The Chicago Jewelers’ Association (CJA) celebrates its 140th anniversary with a gala event of the season, to be held on December 6th in the Red Lacquer Ballroom of the Palmer House.
The CJA is the oldest jewelers association in the United States, celebrating 140 years, and marks our city as being a venerable thoroughfare for the jewelry industry at large. Chicago has served as a centrally-located hub throughout its history, and brought in from surrounding states many jewelers and jewelry-related industries. Still today, Chicago supports suburbs and surrounding states in the manufacturing, wholesaling, and retailing of watches and fine jewelry. Some of attendees and sponsors to the gala event are companies that have been in existence for many decades, ranging from 80-140+ years – including Jewelers Mutual, Brinks, Ball Watch Company, Rockford Watch, just to name a few.
There will be 250 guests in attendance at the gala, including keynote speakers Susanne Jacques, the President of Gemological Institute of America (GIA), and Martin Rapaport of the Rapaport Group. The event will feature a jewelry design contest, an auction of the winning jewelry piece, displays of fine jewelry made in the USA, historical photographs, a video interview series with longstanding figures in the Midwest jewelry industry, and other surprises celebrating a theme of old and new. Time shows that there is an undeniable link between what has been, what is, and what will be. The jewelry industry is always at the crux of these meeting points, setting new trends and flowing with the changing eras. The CJA has played a considerable role in this for more than a century, and continues to thrive well into the future.
