WJA Announces 2016 Hall of Fame Honorees

(IDEX Online News) – The Women’s Jewelry Association (WJA) has named its Hall of Fame honorees to be awarded at the organization’s annual Award for Excellence gala.

Sissy Jones, owner of Sissy’s Log Cabin in Arkansas, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award in honor of her 45-year service to the retail jewelry industry.

Peter Engel, president of Fred Meyer Jewelers, will receive the Ben Kaiser Lifetime Achievement Award. Engel is responsible for overseeing the companies more than 300 stores in 31 states. He is a plays a prominent part in the jewelry industry, serving as president of the board of directors for Jewelers for Children, as well as roles with Diamond Council of America and the Diamond Empowerment Fund.

Ben Bridge Jeweler will receive the Corporate Award. Established more than a century ago in Seattle, Ben Bridge Jeweler is still run by the Bridge family, but is now owned by Berkshire Hathaway.

Newly installed WJA president Brandee Dallow said that the recipients were a “shining example of excellence in our industry.”

At the gala event, which will take place on July 25 and has been a staple of the industry calendar since 1984, Awards for Excellence will also be presented for retail, design, manufacturing/supplier, sales, marketing and communications, editorial/reporting/publishing, and special services.