Since 2003, Jewelry Information Center's Annual Gem Awards have recognized leaders in the jewelry and watch industry and media. Each year, the Gem Awards dinner attracts more than 600 executives from the world's leading jewelry and watch companies and media in celebration of these achievements. Now, the Board of Directors of JIC is inviting all JIC members and others in the jewelry industry to submit nominations for the 2009 Gem Awards. Awards will be given in two or more categories (The number of Gem Awards given in any year depends on the quality of the nominations received.) The award categories and criteria for nominations are described below.

Nominations must be submitted online. A link to the submission form is provided at the bottom of this page. Nominations will be accepted until May 15; the names of nominations received will not be disclosed except to the awards juries. The process by which nominations will be considered is as follows:

• JIC will convene juries of 3 to 5 people per award category. To maintain a separation between awards and fundraising, JIC staff and the Gem Awards Committee Chair will manage the jury system.
• For each award, the jury will include at least one past winner of that award, plus JIC members or others with an expertise in the award category.
• Each jury has the option to recommend that a particular award not be given because none of the nominations received meet the criteria for that award.

• Each jury will meet by conference call during the late spring, and will submit one recommended awardee to be vetted by the Gem Awards Committee and reviewed and approved by the JIC Board at its July meeting.
• In reviewing the recommendations of each jury, the Gem Awards Committee may consider the extent to which a particular recommendation may increase the support of the Gem Awards event.
• Each jury may decline to submit a recommendation for a particular award if none of the nominations meets the criteria for that award.

Nominations are received from JIC members and the industry via www.jic.org

Gem Awards Committee Chair and staff organize juries and distribute list of nominations for each category to the responsible jury.

Each jury meets and makes it recommendation to the full Gem Awards Committee. (Each jury may decide to make no recommendation if the nominations for a particular category fall short of the requirements.)

The Gem Awards Committee considers and vets all jury recommendations and forwards a final list of award recipients to the JIC Board for ratification/approval.

Gem Awards for Excellence in Consumer Media/Journalism - Based on body of work at current and past publications. Those eligible are fashion or accessories editors at national magazines, fashion editors at national or local newspapers, reporters for news services, freelance writers who contribute to one or multiple consumer publications, and broadcast personalities who cover jewelry or watches. This award is to an individual, not to a publication, and recognizes consistent excellence in quality of reporting on fine jewelry and watches.

Corporate Communications Award - To an individual or an institution, for excellence in marketing: Consumer strategy that includes print, broadcast, and/or internet advertising campaigns, public relations efforts and the resulting editorial coverage (frequency and quality), special events, iconic or visionary packaging and collateral, and the inherent, cohesive branding message the consuming public regularly receives as a result of the above.

Jewelry Style Award - To a celebrity or media personality, male or female, or a stylist who embodies the wearing of fine jewelry and/or watches as part of his or her personal style, and who consistently inspires and encourages consumer desire for jewelry and watches by glamorizing their image or their clients' images. For celebrities, the award is based on both on and off-screen persona, not on character(s) portrayed.

Lifetime Achievement Award - Possibly given to an institution but more likely to an individual, this award is granted for an accumulated career's worth of contributions to the fine jewelry and watch industry. Humanitarian efforts may or may not be included in this award; focus is on having made substantial effort for enhancement of industry image or particular segment, and for having set a standard of excellence that serves as an inspiration to industry colleagues.

Broadcast Excellence Award - Designed to honor an elite member of the broadcast media for increasing consumer awareness of fine jewelry and watches. The honoree should be a charismatic and highly visible member of the broadcast media who creates excitement for fine jewelry through various mediums (mediums could include wearing jewelry on air or highlighting jewelry on special segments).