This year’s panel of judges included Kat Stokes of Korman Jewelers, designer Selim Mouzannar, Liza Urla from Gemologue, Jennifer Farrington of Mitchell Stores and Rachael Burrow Rummel of VERANDA, who put careful thought and consideration into deciding this year’s finalists and winners.

When winning the award in Best in Gold, Lunar Rain designer, Melissa Chen, emoted from the stage, “This is so overwhelming. I’d like to thank the COUTURE team and the COUTURE community for constantly supporting us.”

Mimicking her sentiment was Vanessa Fernandez, who won the award for Best in Colored Gems Above $40,000 retail for a 18k gold necklace featuring over 38 carats of pear shape chrysoberyls and sapphires, “I’m so grateful to my community. This piece is so special. It took me 120 hours to make and I feel so supported by my community. As a bench jeweler and a goldsmith, I feel like I’m in the right place.”

Jeff Feero, Managing Partner of Alex Sepkus, was presented with the Cindy Edelstein Award, with his many nominators noting his penchant for discovering and nurturing talent in everyone around him. “Wow. As my partner Alex said to me one day, ‘A good line of bullshit is worth more than a bag of tools,’ and he said, ‘You got it.’ Truly, when I turned 65 last year, my staff said to me ‘So boss, when are you going to retire?’ When they said that I was so horrified. I said, ‘I love the people in this business, it’s the people.’

“I am this version of Jeff Feero because of Candy, Emilija, Richard and everyone else on my team, I can’t be me without them, I would just be a dude. But they bring it out and I’m one patient motherfuc!er, I am so patient with my shop, my people and that’s my only gift is to see people’s potential and be quiet, let them be them. Don’t get in their way, do not get in their way. I thank you for this, this is lovely.”

At the close of the evening, Jan Mohr, COUTURE’s long-standing Retailer Liaison, who is retiring after this year’s event, was surprised with a new award, Hidden Gem. Intended to honor an individual in the retail space who consistently showcases kindness, respect and dignity to everyone around them, and has a sense of style, grace and aplomb, even under pressure, the award highlights the monumental impact Jan has had on establishing the essence of COUTURE.

“For the first time Jan is not going to be presenting an award, she’s going to be receiving an award,” Gannon Brousseau explained following a tribute video, “It’s going to be our newest award, our Hidden Gem Award, that we’re going to start adding in her honor for the top retailer who embodies everything that makes Jan so special which…good luck! She is our rock, our unsung hero. For those of you who don’t know her, know this doesn’t exist without her, she is our north star, she is the most inspiring person I’ve ever met. When I took this job, I knew that I just wanted to make her proud and if I could, I was doing a great job.”

“It’s the ugly cry it’s so embarrassing,” Jan said from the stage, visibly emotional. “Fifty years ago when I started behind the jewelry counter in Tucson, Arizona, I had no idea that it would be the only industry I’d ever work in, and I didn’t want to be in any other industry, and most importantly, I wouldn’t want to be with any other group than the COUTURE group.

“Thanks to all the designers. I always say the real artists of the world are the jewelry designers because instead of painting on a piece of paper or canvas they take materials and turn it into something incredibly beautiful; the reason we have couture is because of you, thank you to the retailers for taking my calls and my long emails and thank you for the couture team for putting up with my lack of technology, and just thank you all for always welcoming me it’s been a fun 25 years. Thank you so much.”

BEST IN PLATINUM

1^st Place: r kheni

2^nd Place: PlatAfrica

3^rd Place: Roberto Demeglio

BEST IN BELOW $10K RETAIL

1^st Place: Three Stories

2^nd Place: By Pariah

3^rd Place: White Space

BEST IN BRIDAL

1^st Place: Mason and Books

2^nd Place: SEVAN BICAKCI

3^rd Place: Rosario Navia

BEST IN COLORED GEMSTONES BELOW $40K

1^st Place: Harwell Godfrey

2^nd Place: Lisa Nik

3^rd Place: Fullord

BEST IN COLORED GEMSTONES ABOVE $40K

1^st Place: Vanessa Fernandez

2^nd Place: Gyan Jaipur

3^rd Place: SOPHIA D

BEST IN PEARLS

1^st Place: Francesca Villa

2^nd Place: Mattia Cielo

3^rd Place: SHIHARA

EDITORS’ CHOICE

1^st Place: Robinson Pelham

2^nd Place: r kheni

3^rd Place: Carolina Neves

BEST IN DIAMONDS BELOW $40K

1^st Place: Bibi van der Velden

2^nd Place: AMPM

3^rd Place: Recarlo

BEST IN DIAMONDS ABOVE $40K

1^st Place: Busatti 1947

2^nd Place: Walters Faith

3^rd Place: Mariani

BEST IN GOLD

1^st Place: Lunar Rain

2^nd Place: Alice Herald

3^rd Place: Castro Smith

BEST IN INNOVATIVE

1^st Place: YUTAI

2^nd Place: House of Glik by Moritz Glik

3^rd Place: Bijules

BEST IN HAUTE COUTURE

1^st Place: CHANTECLER CAPRI

2^nd Place: Kavant & Sharart

3^rd Place: MOKSH

BEST IN DEBUTING

1^st Place: ZAHN-Z

2^nd Place: Circa 1700

3^rd Place: By Pariah

BEST IN PEOPLE’S CHOICE

1^st Place: SEVAN BICAKCI

2^nd Place: PlatAfrica

3^rd Place: Shinola