COMING + GOING
The Plumb Club has appointed Lawrence Hess its first executive director. Among his duties will be overseeing construction of the new Plumb Club Pavilion at JCK Las Vegas in 2010. Hess’s 25-year career in the jewelry industry began with his family business, Jose Hess. He also served as vice president of Suberi Brothers.
Patrick Ouart has been appointed advisor to the chairman and chief executive officer of luxury company LVMH. Ouart will become a member of the executive committee.
William D. Busko II has joined Consensus Advisors, the Boston-based financial consulting company, as managing director and manager of its New York office.
Italian jewelry brand Rosato has hired Eric Sigg as Midwest sales manager. Sigg was previously employed by the Movado Group.
REMEMBERED
Mahendra “Madhu” Mehta, of DTC sight-holder Jayam Manufacturing, died recently. Mehta’s company was among the DTC’s biggest sightholders in the 1980s, although in 2006, he sued the DTC over its Supplier of Choice policy and lost. The company was a major force in the development of the diamond industry in Thailand.
Jacob Banda, Diamond Dealers Club president for nine years, died at age 62 after a long illness. Banda was a member of the DDC for more than 30 years and was first elected president in 2000. Re-elected four times, Banda oversaw the launch of the diamond exchange’s online presence. Following his death, a memorial service was held on the club floor, and the club’s synagogue was dedicated to him. He is survived by his wife, 10 children, and some 40 grandchildren. Former DDC vice president Moshe Mosbacher was recently appointed to replace Banda.
Saul Rosenfeld, former national sales manager for Belair Time Corp., has died at age 71. Rosenfeld spent his entire career in the watch industry, starting as a vault clerk for Croton Watch and quickly rising through the ranks to become one of the company’s top salesmen. He joined Belair in 1991.
Morris Green, of Green Brothers, in New York, recently died, along with his wife Charlotte, in what reports called an apparent murder/suicide. Morris was 76 and his wife was 78. Morris, a diamond supplier to the Independent Jewelers Organization, was selected as the recipient of the very first IJO Ultimate Appreciation Award, in February 2000.
Bernard D’Ascenzo Sr., 82, a respected jeweler on Philadelphia’s Sansom Street for over 50 years, died of cancer in October. An Italian immigrant, D’Ascenzo originally studied architecture but designed jewelry to earn money for college. In 1954, he opened his own shop on Sansom Street, Bernard D’Ascenzo Jewelers. In 2003, Jewelers of America designated him a Certified Master Bench Jeweler, the highest level in its certification program.
HONORED
The Accredited Gemologists Association has awarded Richard W. Hughes the 2010 Antonio C. Bonanno Award for Excellence in Gemology. Hughes, the senior vice president of gemstone acquisition and marketing at NCS Group, Bangkok, Thailand, is being recognized for his scientific writings, including two books and more than 100 articles.
Yancy Weinrich, industry vice president for JCK Events, was recently inducted into the 24 Karat Club of the City of New York. Weinrich is the 22nd woman to be elected to its current membership.