Yesterday, November 28, 2019, marked the first step towards the penultimate day when The Artisan Jewellery Design Awards 2020 winners will be announced. And it is evident, the excitement has begun to build up.

The Artisan Jewellery Design Awards, organised by The Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) has quickly established itself as an important event in the world of jewellery design and a prestigious prize for jewellery designers to aspire to.

Last evening, an eminent jury drawn from diverse creative fields completed the first Jury round for the third edition of the Awards, in Mumbai. The jury comprised Interior Designer  Ashiesh Shah; Fashion Designer Rimzim Dadu; Fashion Photographer Jatin Kampani; Jewellery Expert, Richa Goyal Sikri; along with luxury couture jewellers - Pavan Anand of Dagmar Jewellery and Abhishek Haritwal of Symetree.

For this edition, the theme was Architectural Gems. The Artisan Jewellery Design Awards 2020 looks at celebrating three key periods from different architectural eras - Art Deco, Islamic Arabesque and Neo-Futurism. 

A total of 625 entries were received by the GJEPC from talented designers across the globe belonging to various design disciplines – fashion, jewellery, architecture, animation, typography.

“The designs received this year are truly remarkable, innovative and futuristic,” said GJEPC. The jewellery categories for which designs have been submitted include rings, pendants, brooches, pins, earrings and bracelets.

GJEPC Chairman Pramod Agrawal commented: "After viewing the participant entries, I am delighted to see the emerging design talent of our country in the gems and jewellery sector. With this platform we want to create visibility on a global scale to reinforce India’s design talent and not limit it to just being a manufacturing centre for jewellery.”

Said Milan Chokshi, Convener of the GJEPC’s Promotions, Marketing & Business Development (PMBD) Sub-Committee: "We are happy to see the number of entries increasing with each passing year for the Artisan Jewellery Design Awards. Our esteemed jury judged the 89 shortlisted entries on their relevance to the theme – and additionally evaluated them on design, innovation and utility. GJEPC takes pride in providing this design platform to young talent, to unleash their vision and help them make a mark in the gem and jewellery industry.”

“The Council has come up with an incredible theme this year,” remarked jewellery expert Richa Goyal Sikri. “Architecture and jewellery design are both inspirational denoting the play of structure and form. They touch the human soul and that's what makes this theme so special.”

Interior Designer Ashiesh Shah said, “For me jewellery design is about fluidity between heritage and heritage-turned modern pieces. I have evaluated these beautiful designs on the thought process and the visual language they have created keeping the theme in mind.”

Fashion photographer Jatin Kampani, commented: “Being a student is to explore, but not let your thoughts be guided in a certain way. The whole idea of innovation is to break boundaries. With this platform, the Council provides the guidance required and the resources in a commercial aspect to help young talent make their mark in the industry.”

“Being a part of the trade, I can see the impact the platform has had on emerging young talent - from a 360-degree perspective, from design, to saleability and pushing the boundaries to create something out-of-the box,” noted Abhishek Haritwal, Founder, Symetree.

Fashion Designer, Rimzim Dadu said, “As a designer, seeing the enthusiasm of young students in their designs and ideas is very refreshing. It has been exciting to witness their thought processes and the way that they have incorporated architecture to showcase their vision.”

Jewellery couturier Pavan Anand stated: “As the world becomes accessible because of global access, it has never been more important to see design, and specifically jewellery design, through an international lens. I am happy that GJEPC presents this platform annually to give impetus to young talent from India. The next step for the current and upcoming generation of jewellery designers is to bridge creativity with business; create brands with international resonance. The Artisan Jewellery Design Awards is a wonderful first step towards this direction.” 

The Round 2 Jury is scheduled for January 2020 and the winners from each category will be announced at the Grand Finale, which will take place in February 2020 in Mumbai.

Pic Cap: Jury members of the first round of judging for the Artisan Awards: (frm lft) Pavan Anand; Jatin Kampani; Rimzi Dadu; Richa Goyal Sikri; Ashiesh Shah; Abhishek Haritwal