HONORED

Jewelers of America announced that Will & Grace star—and jeweler’s daughter—Debra Messing (pictured) will receive the GEM Award for Jewelry Style at the 16th annual GEM Awards gala on Jan. 19, 2018.

COMINGS AND GOINGS

Antonio Seward (pictured) has been ­appointed North American CEO of watch brand Audemars Piguet, effective Aug. 1. Most recently, he served as Audemars Piguet’s general manager for Southeast Asia.

Philadelphia-based Govberg ­Jewelers has appointed Claudio Terjanian ­director of retail, a new role for the company. He has more than 15 years of watch industry experience, ­including seven years at the Franck Muller Group.

Scott Sedlacek, former vice ­president of merchandising at Reeds Jewelers, joined ALTR Created Diamonds and R.A. Riam Group as president of sales and ­business development.

Sotheby’s has hired watch veterans Mikael Wallhagen (pictured) and Tony Frank as it continues to add to its timepiece department. Both come from the Swedish auction house Bukowskis.

Veteran watch journalist Joe ­Thompson has joined Hodinkee, the popular online watch publication. He previously served as ­editor-in-chief of American Time and got his start at JCK.

Stephen Watson has been appointed editor-in-chief of Watch Journal, as well as watch and jewelry editor for its publisher, Surface Media.

Hal Lawton, a former vice president of eBay, has been named the new president of Macy’s. He was most recently senior vice president of eBay North America.

Sean Gilbertson was appointed CEO of Gemfields, replacing Ian Harebottle, following Pallinghurst Resources’ purchase of the gemstone miner. He is the son of Pallinghurst founder/veteran mining ­executive Brian ­Gilbertson.

Philadelphia-based jewelry brand Lagos has promoted sales director Diana Nichols (pictured) to the role of vice president of sales. Nichols has been with the company since December 2014.

Former Mountain Province ­Diamonds CEO Patrick Evans is the new CEO of Canadian diamond miner ­Dominion Diamond Corp., following its sale to Washington Companies.

ASSOCIATIONS

The Natural Color Diamond ­Association (NCDIA) has launched NCDIA Asia, in cooperation with the Asian Institute of Gemological Sciences. AIGS president Barbara Wheat will head the group.

REMEMBERED

Legendary estate and red-carpet ­jeweler Fred Leighton died July 26 at 85. Born Murray Mondschein, he bought a Mexican dress store in Manhattan in the 1960s named after its former owner. By the 1980s, he had become so identified with that name that he legally changed his to Leighton.

Signed Fred Leighton aquamarine and diamond dart earrings

Tony Roskin, former owner of Marion, Ind., store Gilbert Roskin Jewelers and father of International Colored Gemstone Association executive ­director Gary Roskin, died July 1 of complications from cancer. He was 97.

William George Shuster, who ­chronicled the watch and jewelry industry for 29 years for JCK, died Aug. 30 of complications from ­diabetes. He was 71.

(Messing: Abbey Drucker)