The Advisory Council is composed of jewelry industry leaders who are dedicated to sharing Gem Legacy’s story and actively uniting the industry in giving back to the source. The Advisory Council members serve as ambassadors for Gem Legacy and advocates for Gem Legacy’s initiatives.
Vice President, Gemworld International, Inc.
Parlé Jewelry Designs
Executive Director, Accredited Gemologists Association
Leigh Maxwell Jewelry
President, Color First
President, CEO & General Counsel, Jewelers Vigilance Committee
Omi Gems & Omi Privé
Founder & CEO, Hill & Co.
Lika Behar Collection
CEO, American Gem Society (AGS) & AGS Laboratories
Editor-in-Chief, National Jeweler
Event Director, Luxury
Debra Navarro Jewelry
Jewellery Cataloguer
Ben Smithee is a fun-seeker with an entrepreneurship problem. In 2015, Ben launched The Smithee Group which focuses on helping brands and retailers strategically succeed in the age of digital everything. While he loves helping businesses become rock-star brands and out-perform their competition, he is even more passionate about the work he does with The Warren Center in Dallas, which helps families and their children that have developmental delays, and his work with the Big Brothers Big Sisters Organization. He currently resides with his wife, Nicole, in New York City.
Monica Stephenson, a writer, jewelry expert, and entrepreneur with over 20 years experience in the jewelry industry, chronicles stories of artisan jewelry designers on the award-winning jewelry blog, idazzle.com. In 2015 she launched ANZA Gems, which fuels development in Kenya and Tanzania through fair trade gem purchasing and supporting education in gemstone communities. She is on the national board of the Women’s Jewelry Association and Ethical Metalsmiths. Follow her global adventures as an “accidental gem dealer” on social media at @idazzle and @anzagems.
Melissa Quick has been a retail store owner for more than 25 years together with her husband and business partner Steve. Melissa first visited East Africa in 1998 and fell in love with Tanzania & Kenya on that trip. In 2018 she returned, traveling with the founders of Gem Legacy to visit gem mines and meet the miners. This offered Melissa a fresh and holistic perspective on the gems often used in the designs she sold. It was during that trip that she saw the positive impact the industry could have in these communities, and she felt compelled to join the effort to make gem supply chains safer, healthier, and more equitable.
Roger Dery, President of Roger Dery Gem Design, is a precision flat-faceter of colored gemstones and prides himself on providing holistically sourced, one-of-a-kind gemstones to retail jewelers. He first began in the industry 40 years ago and has since founded Gem Legacy, a 501c3 nonprofit supporting gemstone miners, traveled to East Africa 40 times, and perfected his craft with over 40,000 hours of gem faceting.
Ginger Dery, Vice President of Roger Dery Gem Design, was a lover of color and fashion in the world of custom clothing and cosmetics, long before her foray into the world of gemstones began. Marrying into the business, Ginger brings a knack for visualizing jewelry, developing client relationships, and bringing an unparalleled excitement about the possibilities available with colored gems.
This husband-wife duo is a Tanzanian 2nd generation Tanzanite miner and an American 2nd generation colored gemstone wholesaler who share a passion for supporting the base level of the human pyramid that is the colored gemstone supply chain.
They split their time between the two continents: while in the US they operate their wholesale colored gemstone business and fundraise for Gem Legacy, while in Tanzania they manage Bjorn’s family Tanzanite mine and operate Gem Legacy initiatives on the ground.
When they’re not visiting mines, they’re probably planning their next vacation or eating Indian or Lebanese food.
Kenya Initiatives Supervisor
Kenya Mining Liaison
Kitarini Primary School Liaison
