Designers and Tribute Recipients Express Gratitude and Appreciation at Encore Theater
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The 2026 edition of the COUTURE Design Awards was a joyful event celebrating the creativity, ingenuity, distinct points-of-view and comradery that distinguish the COUTURE community. With awards in twelve categories decided by a unique panel of judges, the Editors’ Choice award determined by attending media and People’s Choice finalists established by attending retailers, the work of a diverse roster of talent was praised before an enthusiastic crowd at Encore Theater. The evening also paid tribute to two women whose influence form the guiding principles of COUTURE, the late Cindy Edelstein and Jan Mohr.
“Tonight is a very special night. It’s a night where we recognize the best in design, and where we honor the hard work and brilliant creativity of some of the finest designers in the world,” enthused Gannon Brousseau when he kicked of the evening. Recognizing the 10th anniversary of Cindy Edelstein’s death and the first ever Jan Mohr Award for Excellence named in honor of COUTURE’s long-time Retailer Liaison, he went on to say, “Tonight is also a celebration of some of the remarkable individuals whose dedication, passion and commitment to our community are held in the highest esteem by their peers.”
At the beginning of the program, Mildred Marcano, Director of Sales and Marketing at Reinhold Jewelers, was surprised with the Jan Mohr Award for Excellence, saying from the stage, “Thank you so much, I’m very grateful for this. I had a great mentor, Marie Helene Reinhold, I’m very grateful to her because it’s thanks to her I’m here. I’m also grateful to my team who are here with me, and I really appreciate all of the designers, all the work that you do; I don’t know what to say, this is a big surprise!”
Accepting the award for Best in Bridal was David Farrugia of returning brand, Uniform Object, “I have no more words to speak after this weekend, all the words have left me. I want to thank the community, all my retailers, we wouldn’t be here without you, my team, it wouldn’t be possible to make these pieces without you, and of course my wife, she inspires me to make a new ring for her every year.”
Pen Mané took home two awards in the evening, Best in Innovative and Editors’ Choice. Both Calvin Wang and Vincent Guy-Raffin took the stage to accept both, with Vincent saying, “I just wanted to say I’ve been in the fashion industry for a very long time, and this is our first year at COUTURE. It’s been a wonderful experience, we’ve met so many supportive peers, our booth mates, retailers and the COUTURE team and thank you to the judges and thank you all, I’m very happy and very very honored.”
At the close of the evening, Elizabeth “Beth Anne” Bonanno of The Gems Project was presented with the Cindy Edelstein Award. On stage she accepted the award with visible emotion, saying, “Victor Velyan was my first client, and I was thrown into this world quite unexpectedly from my world as a jewelry historian, and it was unexpected and it was scary and he took a chance on me…I can’t look at him,” she quipped. “And from there, I just started collecting these incredible artists who were so unbelievably giving to me, allowing me to take their art and share it with people which is such an honor for any of us who do this. I wouldn’t have a job; I wouldn’t have this passion without these designers.” A proud, ethical vegan, Beth Anne closed her speech by saying, “Don’t eat animals!”
This year’s judging panel was made up of Carla Carter from G. Marie Luxuries, Corina Madilian from Single Stone, Jon Kaiser of Bloomingdales, Miguel Enamorado from Harper’s Bazaar, and writer Smitha Sadanandan.
The finalists and winners in each category are listed below:
Best in Below $10,000 Retail:
Best in Bridal:
Best in Color Below $40K:
Best in Color Above $40K:
Best in Platinum:
Best in Diamonds Below $40K:
Best in Diamonds Above $40K:
Best in Gold:
Best in Innovative:
Best in Haute Couture:
Best in Pearls:
Editors’ Choice:
Best in Debuting:
People’s Choice:
Related articles on COUTURE:
https://gem-spectrum.com/tag/couture/
Related articles on trade shows by Emerald Holding, Inc.
https://gem-spectrum.com/tag/emerald-holding
