GJEPC Hands Out The Artisan Awards 2021

The Artisan Awards 2021 awards ceremony concluded amidst applause and high spirits at an intimate by-invitation gathering in Mumbai! Here’s a sneak peek of the outstanding creations by the winning designers, who were over the moon!

The awards ceremony of the fourth edition of The Artisan Awards 2021, the country’s prestigious jewellery design competition, held by the GJEPC on 20th July, was a warm and intimate affair. The ongoing Covid situation didn’t tamp down the celebrations, thanks to the strict safety protocols. The event was held at Hotel Four Seasons, Mumbai.

The theme Reinventing Vintage showcased a spread of three jewellery eras from diverse cultures – Indian heritage was celebrated through the sub-theme Temple Jewellery; Japanesque was a nod to Asian inspiration; and Victorian referenced the colonial past to create timeless yet modern silhouettes.

In all 11 awards were given away as there was a tie in two of the three sub-categories.

Navin Jashnani, Educationist, Visionary, Couture Jewellery Manufacturer, and one of the main architects of IIJS Premiere and IIJS Signature, received The Artisan Award for “The Most Accomplished Artisan Of Our Time” amidst thunderous applause. 

Jashnani gave prizes to The Artisan 2021 winners along with Colin Shah, Chairman, GJEPC, Milan Chokshi, Convener, Promotions, Marketing & Business Development, GJEPC, Sabyasachi Ray, Executive Director, GJEPC, Mansukh Kothari, Event – Convener, GJEPC, and Nirupa Bhatt, GIA Consultant Advisor.

Colin Shah commented, “The primary aim of The Artisan Awards is to celebrate design, which is the soul of any jewellery piece. The thematic competitions that the Council has been putting forth each year are meant to encourage designers and industry leaders to come up with innovative ideas in design and manufacturing. I am proud to note that each year, the participants have more than matched our expectations.

“Even as we rely upon our rich 5000-year-old jewellery-making tradition in India, we need to contemporise our designs to be leaders on the global stage. GJEPC had long ago realised the importance of developing India as the gem and jewellery design hub and had incorporated as one of its objectives to promote and develop sustainable gem and jewellery trade in India. Over the years, the Council has taken a host of design-centric initiatives like design workshops, trend forecasting seminars, design competitions, and publishing jewellery trend books.

“The Awards are instituted to applaud and honour the artists who will shape the future of this industry.”

The Artisan Awards celebrated the revival of the eternal design eras and may possibly chronicle the new design epoch thrust upon us by the pandemic.

The sub-theme Victorian Jewellery takes its name from the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901), and focused on The Romantic Period of this reign (1837-1860). The second theme, Temple Jewellery, originated in South India, during the Chola dynasty’s reign. Finally, Japanesque Jewellery focused on Shakudo, a gold content alloy that was used to create ornamental bits for katana, or swords, and much later, its use was expanded to include jewellery.

Despite the lockdowns the world over, a total of 586 entries were received from national and international participants from Japan, USA, Taiwan, Russia, Egypt, Abu Dhabi, and Australia.

Vipul Shah, Vice Chairman, GJEPC, said, “The Artisan Awards has come to be recognised as the most prestigious jewellery design competition, attracting participants from India as well as abroad. The Awards honour not just creative aesthetic based on a theme, but also technical expertise required to bring a piece to life.

“The competition has been getting better and tougher with each passing year. In keeping with the times, the three rounds of judging were held virtually by some master juries from the fields of art, fashion and other related industries. The aim is to make The Artisan Awards a global platform that recognises and honours excellence in jewellery design.”

The first judging round was a technical assessment of all the entries, which was followed by a second jury meet to shortlist 30 final sketches, 10 in each of the three sub-categories.

The eminent jury for the final round included Fashion Designer James Ferreira, Jewellery Influencer Katerina Perez, Christian Louboutin Country Head – India Anjali Gaekwar, The Rose Group of Companies Managing Director Biren Vaidya, The Adventurine Founder Marion Fasel, and Ensemble Owner and CEO Tina Tahiliani Parikh.

Milan Chokshi, stated, “Setting a new benchmark for design excellence has been GJEPC’s long-standing endeavour. The Artisan Awards is a testimony to the quality and high-design quotient showcased by the emerging talent in India as well as the rest of the world.

“It’s true that we seek refuge in the familiar in tumultuous times. This past year we have witnessed a global trend of consumers returning to classic designs that are a nod to the past while retaining a present-day flavour. This resonates with The Artisan’s theme of Reinventing Vintage this year. We picked three diverse jewellery eras – Japanesque, Victorian and Temple – that are all endowed with strong traditional narratives. Giving them a modern spin, we agreed, would be a huge challenge indeed!

“We were astonished to see the final results, and this only reaffirms our faith that India’s headed in the right direction – towards becoming the global leader in jewellery design, engineering and innovation. The 30 outstanding pieces from the three categories were selected after three intense rounds of judging – all done virtually, of course. The unanimous verdict was that the final pieces were reinterpreted with ingenuity.”

Here are the winners of The Artisan Awards 2021:

VICTORIAN

Winner

Mismatched earrings designed by Namrata Bhardwaj; Manufactured by A’Star Jewels Pvt. Ltd.

Floral Fantasy

First Runner-up

Brooch designed by Koushik Mondal; Manufactured by Tanvirkumar & Company

Object of Desire

First Runner-up

Earrings designed by Sumit Baug; Manufactured by Jesper Jewels

Soul Keeper

Second Runner-up

Earrings designed by Lekshmi Raj; Manufactured by Walking Tree India Pvt. Ltd.

Vintage Glamour

JAPANESQUE

Winner

Earrings designed by Shrutika Shinde; Manufactured by KP Sanghvi Jewels Pvt. Ltd.

Beautiful & Broken

First Runner-up

Earrings designed by Aasma Hossain; Manufactured by CVM

Shino

Second Runner-up

Earrings designed by Risha Kaushik; Manufactured by Sanskriti Jewels

Shizen No Rakeun

TEMPLE

Winner

Earrings designed by Subhasis Bhowmik; Manufactured by EON Jewellery

Golden Melody

First Runner-Up

Earrings designed by Jatin Kohli; Manufactured by Anand Shah

Melange

First Runner-Up

Bangle designed by Subir Das; Manufactured by Vasupati Jewellers India Pvt. Ltd.

Shubh Yaatra

Second Runner-Up

Bracelet designed by Sushil Bhalerao; Manufactured by S.K. Seth Co. Jewellers

Prana

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