Look Book

16 www.thejewelrybook.com Paula Crevoshay, Mellika Company, Inc. / Crevoshay Some great artists show a fl ash of genius and are gone, some show us a new vision and a few, continue to explore and reinvent themselves, taking their work and their audience to ever greater heights, enriching the broader culture in the process. Paula Cre- voshay is widely recognized to be among the very few in the latter group.From her beginning, Crevoshay has applied Fine Art principles to jewelry design. In addition, Crevoshay studied Anthropology, especially symbolism; and we see that modern expression of artistic archetypes echoes of cultures past. John L. Carter, Jack Lewis Jewelers John Carter began his jewelry career at Jack Lewis Jewelers as a junior in high school and stayed throughout his college years. After graduation from Illinois State University with a bachelor's degree in Marketing, he left his hometown and Jack Lewis to become a sales representative for Maurice Lacroix Swiss watch- es. Carter returned to Jack Lewis in 2002 as a partner and a ten- year plan to purchase the store. Eight and a half years later he offi cially took the reins in 2011. Today, Carter is very active with- in the industry and his community. He is particularly proud of his role on the Board of Directors for The American Gem Soci- ety, where he currently serves as President. Naomi Sarna, Naomi Sarna Designs Naomi is the winner of many prestigious awards; both nation- ally and internationally. Amongst these are twenty-three of Spec- trum Awards in Gem Carving and Jewelry, including "Best Use of Color", three consecutive "Best Use of Pearls", two "WJA Gem DIVA™" and the fi rst "AGTA Buyer's Choice Award". Naomi is also the recipient of a Bronze and a Silver Metal from the Zi Gang Bei Jade Carving Association in Suzhou, China. Her work is in the Permanent Collection of the Smithsonian Institu- tion and worn by high-ranking American government offi cials, as well as European royalty. Her work is displayed in books and museums around the country including the Carnegie Museums in Pittsburgh and Headley-Whittney Museum in Lexington, Kentucky. Myriam Galli, Gemveto Mimi Galli was born into the jewelry industry. Her mother and stepfather, Jean and Irene Vitau, founded Gem- veto Jewelry Co, Inc., 55 years ago and Mimi has been a part of the company for the last 31 years, involved in all aspects of the business. Started out in the administrative end and working closely with the stone buyers to learn about gemstones and dia- monds, Mimi now does all product development, sales and mar- keting, and color gemstone purchases. Her parents instilled in her the knowledge and deep appreciation for fi ne, high quality jewelry and the importance of very fi ne craftsmanship and ma- terials. As a young child she would come to the offi ce and "play" with stones or sit and watch different aspects of manufacturing in the Gemveto atelier. Her father, Maurice Galli, was a renowned jewelry designer, who worked for the big New York houses; Tiffany, Van Cleef & Ar- pel, David Webb and Harry Winston. He also taught jewelry design at F.I.T. and published three jewelry design books. Her passion is fi nding unusual gemstones and creating design around interesting gemstone color combinations and working closely with Gemveto's talented model makers and craftsman to create unique pieces. Brett Kosnar, Kosnar Gem Co. Brett Kosnar has been in the gem industry for his entire life. Start- ing with a family-owned business that specialized in world class mineral specimens, he became enchanted with the world of gems from a young age. The family was in the heart of the mineral industry and had a mineral named for them, Kosnarite. He then worked in the mining industry, bringing rock out of the Earth, giving him a greater understanding and appreciation of this world. That knowledge led him to becoming a self-taught faceter and gemstone artist in his teen years, discovering how to shape what the world had to offer. Brett now owns and operates his own business with his wife, and fellow faceter. Together, they create spectacular gems every day and push the boundaries of gemstone artistry. He also gives talks on the world of gemstones and what beauty lies beneath the Earth. A G T A S P E C T R U M A W A R D S 2 0 19 A D V E R T O R I A L Paula Crevosky AGTA Announces the 2019 AGTA Spectrum Awards Judges TM John Carter Naomi Sarna Myriam Galli Brett Kosnar

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