JVC Honors GIA’s Susan Jacques

RAPAPORT… The Jewelers Vigilance Committee (JVC) has presented Gemological Institute of America (GIA) CEO Susan Jacques with the Stanley Schechter Award.

The accolade, which was established in 2002, recognizes industry leaders who have raised the jewelry community’s reputation through their dedication, ethics and integrity, JVC said last week.

“Susan is a true industry treasure who deeply embodies Stanley’s core values of integrity, hard work, commitment and industry involvement,” said Joel Schechter, retired CEO of Honora, the jewelry company founded by his father Stanley, for whom the award was named. “Her constant striving for excellence has not only been a gift for GIA, but for the industry, and we are blessed to have her at the helm of what is arguably our most important entity.”

Jacques became head of the GIA in 2014, before which she was CEO of Borsheims for 20 years. She previously served on the GIA’s board of governors, and was its chair from 2008 to 2013. Jacques was inducted into National Jeweler’s Retailer Hall of Fame in 1997, and received the Women’s Jewelry Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010. 


Image, from left to right: Joel Schechter; Susan Jacques; Tiffany Stephens, CEO of JVC; and Charles Stanley, president of Forevermark US and 2020 chairman of the JVC board. (Gemological Institute of America)