ARTISAN JEWELLERY DESIGN AWARDS 2020: FIRST JURY ROUND CONCLUDES

The jury at the first judging round of the Artisan Jewellery Design Awards 2020 – couture jeweller Pavan Anand; fashion photographer Jatin Kampani; fashion designer Rimzim Dadu; jewellery expert Richa Goyal Sikri; interior designer Ashiesh Shah; and couture jeweller Abhishek Haritwal

THE FIRST JURY ROUND OF THE ARTISAN JEWELLERY DESIGN AWARDS 2020 CONCLUDED RECENTLY IN MUMBAI WITH THE SELECTION OF NINE FINALISTS ACROSS EACH OF THE THREE CATEGORIES – ART DECO, NEO-FUTURISM AND ISLAMIC ARABESQUE

ON 29 NOVEMBER 2019, an eminent jury comprising renowned fashion, design and jewellery experts completed the first judging round for the third Artisan Jewellery Design Awards 2020, organized by the Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) in Mumbai. Through the theme ‘Architectural Gems’, the Artisan Awards 2020 celebrates three key periods from different architectural eras – Art Deco, Islamic Arabesque and Neo-Futurism.

The jury comprised interior designer Ashiesh Shah, fashion designer Rimzim Dadu, fashion photographer Jatin Kampani and jewellery expert Richa Goyal Sikri, along with luxury couture jewellers Pavan Anand of Dagmar Jewellery and Abhishek Haritwal of Symetree. This time, GJEPC received a total of 625 entries from talented designers across the globe belonging to various design disciplines – fashion, jewellery, architecture, animation and typography. The designs received this year are truly remarkable, innovative and futuristic, and belong to the categories of rings, pendants, brooches, pins, earrings and bracelets.

‘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, not limit India to just being a manufacturing centre for jewellery,’ said Pramod Agrawal, Chairman, GJEPC.

Milan Chokshi, Convener – Promotions and Marketing, GJEPC, said, ‘We are happy to see the number of entries for the Artisan Jewellery Design Awards increasing with each passing year. The jury judged the 89 shortlisted entries on their relevance to the theme, and additionally evaluated them particularly on design and innovation. India has an abundance of talent in design and manufacturing. This platform is a great opportunity for designers to unleash their skills, and with the help of the best manufacturers in the industry, see their vision come alive.’

‘The Council has come up with an incredible theme this year. 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,’ jury member Sikri commented.

Ashiesh Shah said, ‘For me, jewellery design is about fluidity between heritage and heritage-turnedmodern pieces. I have evaluated these beautiful designs on the thought process and the visual language they have created, while also keeping the theme in mind.’

Jatin Kampani added, ‘Being a student is to explore, but not to 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 and the resources, in the 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 outof- the box,’ opined Abhishek Haritwal.

Rimzim Dadu commented, ‘As a designer, seeing the enthusiasm and ideas of jewellery designers is very refreshing. It has been exciting to witness their thought processes and the way that they have used architecture to showcase their vision.’

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

The second jury round is scheduled for January 2020 and the winners from each category will be announced at the grand finale, which will take place in February in Mumbai.