This design from Robin Waynee is a finalist in the Saul Bell Award’s Gold/Platinum category.
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.
This design by Thomas Dailing is a finalist in the Gold/Platinum category. 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)
In the Silver/Argentium Silver category, this work by Katelyn Butler is one of five final entries. 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)
In the Enamel category, this work by Lillian Jones is a finalist. 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)
This work by Gabri Schumacher is a finalist in the Hollowware/Art Objects category. 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)
In the Alternative Metals/Materials category, this piece by Stanislavv Drokin is a finalist. 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
Pavit Gujral designed these jewels, finalists in the Jewelry Collection category. 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)
This piece from Zoe Wright-Riley is a finalist in the Emerging Jewelry Artist 18 Years of Age or Younger category. 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)
Qianwen Lu is the maker of this “Sliding Jigsaw Brooch,” a finalist in the Emerging Jewelry Artist 22 Years of Age or Younger category. 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)
Ashley Davisis the senior editor, fashion at National Jeweler, covering all things related to design, style and trends.
