(IDEX Online News) – The Manufacturing Jewelers and Suppliers of America (MJSA), the US trade association dedicated to professional excellence in jewelry making and design has announced the recent winners of its Vision Awards Design competition.

 

Ten outstanding designs were selected to celebrate creativity, craftsmanship and technological prowess, which included the first Responsible Practices Distinction, highlighting the combination of exceptional design with ethical sourcing and sustainable manufacturing.

 

The 2016 winners were:

 

First Place, Professional Excellence, 4+ Years in Business:

Klaus Kutter of A Jour Jewelry Inc. in Bristol, Rhode Island, for a 19-karat white gold and tourmaline ring. Using CAD/CAM and a laser, Kutter assembled the ring from 19 separate pieces to create a "floating" effect.

 

First Place, Professional Excellence, 1-3 Years in Business:

Baiyang Qiu of BQ Jewelry in Milpitas, California, for her "Emerging" brooch. Hand fabricated from wire, it depicts the emergence of a butterfly from the chrysalis. This is the second year in a row that Qiu won first place in this category.

  

CAD/CAM Distinction:

Gregoré Morin of Gregoré Joailliers in Santa Barbara, California, for his "Pink Buddha" earrings. Using the 3D-Coat digital sculpting program, he was able to perfect a Buddha face and, through Matrix/Rhino and a Rhino-based CAM program called Madcam, transfer the Buddha's eyes onto pink opal.

 

Laser Distinction:

Baiyang Qiu of BQ Jewelry in Milpitas, California, for a "Bubble" brooch/pendant. Inspired by a childhood memory of playing with bubbles, the intricate wire-mesh piece is made of 29 gauge platinum and contains more than 300 laser-welded joints.

 

Custom Design Distinction:

Cynthia Renée of Cynthia Renée Inc. in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, for a "Medallion" bracelet/pendant in which an assemblage of gemstones (centered by a rare 20.52-carat yellow danburite) can be worn as a pendant or inserted into a Lucite bracelet.

 

Responsible Practices Distinction:

Sandy Leong of Sandy Leong Fine Jewelry in New York City for her Black Diamond Tennis Bracelet. The bracelet features 18-karat recycled yellow gold, 23.46-carats of ethically sourced fancy diamonds, and a pavé trim of conflict-free white diamonds.

 

First Place, Future of the Industry Award (for students):

Seung Jeon Paik of Savannah College of Art & Design in Savannah, Georgia, for "Union" and "The Wish," two pieces that adapt the traditional granulation technique to create the appearance of metal particles "floating." Paik also won first place this year in the Silver/Argentium Silver category of the Saul Bell Design Award competition.

 

All of the winning entries will be on display at the 2017 MJSA Expo at the Javits Center in New York.

 

This year's Vision Award judges were Michael Coan, Fashion Institute of Technology; Ann Cahoon, North Bennet Street School; Lisa Krikawa, Krikawa Jewelry Design; Adam Neeley, Adam Neeley Fine Art Jewelry; Trace Shelton,Indesign magazine; and Robin Waynee, Ryan Roberts Ltd.