Advisors

Victoria Gomelsky is editor-in-chief of JCK, America’s oldest and largest jewelry trade publication. Her freelance work has appeared in the New York Times, Robb Report, AFAR, the Hollywood Reporter, WSJ Magazine, and Waking Up American: Coming of Age Biculturally, an anthology published by Seal Press. She graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from UCLA with a BA in political science in 1995 and earned her MFA in nonfiction writing from Columbia University in 2002. She specializes in jewelry and watch writing but her greatest love has always been travel—60 countries and counting. Victoria is based in Los Angeles.

Known as one of the world’s leading experts in diamond jewelry manufacturing and as a savvy trend tracker with boundless energy, Phyllis Bergman has created a thriving brand that puts classic elegance, with a contemporary twist, in reach of the modern bride. Named Manufacturer of the Year and inductee into the Women’s Jewelry Association Hall Of Fame, honored by the American Gem Society as a Triple Zero winner, recognized by Enterprising Women Magazine, her designs selected by Rachel Zoe and Vera Wang for their” Must Have“ lists, spokesperson for the Platinum Guild, Bergman has earned herself a well deserved, highly respected and unique reputation as a business woman who, if not serving as president or chairman, holds positions on every meaningful board in the jewelry industry. As a result of her relationships and vast experience, she brings a great sense of style, knowledge and insight to her designs.

Elliot Carlyle is a New York City-based branding & creative consultant, empowerment speaker, executive & life coach, author, marketplace ministry leader and philanthropist; widely known as the “the brand. the voice.” His work spans the fashion, creative, business, and lifestyle sectors, serving as an industry expert to A-list brands and multi-millionaire personalities, as well as a voice of empowerment, motivation, and inspiration. He is also recognized for his extensive knowledge and insight in the areas of entrepreneurship, leadership, personal growth & development, and influence.

Elliot has seamlessly navigated multiple facets and roles throughout his professional career including working in event production, public relations, creative direction, and media services. He has an earned BFA in Fashion & Retail Management and formerly worked in an executive capacity with award-winning creator of New York Fashion Week & international consultant, Fern Mallis. He is currently the Director of Cultural Diversity and Inclusion for New York City Jewelry Week as well as Creative Consultant to the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA).

Fueled by his personal mission and brand statement, “empowering people to turn up the volume in life and business,” Elliot has created platforms to build and equip 21st century visionaries; dubbing his audience of creatives, entrepreneurs, ministry leaders, artists, philanthropists and the like as “fellow architects”; people who are actively building dreams, visions, goals, purpose and destiny. He is the author of The Influence Workbook, written to equip personal and corporate audiences with clarifying keys, liberating exercises, and empowering takeaways that will position you on a trajectory to get to your “next” by moving you beyond the questions and unblocking your personal power. As he continues to evolve, Elliot is committed to being “the voice,” coaching people to discover their voice, increase their success frequency, and amplify their influence.

Karen Davidov is the founder of The Jewelry Library, a research and gallery space in New York City that hosts a wide range of exhibitions, talks and events all across the jewelry-spectrum, collaborating with both contemporary and vintage gallerists, artists and collectors, as well as storytellers, historians, makers and wearers. As an independent curator and public art producer, Karen worked with local artists and community institutions such as New York City Public Schools, DC Public Libraries and The American University of Central Asia. In addition, she recently launched an educational initiative that teaches curatorial practice to public librarians. Karen began her career as a 20th century decorative arts dealer and theater producer.

Elizabeth DeMejo is passionate about the growth and guidance of gemstone suppliers, manufacturers and jewelry-industry professionals. A creative marketing leader for close to two decades, with an exclusive dedication to the jewelry industry for the past nine years, Elizabeth pursues industry-wide conversations about transparent sourcing in an effort to increase visibility on origin-known gemstones. By learning, listening and collaborating with the entire supply chain, she has contributed to an impressive portfolio of published content found in many journals including MJSA Journal, JCK, National Jeweler and Metalsmith (SNAG)—as well as educational and resourceful materials for the industry’s leading expositions including NYCJW, JCK, MJSA Expo, Tucson Gem and Mineral Show®, and the Santa Fe Indian Market (SWAIA).

Elizabeth earned her B.A. from Hofstra University, her M.A. from the New School, NYC and her P.M.P. certificate. She is the Marketing Director at Misfit Diamonds, a Vancouver-based diamond and sapphire supplier with regional offices spanning the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. She is the recipient of a silver-ADDY award for a marketing campaign on the Saul Bell Design Award competition. She currently resides in New Mexico with her family.

Helen W. Drutt English (Helen Drutt) was Founder/Director of her eponymous gallery in Philadelphia (1973-2002), which was among the first galleries in the United States to make a commitment to the modern and contemporary craft movement.  In 1973, she developed the first syllabus for a college-level course in the history of the field. She has received numerous awards and two honorary degrees. H.D. is a trustee of the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, and Fellow of the American Craft Council. Drutt has built a permanent collection of contemporary crafts for The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia. She is married to H. Peter Stern, co-founder of Storm King Art Center.

Tanya Dukes is a New York City-based writer, editor and stylist. She landed her first  journalistic dream job when she joined the staff of private jet lifestyle magazine Elite Traveler, eventually becoming the publication’s first-ever Style Editor. Her responsibilities included styling top models in high jewelry and couture from leading fashion brands and covering runway collections in Paris, Milan and New York. Later she became Accessories Editor of Brides magazine and Senior Editor for two affiliated publications focused exclusively on the jewelry industry, INDESIGN and INSTORE magazines.  She has been recognized as a leading expert and writer in the fine jewelry category and her work has been recognized with the Women’s Jewelry Association Award for Excellence in Editorial and a Folio: Eddie Award. She records her calendar of jewelry adventures on Instagram at @tanyadukes

As co-owner of Greenwich St. Jewelers in downtown New York City, Jennifer leads the store’s creative vision and marketing strategy. A graduate of Fashion Institute of Technology, she previously worked in marketing and public relations for luxury fashion and prestige cosmetics brands. In 2003 she entered the family business, infusing it with the marketing ingenuity she’d cultivated. As a result, the store’s star began to rise as the mission of innovation and curation made G.St, a prominent destination for designer fine jewelry.
Today, Jennifer proudly champions the work of independent designers and is constantly on the hunt for fresh, distinctive points of view. In 2018, she and sister/co-owner Christina Gambale were recognized by the Women’s Jewelry Association with the Award for Excellence in Retail. Keeping pace with today’s ever-changing consumer tastes and values, Jennifer and her team specialize in luxurious, artisan-crafted jewelry made with responsibly sourced materials. Sustainability is one of the benchmarks of the brand and in 2019, G.St Ceremony, a “responsibly sourced, mindfully made” wedding collection created by the sisters was launched. Made in New York of recycled metals and ethically sourced diamonds and gems, G. St Ceremony is the culmination of exacting design and standards led by Jennifer.
Always one to speak to the heart of an issue, Jennifer is a sought after industry panelist and contributor to trade publications. She currently sits on the advisory board of NYC Jewelry Week, the Couture Diversity Action Council and dedicates her time to mentorship and philanthropic causes. A deep, spiritual thinker and advocate for social change, her mission is simple: to help customers express their truth through adornment.

Amanda Gizzi is the Director of Public Relations & Events for Jewelers of America (JA), a nonprofit trade association that has been serving the fine jewelry marketplace since 1906. With the primary mission promoting consumer confidence, JA is unique resource for trend forecasting, industry information, statistics, up-and-coming designers and shopping tips. As a nationally recognized industry spokesperson, Gizzi appears regularly on television morning shows, is quoted in magazines, and is an authority on fine jewelry and watch trends. She also plans and executes all of JA’s events including GEM Awards. She is a past recipient of the Women’s Jewelry Association’s Award for Excellence in Marketing/Communications and is the author of the bi-weekly column Amanda’s Style File on National Jeweler.

Gizzi is a past president of the Women’s Jewelry Association New York Metropolitan Chapter, a non-profit organization that helps women in the jewelry industries advance and develop professionally through networking, education, leadership development and the provision of member services. She is a graduate of St. John’s University where she graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications. She was also a Big East Academic All American and captain of the St. John’s University volleyball team. She is She lives on Long Island with her husband and their two children.

Melanie Grant has been a journalist for over 20 years having worked at The Times, The Financial Times, The Independent, The Guardian, The BBC and now The Economist where she writes, edits, styles and art directs luxury content for 1843 Magazine, the lifestyle sister publication. Her specialist subject is jewelry as art and commodity and in Oct 2020 this culminated in her first book COVETED.

Edward Hogikyan, a native Detroiter, is an attorney by training who, seeking a more creative outlet, spent his early career in branding and marketing at global ad agencies.  This was followed by twelve years with the city of New York, most recently as the Chief Marketing Officer for the NYC Economic Development Corporation and earlier as the Senior Vice-President for the city’s tourism organization.  While working for NYC, he co-founded the city’s design week, NYCxDESIGN, and led it for nine years.  He has spoken at global design events including Milan Design Week, London Design Festival, and Maison&Objet.  Edward currently has a marketing and branding consultancy focused on art, design, architecture, and culture. His clients include collectible design galleries, artists, designers, architects, lighting and home furnishing brands, international brands seeking to enter the NYC/U.S. markets, and the Dutch Consulate.

Mahnaz Ispahani, a New Yorker, founded and directs the eponymous collection. Her eye was educated through early exposure to fine, traditional South Asian yellow gold jewelry, enamel work, and gemstones including Swat emeralds, Burmese rubies, Afghan lapis lazuli, and Persian turquoise. Mahnaz was raised in an environment rich and varied in its cultural, artistic and architectural influences, from the Mughal, Persian, and western Modernist worlds. She has traveled extensively and lived deeply in several cultures, finding special joy in the beauty of landscape – especially that of the American southwest – and in small, sculptural objects.

Mahnaz is a scholar, who holds a doctorate in international relations. Her research training is reflected in the ways she collects and curates jewelry.  Following a long career in foreign affairs, she established MAHNAZ COLLECTION.

The award-winning creator and organizer of Fashion Week in New York and cities across the globe, Fern Mallis has been an industry game changer in the world of fashion and design for more than 35 years. A former senior vice president of IMG Fashion and executive director of CFDA, she is the author of Fashion Lives: Fashion Icons with Fern Mallis, published by Rizzoli, which features no-holds-barred interviews, combined with never-before-seen personal photographs from interviewees such as Tom Ford, Marc Jacobs, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Michael Kors, Tommy Hilfiger, Betsey Johnson, Polly Mellen, Bruce Weber and more. She is currently the president of her own leading international fashion and design consultancy, Fern Mallis LLC.

Sonia has worked in the fashion industry for 18 years focusing on product development, production and operations. Her work in larger corporations like Polo Jeans Co., Liz Claiborne, and Cole Haan provided great foundation to leverage in smaller companies where she was responsible for strategizing, building the right relationships, as well as setting up the right supply chain. She currently works at New York City Economic Development Corporation where she leads the fashion initiatives as the Assistant Vice President on the Creative and Applied Tech team.

Sienna Patti opened Sienna Patti Contemporary in 1999 and specializes in contemporary avant-garde studio jewelry and artists that use craftsmanship as an intellectual and structural vehicle for their ideas. A leading figure in studio jewelry, Patti has lectured and presented artists and designers in major museums and events around the world. As an appraiser and dealer she has world with and place pieces artists in many collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; The Victoria and Albert Museum, London; The Museum of Modern Art in New York; Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum in New York; Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, Australia; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, CA; Smithsonian Institution, D.C; Museum of Art And Design, New York; Museum of Fine Art, Houston; Museum of Fine Art, Boston; Musee de Louvre, Paris; Philadelphia Museum of Art.

I am a jewelry, fashion and fine art photographer based in New York City…
I shoot campaigns, product and still life photography for both well-established brands and fledgeling start-ups.

Prior to opening my own business as a commercial photographer, I spent years working as a freelance photojournalist with a focus on human rights concerns. In 2014 I had my first solo exhibition of photoessays from Bosnia, entitled “Love and War in Sarajevo.”

After moving to New York, I gained invaluable experience working for photographers such as Steve McCurry and eventually became a producer for fashion and editorial photo shoots.

I take great joy in bringing my client’s vision to life and fostering an atmosphere of creative energy and spirit with my talented team of assistants, hair and makeup artists. I am blessed with an outstanding group of clients and an exceptional team, and I view each project as a collaboration. My work has been published in Vogue, British Vogue, Town and Country, The New York Times, National Jeweler and Forbes Magazine.

I was born in the former Yugoslavia to Bosnian parents and grew up in Germany. I graduated from Indiana University, where I studied photojournalism, public relations, and fine art photography.

Dr. Emily  Stoehrer is the Rita J. Kaplan and Susan B. Kaplan Curator of Jewelry at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and a Visiting Lecturer in the History of Art department at Massachusetts College of Art and Design. At the MFA Emily oversees a collection that spans nine curatorial departments and 6,000 years of history. She has curated exhibitions and written on various aspects of adornment—most recently she co-curated “Boston Made: Arts & Crafts Jewelry and Metalwork” (MFA, 2018 – 2020) and contributed to Winged Beauty: The Butterflies of Wallace Chan (ACC Art Books, 2021) and the Journal of Dress History (Spring 2021). As an educator, Emily has lectured and taught on a diverse range of jewelry, fashion, and design related topics. She holds a PhD in Humanities from Salve Regina University and a Master of Arts in Fashion & Textile Studies from the Fashion Institute of Technology. A leader in the field, Emily chairs the vetting committee for The European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF) and formerly served on the board of directors for the Society of North American Goldsmiths (SNAG).

Michael Toback, current President of Myron Toback, Inc,  grew up in the jewelry business. His family’s business, started by his father Myron in 1963, was a passion from an early age. Forty years in, Michael’s involvement in the industry has expanded well beyond the brick and mortar which still operates out of the Diamond District, which serves not only as a hub of the industry within the city, but also as a launch pad and source of continued support  for many of NYC’s most prolific jewelers. Michael currently serves on the executive board of the 47th Street B.I.D. and the MJSA, where he also sits as Treasurer. He was the chairman of the 24KT Club of the City of New York where he is a current active member,, a founding Member of Jewelers for Veterans, and on the Nominating Committee of Jewelers Board of Trade, in addition to many more. Often called upon for his expertise and knowledge of the NYC jewelry industry, Michael has been called to lecture at FIT,  SVA, Parsons School of Design, The Museum of Natural History, the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Michele Varian is a design company of home decorative accessories which are sold at stores around the US, Canada and Europe. Michele Varian has a brick and mortar store at 27 Howard Street in NYC’s Soho.

The Michele Varian shop is a favorite among editors, interior designers and loyal shoppers alike. It is an oasis of unusual and charming objects that all fit a cultivated aesthetic. The Michele Varian shop is a destination for many to see what is the latest and newest in home design. The Michele Varian collections of decorative pillows, lighting and wallpapers are designed by Michele and are mostly made locally, to ensure 100% quality control of the hand-crafted and detail oriented pieces.

Michele is a designer who loves being surrounded by provocative and beautiful things. Especially if they have elements of historical, natural or social references. If they’re just a little bit funny, that’s a bonus. Her shop feels like a home filled with personal curiosities. Sometimes folks want to move in.

Stellene Volandes was named editor-in-chief of Town & Country in 2016. Before that, she had been style director at the magazine since March 2012, shaping the fashion and society features each month in a role that gave her a significant hand in developing the magazine’s journalistic range and stable of contributors. Previously, Volandes was style editor for Departures, where she assigned and edited all fashion and jewelry features. Volandes is a graduate of Vassar College, with a master’s degree in English and comparative literature from Columbia University. Her book, Jeweler: Masters, Mavericks, and Visionaries of Modern Design, was published in 2016 by Rizzoli.

Erin S. Daily and Brian Weissman co-founded Brooklyn Metal Works in 2011, a co-working metalsmithing studio, education lab, and exhibition space. This collaborative setting is designed to foster exploration, encourage experimentation, and strengthen the knowledge of all involved. The BKMW community supports an extensive cross-section of the NYC jewelry world building opportunities for artists and the public to engage. The studio brings in visiting artists to teach special topics in metal and jewelry, co-produces courses with other material disciplines like UrbanGlass, exhibits contemporary jewelry otherwise unseen in NYC, and hosts an artist lecture series promoting the world’s best contemporary jewelers. Since 2003 Erin and Brian have taught jewelry and metalsmithing extensively along the East Coast and continue to develop and teach innovative programming at Brooklyn Metal Works. They maintain their studio and art making practices at BKMW and their work can be seen both nationally and internationally.