The report shows that couples are searching for vintage and antique rings, gold jewelry, pearls, and colorful pieces.
Rio Grande Announces Saul Bell Award Finalists
The comprehensive jewelry design competitive has picked five finalists across eight categories.
New York—Rio Grande has announced the designers who have made it through the first round of the manufacturer’s annual jewelry design competition.
The annual competition, now in its twentieth year, is a platform for independent jewelry artists to demonstrate their creativity, originality and technical prowess.
The first round of judging by five industry players and designers narrows the entry pool down from hundreds to five per category: Gold/Platinum, Silver/Argentium Silver, Enamel, Hollowware/Art Objects, Alternative Metals/Materials, Jewelry Collections, and two categories of Emerging Jewelry Artist.
The first-round judges were Keri Ataumbi, Nancy Attaway, Alex Boyd, Scott Bradford and Ronda Coryell.
A separate group of five additional judges—David Freda, Claudia Kretchmer, Jeff Mathews, So Young Park and Shelly Sergent—will choose one winner per category, to be announced at an awards dinner currently scheduled for May 17, 2020 in Rio Grande’s native Albuquerque, NM.
The finalists for each category are as follows.
Gold/Platinum
“Aberration” by Thomas Dailing (Stevens Point, WI, USA)
“The River of Life” by Evgenii Fedko (Rutherford, NJ, USA)
“Lomalagi” by Rosario Garcia (Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA)
“Coral Ring” by Pavit Gujral (Chandigarh, India)
“Untitled” by Robin Waynee (Chimayo, NM, USA)
Silver/Argentium Silver
“Samsara Pendant” by Katelyn Butler (Charlottesville, VA, USA)
“Silver Scale Necklace” by Ryan Gardner (Pueblo, CO, USA)
“Kaleidoscope” by Sophia Hu (Las Vegas, NV, USA)
“Lunares Eclipsim” by Kirk Lang (Seattle, WA, USA)
“Semper Anticus” by Miles McDonald (Boulder, CO, USA)
Enamel
“Frozen” by Anna Betley (Aleksandrówka, Kozienice, Poland)
“Green Melody” by Lillian Jones (Raleigh, NC, USA)
“Flat Fish" by Jeanie Pratt (Nipomo, CA, USA)
“The Secret Garden” by Merry-Lee Rae (Freedom, CA, USA)
“Planets and Moons #1” by Amy Roper-Lyons (Summit, NJ, USA)
Hollowware/Art Objects
“Palace of the Western Sky” by Elichai Fowler (Billings, MO, USA)
“Shining Light” by Donald Johnston (Klamath Falls, OR, USA)
“Greeting From Holland” by Gabri Schumacher (Schoonhoven, Netherlands)
“Surprise Box” by Henry Spencer (Effingham, NH, USA)
“Kampai” by Susan Coddon (Atlanta, GA, USA)
Alternative Metals/Materials
“Titanium Leaves, Everlasting Nature” by Adam Bartl (Munich, Germany)
“Nest” by Stanislavv Drokin (Kharkiv, Ukraine)
“Beetle” by Evgenii Fedko (Rutherford, NJ, USA)
“Primavera” by Linda MacNeil (Kensington, NH, USA)
“Cosmic Winds” by
Jewelry Collection
“Gold Bubble Collection” by Ryan Gardner (Pueblo, CO, USA)
“Dancing Fish Collection” by Pavit Gujral (Chandigarh, India)
“Trusses Collection” by Sophia Hu (Las Vegas, NV, USA)
“Meeting Series” by Deborah Vivas (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
“Broken Shards, Mending Scars” by Melanie Morgan (Athens, GA, USA)
Emerging Jewelry Artist 18 Years of Age or Younger
“Branches” by Evan-Carlo Fowler (Corte Madera, CA, USA)
“Yellow Mergeurite” by Peyton Rogers (Fort Worth, TX, USA)
“Blooming” by Ruby Santamaria Murillo (Fort Worth, TX, USA)
“Serenity” by Brianna Strange (Allen, TX, USA)
“The Woods of Imperfect Beauty” by Zoe Wright-Riley (Villanova, PA, USA)
Emerging Jewelry Artist 22 Years of Age or Younger
“Dilate” by Louis Kutyla (Washington, DC, USA)
“Zephyr” by Christopher Liu (Allen, TX, USA)
“Sliding Jigsaw Brooch” by Qianwen Lu (Brooklyn, NY, USA)
“Chimera” by Abbi Tucker (Savannah, GA, USA)
“Free Your Mind” by Maikel Ye (Brooklyn, NY, USA)
The Latest
He’s remembered as a “font of passion,” leaving behind a legacy of dedication to his craft and community.
The first one will take place next month during the Jewelers of Louisiana’s and Mississippi Jewelers Association’s conventions.
For over 30 years, JA has advocated for the industry, fought against harmful legislation and backed measures that help jewelry businesses.
The redesigned boutique features interactive displays and a workshop space for hands-on learning about watchmaking.
There is a willingness to comply with new government-mandated regulations, with an insistence that they should be practical and realistic.
A combination of factors is driving growth in the industry despite the precipitous drop in prices across the board.
Ho Brothers offers scalable solutions for the future of custom jewelry.
The zone’s modernization will enhance and increase India’s jewelry manufacturing capabilities while aiding small and mid-sized businesses.
By the end of this year, SRK’s diamond manufacturing complexes will achieve net zero emissions, one of an impressive array of achievements.
The company plans to invest $25 million in marketing initiatives to boost awareness around its namesake and licensed brands.
Optimism about the current state of the economy was offset by anxiety around inflation and the political environment.
The former WJA executive director is MFM’s new managing director.
DDG encourages retailers to educate customers on the positive impact of purchasing natural diamonds.
Highlighting the most iconic Tiffany collections, it’s inspired by the company’s late window designer, Gene Moore.
Jen Cullen Williams and Duvall O’Steen explore how jewelers can save time and money by using AI to analyze engagement and create content.
The retailer previously turned down an $8.4 billion offer in 2018.
The Florida store’s owner Miguel Gonzalez is retiring.
The lab stresses the importance of accurate identification, as the difference in price is “substantial.”
The brand also plans to expand its retail footprint from 138 to 200 stores over the next three years.
Longtime employees Carie Lehrke and Megan Mattice have received promotions.
Three guests joined National Jeweler and Jewelers of America to discuss trending time periods, spotting reproductions, and more.
Chris Clipper and Robert Lepere join the company with 50 years of combined experience.
The trendy, metallic earrings wink at classic spring colors.
JSA said a man and woman pulled the safe out of an Oakland jewelry store but couldn’t quite get it into their van.
The miner’s March auction generated $19 million.
Helen McCluskey will succeed H. Todd Stitzer when he meets his 12-year term limit in June.