JCK Show consultant Charlotte Preston, president of Charlotte Preston Catalysts Inc., was named by the national Women’s Jewelry Association (WJA) as the recipient of the WJA Award for Excellence, which recognizes outstanding women professionals in six different categories. Preston’s was the Award for Excellence in Special Services to the Industry.

Preston has been in the jewelry industry since 1985, when she became the publications manager for the American Gem Society, eventually becoming that organization’s assistant executive director and the executive director of the Jewelers Education Foundation. In 1993, she and her family moved to the White Bear Lake, Minn., area, and she opened Charlotte Preston Catalysts Inc.The company creates full education programming tailored for the retail jewelers who attend national trade shows in the industry, and it recruits the speakers at those events, including The JCK Shows, the American Gem Society Conclave, the American Gem Trade Association GemFair, and RJO events.