New York, NY; January 14th, 2014 – With stunning views overlooking the Empire State Building and the Flatiron District of New York City, the Diamond Empowerment Fund (D.E.F.) on Thursday honored diamond industry leaders who are committed to corporate social responsibility and promoting education, empowerment, and prosperity in diamond-producing countries.

2014 Diamond Empowerment Fund GOOD Awards

DEF’s GOOD Awards were given to industry luminaries Forevermark, JCK, and Fred Meyer Jewelers. Stephen Lussier, CEO of Forevermark, Peter Engel, president of Fred Meyer Jewelers, and Yancy Weinrich, JCK group vice president of events, and Mark Smelzer, publisher of JCK magazine and JCKOnline.com, accepted on behalf of their organizations.

The event was kicked off with an African ceremonial dance by native Batswana dancers. D.E.F Scholar Nadine Zoro from Cote d’Ivoire, who is attending university at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, PA, affirmed the importance of higher education to help transform the economies of diamond producing countries, and thanked the diamond industry’s support of the Diamond Empowerment Fund. Ambassadors from Namibia and Botswana were in attendance, as well as representation by the Democratic Republic of Congo.

2014 Diamond Empowerment Fund GOOD Awards

Phyllis Bergman, DEF board president, said, “We are thrilled and encouraged by the fabulous success of the 2014 GOOD Awards.” GOOD Awards sponsors for the evening included Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Co. Ltd., Signet Jewelers Ltd., (the parent company of Sterling Jewelers which operates under the Kay Jewelers and Jared the Galleria of Jewelry brands in the United States), JCK, Kallati, Jewelex, Fred Meyer Jewelers and Crossworks Manufacturing. Empowerment Circle Partners include Forevermark, Malca-Amit Logistics, Tiffany & Co., Exelco Diamonds (Tolkowsky Diamonds), Leo Schachter Diamonds (the Leo Diamond), the Dalumi Group, and Sarine Technologies.

For more pictures from the 2014 GOOD Awards please click here, or visit www.goodawards.org

 

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