Sally Morrison to Receive 2018 GEM Award for Lifetime Achievement

(IDEX Online) – Jewelers of America (JA) and the GEM Awards Committee have announced that Sally Morrison, Director of Sales and Marketing, Americas, of Gemfields, will receive the GEM Award for Lifetime Achievement at the 16th annual GEM Awards on January 19.

The GEM Awards gala honors the outstanding achievements of individuals or companies whose work raises the visibility and status of fine jewelry and watches. The GEM Award for Lifetime Achievement is granted to an individual who has accumulated a career’s worth of contributions to the fine jewelry and watch industry. Honorees set a standard of excellence that serves as an inspiration to industry colleagues, the JA said in a statement.

"Sally Morrison’s accomplishments over the past 15 years as an innovative marketer have had a lasting impact on the fine jewelry industry, including her work at De Beers, Forevermark, World Gold Council and Gemfields. Sally has spearheaded some of the most iconic marketing campaigns for the jewelry industry including, “A Diamond is Forever,” “Love Gold,” and “Real is Rare.” Sally has a flair for building emotional connections with audiences – particularly younger consumers – through marketing campaigns, public relations, and celebrity influencers.

In 2002, she became the director of the Diamond Information Center at JWT, the marketing agency for De Beers. She was appointed the World Gold Council’s managing director of Jewellery and Marketing in 2012, where she successfully led the team that launched the Love Gold campaign, and built a worldwide community of over one million followers. In 2016, Sally led the creative development of the “Real is Rare” campaign for the Diamond Producers Association. Recently, Sally joined Gemfields as Director of Sales and Marketing, Americas, where she continues to cultivate her innovative marketing strategies while focusing on the importance of responsibly sourced materials.

“We are honored to present the GEM Award for Lifetime Achievement to Sally Morrison, who is so widely respected throughout the industry,” said Norman Miller, Chair of GEM Awards. “Sally’s work in developing iconic marketing campaigns furthers the GEM Awards’ mission of raising the visibility and status of fine jewelry and watches, making her the perfect recipient of the award.”

In addition to the GEM Award for Lifetime Achievement, JA will reveal winners of several other GEM Awards live during the ceremony. The nomination period is currently open in four categories: Jewelry Design, Marketing and Communications, Media Excellence and Retail Innovation.