Skip to main content

Diamonds Do Good announces inaugural Next Gen Awards recipients

(NEW YORK) – Recognizing the next generation of leaders in the industry, global non-profit Diamonds Do Good has tapped Feriel Zerouki, Kealeboga Pule, Kecia Caffie, and Alexis Padis, to be its inaugural Next Gen Award recipients. The Next Gen Awards will be presented at Diamonds Do Good’s annual gala on June 9th at the Venetian Hotel, Palazzo Ballroom, Las Vegas, NV.

“Our goal is to recognize leaders who represent the future for our industry. These individuals span the mining, manufacturing and retail sectors and we will highlight their accomplishments in their respective fields and support of the communities where they do business,” says Diamonds Do Good’s president Anna Martin.

Inaugural recipients include:

  • Feriel Zerouki: First elected female incoming President of the World Diamond Council (WDC), Feriel is SVP Corporate Affairs, De Beers Group. She was instrumental in developing and leading ethical programs at De Beers Group all aiming to raise industry standards and push the sustainability agenda forward in the diamond industry. Starting with the Best Practice Principles, through to provenance initiatives such as Tracr and developing solutions to integrate artisanal miners to the international trade through GemFair, Feriel has already left her mark on the industry.
  • Kealeboga Pule: A member of the Young Diamantaires, Kealeboga is the Founder, Manufacturer & Bespoke Diamond Jeweller of Nungu Diamonds, based in South Africa. His commitment to his community extends beyond providing jobs for young South Africans as he seeks to change the world diamond narrative by refocusing the diamond consumer back to ‘why’ diamonds – their unique origin and their impact on socio-economic development at producer countries and manufacturing centers around the world.
  • Kecia Caffie: As President of Banter by Piercing Pagoda since 2017, Kecia has helped the brand connect with their Millennial and Gen Z customer base who are fiercely independent, tech-savvy, creative and non-conformist in their style choices and identities. She is a proven and inspirational leader.
  • Alexis Padis: Next generation jeweler of the Padis family and President of Padis Jewelry since 2019, Alexis has had first-hand experience successfully pivoting through the pandemic years, embracing an omnichannel approach while taking risks that proved fruitful for her business and community. President-elect for the American Gem Society, she received the 2021 Young Titleholder of the Year Award and was recently recognized as one of the “20 under 40” by Jewelers of America. She takes to heart the responsibility of the independent jewelers to promote ethical business practices, uphold consumer protection and continue their jewelry education while supporting her own local community.

“The recipients of these awards reflect the importance of engaging community around the world,” says DDG co-founder and civil rights leader Dr. Benjamin Chavis, Jr. “Now more than ever we need to reaffirm and share this commitment with consumers everywhere.”

For more information and to purchase tickets or sponsorships, click here.

Diamonds Do Good, formerly known as the Diamond Empowerment Fund, is a not-for-profit organization inspired in 2006 by Nelson Mandela to tell the world about the positive impact of diamonds in Southern Africa. Its focus today is to create meaningful change in natural diamond communities across the world and to tell these meaningful stories.

The post Diamonds Do Good announces inaugural Next Gen Awards recipients appeared first on Southern Jewelry News.



from Southern Jewelry News https://ift.tt/DhsW8q6
Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Botswana’s ODC Halts All Rough Sales

Okavango Diamond Company (ODC) has halted all rough sales as global demand remains at record low levels. It says it has cancelled its November auction and may do likewise in December. “For the first time, we have had to build up inventory as we do not want to just irresponsibly release goods into a market […] The post Botswana’s ODC Halts All Rough Sales appeared first on The Jewelry Magazine . from The Jewelry Magazine https://ift.tt/ulKAeoZ
Read more

Furry Friends on the Job: Say hello to Ember of Jewelry Savers

Reading Time: < 1 minute Say hello to Ember! Ember is an adorable and spunky 2-year-old Shih Tzu. She works at Jewelry Savers in Wichita, Kansas. While not busy with her store greeter duties, Ember can often be found sleeping in one of her three different dog beds. She just loves a good tummy rub and is wonderful with children visitors. In addition to her greeter responsibilities she is a confident and elegant jewelry model. The entire staff at Jewelry Savers is grateful for Ember’s love and hard work. See all our Furry friends Do you have a furry friend that helps out in your store? Tell us about it and send a picture to  bill@southernjewelrynews.com . The post Furry Friends on the Job: Say hello to Ember of Jewelry Savers appeared first on Southern Jewelry News . from Southern Jewelry News https://ift.tt/aRmKvZy
Read more

The Story Behind the Stone: Metal Mashup

Reading Time: 6 minutes I have to confess I just learned about electrum when this topic crawled up on my radar. We love the wide range of jewelry metals today that give consumers tremendous options for creating the exact piece of their dreams. Metal alloys are some of the more exciting variations for imaginative jewelry designers to work with. These options better reflect the tastes of a client and help them to personalize their jewelry, making it truly unique to them. Brooch with a griffin, from the necropolis of Kameiros, Rhodes, c.  625–600 BC (Louvre). Natural Alloy One topic catching my eye at the moment is a rare and naturally occurring metal alloy – electrum. This word, electrum may be uncommon to modern society, but it’s a Latin word derived from the Greek electron mentioned in the Odyssey referring to a metallic substance consisting of gold alloyed with silver. Electrum was usually called white gold in antiquity. But more accurately it was described as pale gold since ...
Read more