MJSA Picks 14 Vision-Award Winners

RAPAPORT... Fourteen jewelry designers havereceived the Manufacturing Jewelers & Suppliers of America (MJSA) VisionAward, which this year includes a new category for enamel distinction. The prizes, which honor outstanding creativity, craftsmanship and technological prowess, are given toboth professionals and students, the trade body said Tuesday. Winners receivecash and gift certificates for tools and supplies, as well as scholarships in the case of students. They will also be profiled in the MJSA Journal, and receivepromotion through ads in industry media. The winning entries will go ondisplay at the annual MJSA Expo in New York. The 2019winners of the Vision Awards are: First Place, Professional Excellence, FourYears in Business: Mark Schneider of Mark Schneider Design in Long Beach, California, for hisplatinum and 18-karat yellow-gold men's band featuring a 0.70-carat tsavoritegarnet, 1.01 carats of black diamonds and 0.69 carats of canary yellow diamonds. Second Place, Professional Excellence, FourYears in Business: Rosario Garcia of Rosario Garcia Designs in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for afloral-pattern ring fabricated and engraved by hand. It features a naturalsphene as its center stone, with accents of granulation and diamond "dewdrops." Honorable Mention, Professional Excellence, Four Years inBusiness: Anna Berezina of Svet Kamney inMoscow, for an opal and chrome-diopside ring made of recycled silver, withgold- and rhodium-plated accents. First Place, Professional Excellence, One to ThreeYears in Business: Sabina Wong of Sabina Wong in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, for TheLotus. Made of 18-karat white gold with topaz, sapphire and green garnetgemstones, the brooch contains four levels - the lily pad and three layersof petals -and a mechanism that enables the petals to open and close. Second Place, Professional Excellence, One to ThreeYears in Business: Oksana Lerman of Rock Lily Collection in Brooklyn, New York, for a handmadenecklace of white baroque cultured pearls encrusted with 14-karat balls and 14-karatdiamond-set stars. All of the elements were set with silver pins to enhance the"stars in the sky" effect. Laser Distinction: Andrew Costen of Costen Catbalue Goldsmiths & Designs in Vancouver, BritishColumbia, Canada, for his Gold Nugget photo pendant. Created using bothtraditional techniques and modern laser technologies, this pendant commemoratesa client's father: It incorporates gold from a nugget chain her fatherpurchased in the Yukon, as well as a laser-engraved photo of him taken in the1940s. Custom Design Distinction: Tom Heyman of Oscar Heyman & Brothers in New York City for his Seven HeirsSuite. Composed of platinum and 18-karat gold with multiple gems, jackets andornaments, the convertible collection was commissioned with the intent that thepieces would eventually be split among the client's heirs. Built around fourwhite diamonds, a fancy-intense-yellow diamond, a sapphire and a pink sapphire,the collection can become a necklace with two front pieces, two rings, apendant and a brooch. Custom Design Distinction, Honorable Mention: Llyn Strong of Llyn Strong FineArt Jewelry in Greenville, South Carolina, for a cuff bracelet made of sterlinginfused with gold dust, 22-karat wire, tanzanite, and diamonds. Created for amusician who had a deep personal connection to the hymn "Amazing Grace," thecuff features the song's first notes on a musical staff. Responsible Practices Distinction: Susan Crow of East Fourth Street Jewelry in Northfield, Minnesota, for herAmphitrite Necklace. Named after the Greek ocean goddess, the necklace is madeentirely of responsibly sourced materials: an 18-karat Fairmined yellow-goldclasp, certified CanadaMark diamonds and a responsibly mined Brazilianaquamarine purchased from Robert Bentley Gemstones. Enamel Distinction: Merry-Lee Rae of Merry-Lee Rae inFreedom, California, for her brooch featuring the head of acloisonn?(C) cougar. First Place, Future of the Industry Award (forstudents): Timo Krapf, a BFA student at the Rochester Institute of Technology inPittsford, New York, for his organically looping silver-and-leather-cord ring. Second Place, Future of the Industry Award(Tie): Wonhee Kim, a student at the Gemological Institute of America in Carlsbad,California, for a sterling and 18-karat gold pendant inspired by the imperial eggs of Faberg?(C): Created with four hinged pieces, the pendant's egg-shaped exterior opens toreveal a gold egg, which itself opens onto a blue topaz. Jiyeon Kang, a student at theFashion Institute of Technology in New York City, for her "Hidden" three-fingerhinge ring that can be worn on one or three fingers. When opened, the ringreveals a sterling ball decorated with colorful cubic zirconia. Honorable Mention, Future of the Industry Award: Marina Kim, a student at GeorgeBrown College in Toronto, for her 18-karat yellow-gold Labyrinth ring, with alapis-lazuli cabochon set in the middle of a labyrinthine pattern. Image: Merry-Lee Rae's winning piece in the enamel-distinction category. (Manufacturing Jewelers & Suppliers of America)