
When not involved in jewelry industry or community work, Schmieder loved to fly and to rebuild vintage airplanes. A longtime pilot and flying instructor, he was a member and officer of a number of aircraft and pilots? associations. He died when a vintage World War II-era plane he had restored went into a tail spin while going through some practice maneuvers and crashed in the desert northwest of Phoenix. A passenger in the plane was also killed in the crash, which was termed an accident by the Maricopa County sheriff?s office. ? William George Shuster
Richard H. Reinhardt, Silversmith, Educator
Richard H. Reinhardt, 77, died Dec. 29. A silversmith and jewelry maker, he founded the jewelry and metalsmithing programs and was chairman of the crafts department at the former Philadelphia Museum School of Art.
Reinhardt began his more than 50-year career at the institution as a student and later became a teacher of crafts. When the school became the Philadelphia College of Art in the 1960s, he chaired its industrial design department; he was named associate dean of faculty in 1965. From 1970 to 1976, he served as dean; afterward, he taught silversmithing and jewelry making. In 1984, he resumed his position as dean and aided in the school?s transition to its new incarnation, the University of the Arts, becoming an emeritus professor and an honorary doctor of fine arts in 1986.
His work has been exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, among other institutions in the United States and the Netherlands. The Smithsonian Institution is among the museums that include his work in their permanent collections.
Appointments
Everit A. Herter has been promoted to executive vice president-affiliate relations and George J. Phillips has been promoted to executive vice president and general counsel at Shop At Home Inc. in Knoxville, Tenn. Herter previously was vice president-affiliate relations. Phillips was vice president, general counsel, and secretary.
Michael J. Davis has been appointed director, sales and marketing, at Arconium/Oster Alloys in Providence, R.I., divisions of Altoona, Pa.-based Fry Technology USA, a Cookson Group subsidiary company. He has more than 18 years of sales and marketing experience with SunsorPulse in Easton, Mass., EdgeTech/EG&G in Milford, Mass., and the Foxboro Co. in Foxboro, Mass.
OTHER APPOINTMENTS
Erin Underwood has joined the Judith Ripka Companies Inc. of New York as manager of advertising and public relations. She succeeds Linda Yudess, who retired at the end of May.
National Electronics Warranty, a Sterling, Va., company that provides customized product protection and related services, has made several appointments. Michael Weber has been named vice president of service/claims. Robert Silaghi is the new service claims manager. Andrew Wood has been appointed national training manager. Bill Croom has joined the company as senior sales specialist.
OBITUARIES
R.C. May, 75, of Columbia, Tenn., died July 8. He owned and operated R.C. May Jewelers.
Irwin Moore, 71, a watchmaker in the Atlanta area for 40 years, died June 24. He began his career at Central Jewelers in Atlanta in 1953 and worked there for 18 years. In 1971 he opened his own business, Moore Jewelers, which he operated until 1989. After retiring, he worked on watches at his home in Stone Mountain, Ga.
OBITUARIES
John H. King, 87, of Mount Pleasant, Tenn., died Oct. 14. He was the retired owner of King?s Jewelers.
Inez Mary Swiber Mangiaracina, 87, a retired jewelry technician, died Oct. 1. She worked for many jewelry stores in the New Orleans area.
Anita Fiedler, 69, died July 2. She started selling jewelry to raise money for cancer and heart charities; the business evolved into Treasures in Jewelry Ltd. in Scarsdale, N.Y. The business will continue to be operated by the family.
MAJÓRICA MAKES APPOINTMENTS
Majórica S.A., a jewelry firm headquartered in Barcelona, Spain, has hired a new general manager and made several additional appointments.
Philippe Caste, 41, is the new general manager. His responsibilities will include developing new commercial and marketing strategies for Majórica, which sells its products in more than 100 countries. Caste has experience at numerous multinational fashion, luxury items, and accessories firms. He was the general manager for Helena Rubenstein in France, his native country. He has also worked at Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy and Christian Dior.
Also at Majórica, Ramón Miguel has been named finance director, Antonio Barrionuevo is the new head of human resources, and Elena López-Henares has been appointed chief legal adviser focusing on trademarks. Leonard Di Cristofano, Majórica USA vice president, has assumed new responsibilities as duty-free and airlines commercial director.
APPOINTMENTS
Jewelry designer Jan Domenico is now associated with the firm of Quenton Elliott Creative Jewelers in Houston. For more than a decade, she has been known for her custom work in fine diamond, pearl, and colored gemstone jewelry.
Peter J. Kallet has been named to succeed William D. Matthews as chief executive officer of Oneida Ltd., Oneida, N.Y. Matthews, who had been with the company for 29 years, retired as CEO on Dec. 18 and will continue as board chairman until his term expires in May 2000. Kallet, 51, has been president and chief operating officer at Oneida since 1996; previously, he was senior vice president and general manager of the Oneida Foodservice Division. He joined the company in 1967.
OBITUARIES
Arthur A. Fisher, 82, of Scottsdale, Ariz., a retired jeweler, died Oct. 27. He was a World War II Navy veteran.
Mirko ?Mike? Culibrk, 79, of Scottsdale, Ariz., a self-employed jeweler, died Nov. 1.
Berkley Meade Clark, 84, of Clarksville, Tenn., owner and operator of A.J. Clark Jewelers, died Nov. 17.
George W. Opp, 76, died Nov. 8. For more than 40 years he was a sales representative for Byard F. Brogan Inc. in Glenside, Pa. In 1975 he was recognized by the Pennsylvania Jewelers Association as Salesman of the Year. He served in the Pacific during World War II. His son, Brian Opp, is following in his father?s footsteps at the company.