Reading Time: 6 minutes
Key takeaways
• Jewelers of America has announced 40 recipients for its 2026 20 Under 40 Program, recognizing emerging leaders across the jewelry industry.
• The program honors 20 professionals in the Jewelry Retailer category and 20 in the Jewelry Supplier category, reflecting the collaborative nature of the trade.
• Recipients were selected by industry judges based on leadership, innovation, professional ethics, and their commitment to the jewelry community.
(NEW YORK, NY) – Jewelers of America (JA), the national trade association for businesses serving the fine jewelry marketplace, has announced the recipients of its 2026 20 Under 40 Program. The annual recognition honors young professionals under 40 who exemplify exceptional leadership, creativity, and a commitment to advancing the jewelry industry.
The 20 Under 40 Program was launched in 2022 to highlight emerging talent in the jewelry retail space. In 2025, Jewelers of America expanded the program to include a second category—Jewelry Suppliers—to recognize the vital contributions of individuals working in design, manufacturing, wholesale, and service companies that support the jewelry retail market.
A total of 40 individuals have been named to this year’s class: 20 representing jewelry retailers and 20 representing jewelry suppliers.
All recipients were selected by a panel of industry judges and evaluated on their professional success, innovative thinking, leadership qualities, and dedication to the greater jewelry community. Each nominee also demonstrated a commitment to the Jewelers of America Code of Professional Practices and the highest standards of professional ethics.
“We are thrilled to celebrate this year’s 20 Under 40 class, an inspiring group of professionals who represent the next generation of leadership in our industry,” says David Bonaparte, President & CEO of Jewelers of America. “By continuing to recognize both retailers and suppliers, the program highlights the collaboration and creativity that fuel the jewelry community.”
The following individuals have been selected as recipients of the 20 Under 40 recognition in the Retail category:
- Bobby Bengivengo Jr., Owner at Cellini Design Jewelers, Orange, CT
- SJ Boardman, Senior Sales Consultant and Social Media Marketing Manager at Summerwind Jewelers & Goldsmiths, Portsmouth, NH
- Kyle Bullock, Owner at Bullock’s Jewelry, Roswell, NM
- Lauren P. Clawson, Store Manager; Advertising & Marketing Advisor at Huntington Fine Jewelers, Oklahoma City, OK
- Baileigh Daoud-Soricelli, Managing Partner and Director of Marketing at Daoud’s Fine Jewelry, Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Shelly Devine, Graduate Gemologist & Certified Appraiser at Devine & Co. Private Jeweler, Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
- Karen Fox, Shop Manager at Fox Fine Jewelry, Ventura, CA
- Taylor Frank, President at Eiseman Jewels, Dallas, TX
- Charlie Green, Director of Stores at Lux Bond & Green, West Hartford, CT
- Morgan Hancock Lewis, Director of Marketing at Merkley Kendrick Jewelers, Louisville, KY
- Griffin Holbeck, Vice President of Sales and Store Director at Korman Fine Jewelry, Austin, TX
- Brittany Kelly, Manager/Designer at David Adams Fine Jewelry, Fayetteville, AR
- Tony Maggio, Owner at Reflections in Gold, Venice, FL
- Sylvan Eugene Needham V, Assistant Manager at S.E. Needham Jewelers, Logan, UT
- Mackenzie Nguyen, Director of Retail & Ecommerce at Ylang 23, Dallas, Texas
- Sara Beth Brown Prendeville, President at Brown & Co., Atlanta, GA
- Sarah Martin Rowe, Founder & Principal Designer at The Leake Co., Louisville, KY
- Victoria Ruta, Engineer Technician at Tiffany & Co., New York, NY
- J.C. Sanders, Owner/Jeweler at Sanders Jewelry, Andalusia, AL
- Olivia Wickersham, Director of Sales and Operations at The Bevy, Denver, Colorado
The following individuals have been selected as recipients of the 20 Under 40 recognition in the Supplier category:
- Laura Berardocco, Sales Director/Senior Vice President at Roberto Coin Inc., New York, NY
- Domenique Collins, Strategic Partnerships & Roadmap at Adaptive, Saratoga Springs, NY
- Rohan Desai, Operations Manager at Star Gems, Atlanta, GA
- Elliot Dilamani, Vice President – Global Sales at Dilamani, Great Neck, NY
- Javier Garza, Founder at Xavier Jewelers, Austin, TX
- Josh Genovese, Vice President at Child-Genovese Insurance Agency, Inc., Hingham, MA
- Melanie Goldfiner Goldberg, Chief Marketing & Business Development Officer at Rahaminov Diamonds, Inc., Los Angeles, CA
- Sarah Haugaard, Co-Founder, Creative & Operations Director at Lionheart, New York, NY
- Hiba Husayni, Founder & Designer at ZAHN-Z®, New York, NY
- Nicolai Israileff, Co-Owner at ASBA USA, Sarasota, FL
- Gaurav Khandelwal, COO at Union Gems, Houston, TX
- Steven LeVian, Manager of Couture at Le Vian Corp., Great Neck, NY
- Casey Perez, Founder and Designer at Casey Perez, Brooklyn, NY
- Meir Saban, President at Saban Onyx, New York, NY
- Olga Shatrova, Designer / Founder at Olga Shatrova LLC, Irvine, CA
- Stella Song, Founder and CEO at Stella Song Designs, Irvine, CA
- Nicole Stern, Co-Founder and Vice President at Everspark, Great Neck, NY
- DeAndre Williams, Senior Account Executive at Aurora Payments, Tempe, AZ
- Ersin Yildirim, Owner/CEO at Golden Planet USA Inc, New York NY
- Gabriella Zwirn, Founder and Designer at Nur Jewels, Carlsbad, CA
Jewelers Mutual Group and Synchrony sponsor Jewelers of America’s 20 Under 40 Program. For more information about the recipients and to view the full list of honorees, visit https://www.jewelers.org/news/ja-in-the-news/introducing-jewelers-of-america-s-20-under-40-class-of-2026
The post Jewelers of America Announces 2026 Recipients of 20 Under 40 Program appeared first on Southern Jewelry News.
from Southern Jewelry News https://ift.tt/JCnzs5c