Edward Kahn

Kahn, of estate jewelry company House of Kahn, died at age 103. CBS Chicago reported that Kahn was one of the oldest Holocaust survivors.

Andrew Meyer

A plane crash claimed the life of Andrew Meyer, owner of Continental Wholesale Diamonds in Tampa, FL, in March. The crash of Meyer’s Cessna 310, which he was piloting, occurred near Charleston, SC.

Randy Flatau
Flatau, a jeweler in Beaumont, TX, died of COVID-19. He was 70. Flatau ran Randy’s Fine Jewelry for decades.

Leila Tai
Tai, a jewelry designer, passed away on April 2 after a 10-year battle with Parkinson’s disease.

Robert Sears Siragusa
Siragusa, a watch and jewelry industry veteran, died of COVID-19. He was known for establishing Maurice Lacroix USA in the early 1990s. After leaving the brand, he helped launch Beaudry Time with designer Michael Beaudry. In the mid-80s, he founded Aurion International, a jewelry manufacturer.

Roberto Faraone Mennella
Mennella, a jewelry designer, died at age 48 after a battle with cancer. His death was announced on Instagram by Amedeo Scognamiglio, with whom he started the Faraone Mennella brand in 2001. Today the brand has stores in Capri, Italy and New York.

Yupadee Kobkulboonsiri
Yupadee Kobkulboonsiri, a jewelry designer and artist, died of COVID-19. She was 51. The New York Times wrote that Kobkulboonsiri created “fantastical” jewelry, such as “neck cuffs with silver springs ending in pearls that looked like asteroids” and “necklaces that looped over a shoulder and erupted in diamonds and pearls.”

Roger Gesswein
Gesswein, CEO of the Paul H. Gesswein Co., was 77. He passed away July 31 of lymphoma. Gesswein was a former president and chairperson of the 24 Karat Club.

Nancy Brewer
Brewer, a former member of the Gemological Institute of America Board of Governors and notable jewelry manufacturer, died in early August. Her jewelry design firm, Nancy B. & Co., was known as “a premier destination for gold earrings and colored stone jewelry designed for working women.”

Lecil Henderson
Henderson, a well-known jewelry designer who founded Henderson Collection by Lecil in Charlotte, NC, died at age 62.

Frank Kumor
Kumor, a jeweler in Bellevue, NE, died after a bout with COVID-19. He was 71.

Fran Zimniuch
The entire team at SmartWork Media was heartbroken to announce the passing of our long-time team member and friend, Fran Zimniuch, on Dec. 17. Fran died of COVID-19 complications. As East Coast sales manager for INSTORE, Fran was a pillar of SmartWork Media, having started with the company in 2004.