Women's Jewelry Association Scholarships

WJA Foundation is thrilled to announce a transformative support for women in the jewelry industry through increased access to resources, mentorship, and career opportunities.

The Membership Angel Fund, established by the WJA Foundation, is designed to support women in the jewelry industry by providing access to valuable professional resources, mentorship, and networking opportunities. This initiative encourages career growth and industry engagement by removing financial barriers to WJA membership.

Scholarship Details

The Membership Angel Fund will award:

• 5 Professional Memberships (for individuals in the U.S.)
• 5 Global Memberships (for individuals outside the U.S.)

Recipients will receive a one-year membership to the Women’s Jewelry Association (WJA).

WJA Foundation is excited to announce a new partnership with Stuller, Inc., launching a new Bench Jeweler Scholarship. This scholarship, valued at $7,500, is designed to foster growth in the bench jeweler career path by providing crucial hands-on training to aspiring women professionals.

The scholarship recipient will have the opportunity to attend a selection of workshops and training programs at Stuller’s headquarters in Lafayette, LA. The recipient will choose from a range of specialized courses, including Bench Jewelers Workshop, Laser Welding and Soldering, Basic Stone Setting, Intermediate Stone Setting, Advanced 1 Stone Setting, and Advanced 2 Stone Setting.

The WJA Foundation established the Cindy Edelstein Jewelry Design Scholarship in memory of one of the jewelry industry’s most beloved and respected members who died suddenly in 2016 of cardiac arrest. In memory of Edelstein's unwavering commitment to WJA and the careers of women, only women who are current WJA members are eligible to apply for this $5,000 scholarship. The recipient can pursue either design or business courses.

The WJA Foundation's Hedda Schupak-Baum Memorial Media and Communications Scholarship will be awarded to individual(s) working in the fine jewelry industry. Established in the longtime editor’s honor in 2024, the scholarship supports media professionals -including on-staff magazine and newspaper editors, freelance writers and editors, podcast hosts, and social media content creators - looking to enhance their careers with continuing education. The scholarship recipient must be a media professional with at least one year of experience who reports or communicates about fine jewelry/watch industry news, trends, and/or company/brand/designer profiles.

The WJA Foundation is proud to partner with the Fortunoff family on a scholarship for women in retail in honor of their late mother, Helene Fortunoff. In memory of Helene’s unwavering commitment to pave the way for women to grow within the industry, this $7,500 scholarship will be awarded annually to a retail professional who wishes to develop their management skills to progress their career in a retail environment.

The WJA-Gabriel Love Foundation Student Scholarship in partnership with Gabriel & Co. is a $5,000 scholarship.