JNA Awards 2017 honours pearl gurus Robert Wan and Jacques Branellec with ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’, the highest recognition of the annual award. This is the first time that the award goes to two individuals.
Robert Wan, founder of the Robert Wan Group is widely credited for bringing the Tahitian pearl into the forefront of the fine jewellery industry. Jacques Branellec, co-founder of Jewelmer, is known for his groundbreaking work in the cultivation of golden South Sea pearls, according to award organiser UBM Asia.
“I am extremely delighted and thankful to be the recipient of this prestigious award. Thank you JNA Awards for recognising my contributions to the jewellery industry. I have devoted my entire life to this fascinating gem. Today, I dedicate the pearl to all women who will succumb to its eternal beauty forever,” said Wan.
"I am deeply honoured to receive JNA’s Lifetime Achievement Award. To me, it means that if one believes in rightfulness and innovates with the best intention, one will be rewarded beyond expectation. Having spent 47 years in the pearl industry, I keep in mind that humility is the key to success: to honour one’s beginnings and to stay faithful to one’s origins. Whether you are a manager or a pearl farmer, I believe it is important to associate value not with economic success but simply with the thought that you are a captain who has brought his ship safe to the right destination," Branellec said.
The two winners together with 34 honourees shortlisted across 10 categories will be honoured at the JNA Awards ceremony and gala dinner on 14 September 2017 in Hong Kong. (Photo courtesy: UBM Asia Ltd)
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