International Pearl Design Contest
“We are very happy with the success of this year’s competition, entries from 15 countries we received” Mr. Bazar reported.
Shared by Two:
“Tahitian Paradise” by Vickie Smith of Cheshire, England
‘Wave” by Mark Schneider of Long Beach, California,
“Wedding Bouquet” By Dilly Kirby, Elizabeth Blair Fine Pearls of Harbor Springs, Michigan
“Rough Diamonds” Lee Wiser McIntosh, Katura Design of Atlanta, Georgia.
Commendations were also given to 22 entries which demonstrated high standards of achievement, in accordance with the judging criteria.
Bodil Binner Larry Stark
Brenda Smith Linda K. Quinn
Brian Charles Cook Llyn Strong
Catherine Buman Mei-Ying Chang
Donald A. Stuart Ramesh Kumar Kumawat
Eusebio Ehron Kylo Yuchua Selvendran Mathiyalagan
Geoffrey Middle Sophia Georiopoulou
Hector Hassey Sun Hyang Ha
Jessica Neiwert Ying-Nien Chen
Kwok Ka Cheong Yoonji Choi
Representing varied viewpoints and insight of the jewelry industry, the Judges:
Jennifer Heebner, Senior Editor, JCK MagazineJennifer has been covering the fine jewelry industry for JCK for more than 15 years. She started out as a staff writer for JCK’s niche publication, High-Volume Jeweler, eventually writing for a number of other brand titles, including JCK Luxury, Facets, and of course, JCK, for which she currently writes about style and designs as they apply to the retail jeweler. Most recently, she’s taken ownership of the Style 360 blog onjckonline.com, posting gorgeous jewels, designer interviews, and other fun, topical jewelry-specific news and product details multiple times a week. Jennifer applies her own entrepreneurial savvy—she ran her own antique furniture store and spearheaded fundraising initiatives as a founding board member of WJA’s mid-Atlantic chapter—to her unique and entertaining style of jewelry-business reporting, and supplements her writing with the occasional jewelry-education course to better tell the stories of those she reports on. She can be found scouring the aisles of most major jewelry shows looking for new designs and talent to share with her readers.
Janet Goldman, the Founder, CEO & creative director of Fragments, is an artist and entrepreneur whose passion and vision has created trends, brought creativity and discovery to the jewelry industry for over 28 years. Janet is an industry resource, an arbiter of style and considered a top expert in the fashion jewelry field. The company she founded in 1984 continues to thrive under her leadership. She draws upon a rich, eclectic and colorful taste level always keeping her vision fresh and focused on the future. Having discovered and launched the careers of hundreds of today’s most celebrated jewelry designers, Janet has pushed Fragments from being the pioneer in fashion jewelry to the market leader.
Beginning with three designers, Fragments has become a hotbed of design talent representing over 30 top designers where to retailers, editors and stylists come to see the latest and best in jewelry and accessories. The company is and always has been an incubator for rising stars and a platform for already established household names. Her unique point of view combined with her business savvy has enabled Fragments to push the boundaries as the leader in the fashion jewelry market. .
In April 2013, JCK Magazine named Janet one of the top 50 most powerful figures in the jewelry industry, noting “The Trend Starts Here – and it usually does, thanks to Goldman’s keen eye for designer diamonds in the rough.” To the many designers whom she has represented over the years, Janet has been their mentor, their merchandiser and an inspiration, providing them with the opportunity to showcase their talents and grow their businesses. Fragments current roster of talent includes designers Janet has represented in the past who have reinvented themselves with new collections as well as a continuing flow off fresh cutting-edge originality. Janet has always looked to help encourage modern classics for some, reinvention for others and always seeking the best new talent in the marketplace. This is and always will be Fragments trademark of success.
Olga Gonzalez is a PR, Marketing and Social Media Specialist with over eight years of experience within the jewelry trade. The CEO/Founder of Pietra PR, she applies “think outside of the box” strategies for growing designer jewelry brands, manufacturing companies, trade non-profits and laboratories. A certified gemologist (FGA) and jewelry appraiser, Olga Gonzalez is currently the USA Ambassador for The Gemological Association of Great Britain and on the board of both the Women’s Jewelry Association Metro Chapter and the Public Relations Society of America New York Chapter. She is a regular contributor to numerous trade publications, including six years of writing for Gems & Jewellery magazine, a Gem-A member publication.
Jean François Bibet, Cartier
A native of France and a graduate from the France Jewelry School of Lyon. Jean worked in French Polynesia for 5 years, creating and modeling Tahitian Black Pearl Jewelry. Moving to the U.S. 13 years ago and began working in high end platinum jewelry for Van Cleef and Arpels. He is currently with Cartier, N.Y., managing their high jewelry workshop in North America.
Stephanie Nicolet, Publisher The Knot
Prior to joining the XO Group Inc. in 2008 as National Advertising Director, Nicolet was the Director of Strategic Sales & Marketing at Clear Channel in San Francisco, later launching the New York division. While at Clear Channel, she developed first to market campaigns that generated revenue across multiple platforms including radio, digital, entertainment and outdoor.
Nicolet started her career in advertising in San Francisco at Susquehanna Radio Corporation, now Cumulus Media. When not immersed in all things fashion and jewelry, she enjoys the beach, skiing and traveling with her husband and two children.
Lorraine DePasque is an internationally acclaimed freelance journalist, specializing in fine jewelry writing, blogging, and video interviewing. A multi-award-winning expert, particularly in luxury design/designers/style/trends/gems, she’s one of the country’s leading experts and industry insiders, quoted in media like the San Francisco Chronicle, blogged about by trend forecasters like the Pantone Color Institute, reported on in fashion publications like Women’s Wear Daily, and named to an exclusive list of “Global Influencers/Trendsetters” by the Silver Institute. Honors include the “TABPI Writing Award”; the “Award for Excellence in Editorial/Reporting/Publishing” from the Women’s Jewelry Association; the “Outstanding Achievement in Journalism Award” from the Italian Trade Commission; and the “High Achievement Award” from the Contemporary Jewelry Design Group. As one of the foremost fashion experts in contemporary jewelry and the go-to writer for celebrity interviews on jewelry, her influential online presence includes a consistently growing audience of thousands of Twitter followers and readers of her popular blog on “Jewelry & Designers/Style & Trends” that quickly became a destination for Instore and InDesign magazines.
The Cultured Pearl Association of America, Inc is a non profit group founded in 1957, comprised of the finest manufacturers, wholesalers, dealers and suppliers of Cultured Pearls in the United States.
Our intention is to “cultivate” awareness, interest, demand and successful marketability of Cultured Pearls for the retail community and the consumer level. Through promotion, education, public relations and unwavering commitment we aim to inspire an authentic passion for all Cultured Pearl varieties.
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