Rio Tinto Jewelry Design Competition winners
By www.nationaljeweler.com
Rio Tinto has announced the winners of its Global Design Competition, which aims to discover up-and-coming designers as well as recognize industry veterans in diamond jewelry design.
The judging panel chose nine winning designers, hailing from the United States, Canada, Australia, India, China and Hong Kong, across four categories of jewelry design: champagne diamonds, Silvermist Diamonds, Canadian diamonds and sustainable jewelry.
“We were delighted with the level of interest in the competition from all over the world,” Rebecca Foerster, manager of Rio Tinto Diamonds’ U.S. representative office, said.
For each category, two winners were chosen--one at the “rising star” level and another at the “master craftsman” level. These designers will have many opportunities for exposure to the U.S. jewelry industry, including a showcase of their designs at a suite at the 2012 Academy Awards.
The winners are as follows:
Champagne diamonds master craftsman: Nejal Rajesh Mehta of India with “The World of Champagne” earrings (below), featuring pavé-set champagne diamonds in a gradient of color.
Champagne diamonds rising star: Stacey Lindsell of Australia with the “Desert Rose” 18-karat white gold bracelet (below), featuring champagne diamonds set tapering in color in petals to reflect the colors of the earth.
Silvermist Diamonds master craftsman: Joseph Weinreich of the U.S. with the “Nature’s Beauty” flower cuff (below), encrusted in Silvermist Diamonds and featuring a pearl in the center.
Silvermist Diamonds master craftsman: Dean Walker of Australia with the “Silvermist Express” bangle (below), made in 18-karat white gold with a “train” of Silvermist Diamonds that moves on a track.
Silvermist Diamonds rising star: Vijayshree Sovani of India with a bracelet set in white gold with black rhodium accents (below), inspired by the ripples in the desert.
Canadian diamonds master craftsman: Reena Ahluwalia of Canada with the “Canoe” diamond necklace (below), inspired by the poetic image of a canoe in an icy, crystallized lake.
Canadian diamonds rising star: Michelle Buxani of Hong Kong with the “Rain Dance” earrings (below), featuring Canadian diamonds set in white gold with yellow gold accents.
Sustainable jewelry master craftsman: Nadia Neuman of Australia with the “Tyger, Tyger” fan (below), functional and made using 100 percent sustainable materials. The design on the fan, a tiger, represents nature as an endangered creature and reminds users of the need to care for the earth.
Sustainable jewelry rising star: V. Saravanan of India with “The Creator” necklace (below), an homage to nature that utilizes recycled materials such as plastic toothpaste tubes and along with Silvermist Diamonds. The piece is intended to remind people to protect the earth and nature, and find ways to recycle plastic materials.
|
