Do you remember the winning pieces from last year’s Couture Design Awards?
The titanium magnolia flower with its dreamy blossoms, the whimsical pendant shaped like a travel suitcase, and the bold emerald earrings with unconventional cuts… Each piece was filled with innovation, captivating the audience.
Recently, the 2024 Couture Design Awards, often referred to as the “Jewelry Oscars,” announced its winners in Las Vegas, USA.
This year’s competition featured 304 entries, with the award categories expanded from 15 to 20. The categories covered a wide range of themes including gold, platinum, silver, diamonds, colored gemstones, pearls, bridal jewelry, and haute joaillerie.
A panel of five judges from the jewelry industry, including Alexandra Lippin and Archana Thani, meticulously evaluated each entry based on design concept, theme, craftsmanship, and various other aspects.
The large number of participants and the rigorous selection process have established this competition as one of the most important and influential design contests in the global jewelry industry. It’s widely regarded as a trendsetter for global jewelry design.
So, who are the designers who won the 2024 Couture Design Awards? And what do these top-tier jewelry pieces look like?
Let’s explore these stunning creations together!
Best in Haute Couture
At the 2024 “Couture Design Awards” jewelry design competition, jewelry designer Sevan Bicakci’s peacock necklace stood out among 304 entries, winning the prestigious [Best in Haute Couture] award.
In a previous article titled “Innovative Intaglio Technique: Creating Fantastical Worlds in Miniature, Turkish Jeweler Sevan Bıçakçı,” we introduced this “star jeweler” from Turkey.
Sevan Bıçakçı wears many hats: mythologist, collector, archaeologist, and jewelry artist. He has been lauded by the media as “one of the contemporary jewelers who has revolutionized jewelry design.”
In 1977, at the age of 12, Sevan Bıçakçı was sent by his father to apprentice in the workshop of jeweler Hovsep Chatak. Twenty-five years later, at 37, Sevan Bıçakçı established his eponymous jewelry brand in Turkey: Sevan Bıçakçı.
From the Hagia Sophia to the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, from Greek mythology to ancient Chinese legends…
Sevan Bıçakçı collaborates with masters from various artistic fields including painting, sculpture, ceramics, and calligraphy. He encapsulates nature’s flora and fauna, as well as diverse regional cultures, in miniature within gemstones. His works carry distinct Byzantine and Ottoman cultural aesthetics, with lifelike and dynamic designs that are truly dreamlike.
The reason Sevan Bıçakçı has been hailed by the media as “one of the contemporary jewelers who has revolutionized jewelry design” is undoubtedly due to his relentless pursuit of perfection in craftsmanship.
Sevan Bıçakçı employs his unique intaglio technique to create three-dimensional shapes, and uses internal painting techniques to blend micro-carving, mosaic, micro-painting inlay, gold and silver smelting, and other crafts with vibrantly colored gemstones. His designs are innovative, unique, and unconventional.
In just 20 years, Sevan Bıçakçı’s works have become favorites of major auction houses, thanks to his exquisite craftsmanship and transcendent design talent. He has repeatedly won awards such as the Country Couture Award for jewelry design.
The piece that won the [Best in Haute Couture] award this time is a peacock-themed necklace.
The necklace consists of three diamond-encrusted chains, creating a beautiful and romantic design.
At the center of the necklace is a peacock pendant. Using his unique intaglio technique, Sevan Bıçakçı has carved two peacocks facing each other inside the gemstone. The peacocks are lifelike in their design, exuding an elegant and regal feel.
People’s Choice Award
The mask designed by Chinese jewelry designer Richard Wu won the [People’s Choice] award.
Jewelry designer Richard Wu, the founder of “Wu Jewelry,” has studied under top Italian jewelry masters such as Marco Perego, Mirko Dimasi, Eugenio Bianchi, and Alessandro Dari. He blends Western jewelry techniques with Eastern aesthetics, creating a distinctive and highly personal jewelry style.
Unlike other jewelers who focus on colorful and dazzling gemstones, Richard Wu strives to reduce dependency on precious stones. Instead, he explores sustainable jewelry materials, uncovering a different kind of beauty in jewelry.
The piece that won the [People’s Choice] award – a mask – perfectly embodies this philosophy.
The mysterious black color scheme, unique openwork design, and small carat diamonds adorning the eye corners and lower part add a touch of nobility and allure to the overall design.
Best in Debuting
Francesca Villa’s “Change Your Stripes” bracelet won the [Best in Debuting] award at this year’s Couture Design Awards.
Francesca Villa is an Italian jewelry designer who founded her eponymous brand Francesca Villa in 2007. Previously, she worked for major jewelry brands such as Bulgari, Louis Vuitton, and Tiffany & Co.
Viewing Francesca Villa’s works is like opening a door to a fairy tale world. She draws inspiration from quirky little trinkets found in antique markets, using exquisite craftsmanship to breathe new life into them.
Particularly noteworthy is Francesca Villa’s AB jewelry series, which is both whimsical and memorable.
The “Change Your Stripes” bracelet features two distinct sides. One side depicts a harvest scene with miniature paintings of pumpkins, radishes, and persimmons. The other side showcases an elegant relief portrait. These contrasting design styles, far from clashing, allow the wearer to switch between them according to their mood, adding a playful element to the piece.
Best in Below $10K
ASHAHA’s gold and diamond necklace, while appearing relatively simple in design, demonstrates a deep consideration for comfort and practicality. ASHAHA continuously adjusted the balance between the necklace and the body, resulting in an ergonomic piece that showcases the charm of modern women.
Best in Bridal
The winner of the [Best in Bridal] award is Vanessa Fernandez Studio, making its debut appearance at the Couture Design Awards.
Vanessa Fernandez, a jewelry designer of Cuban-Armenian descent, creates pieces heavily influenced by Art Nouveau jewelry styles. Her work features graceful, flowing lines and lively designs. She particularly excels in crafting jewelry from precious metals like gold, employing exquisite handcrafting techniques to make these metals appear light and delicate, presenting a unique aesthetic.
The “Curva Twist” diamond and gold ring features a gold setting that flows and meanders like a wave. A marquise-cut diamond is set at the center of the ring. The design is simple yet elegant, presenting a pure, gentle modern beauty.
Best in Colored Gemstones Above $40K
The French jeweler TABAYER’s piece named “Oera choker” presents a highly innovative design.
The gold naturally curves to form the necklace shape, with a custom-cut red jasper as the centerpiece. Interspersed colored sapphires add a modern touch to the design.
One end of the necklace is unadorned, while the other is set with colored sapphires and brown diamonds. The vibrant color combination and the radiance of the gemstones complement each other, inspiring endless imagination.
Best in Colored Gemstones Below $40K
American jeweler Renna Jewels designed the Ombré Tassel Necklace. The gold chain is simple and sleek, surrounded by 21 circular pendants set with tourmaline, aquamarine, and citrine. The gradient effect and color transitions of the gemstones create a light and joyful feeling. The tassel-like design adds a sense of liveliness and vitality to the overall look.
Best in Diamonds above $40K
“Italian craftsmanship, designed for the world” is the slogan of Gismondi, a high-end Italian jewelry brand.
This ancient jewelry brand, Gismondi, was established in 1754 and has been passed down through seven generations, spanning over four centuries.
Over the course of 270 years, Gismondi has inherited the simple and rational beauty of ancient Greek and Roman periods. With superior craftsmanship and high-quality materials, it has become an immortal legend in the Italian jewelry industry.
The winner of the [Best in Diamonds above $40K] award is a phoenix diamond necklace designed by Gismondi.
Gismondi uses an abstract approach to interpret the mythical phoenix. The center of the necklace is set with a pear-shaped diamond, surrounded by small carat diamonds. The phoenix feathers, made of round and pear-shaped diamonds, spread out freely, exuding an elegant and noble feeling.
Best in Diamonds Below $40K
Last year, ONDYN’s gold earrings won the [Best in Diamonds Below $40K] award with their novel and unique design.
This year, ONDYN’s gold bracelet once again secured the [Best in Diamonds Below $40K] award.
This gold bracelet maintains a consistent design style with last year’s award-winning gold earrings. The textured gold forms a strong color contrast with the signature hinged diamonds. The dynamic and concise lines release the tension of geometric aesthetics, creating a lively and modern shape with high recognition.
Best in Gold
This gold necklace designed by the Parisian jewelry brand Rainbow K features gold beads of varying sizes arranged in a gradient, creating a sense of order and beauty. The asymmetrical design allows for a free and casual beauty to be effortlessly expressed.
Best in Innovative
This vintage cassette tape pencil necklace comes from the Italian jeweler Sorellina. The cassette tape shape is crafted from 18K yellow gold, with the two holes in the center adorned with white sapphires and diamonds. Beside it is a matching 18K gold pencil that can be used to “rewind” or “fast forward” the tape. The design is incredibly clever and full of playfulness, making it a well-deserved winner of the [Best in Innovative] award.
Best in Pearls
When it comes to snake-themed jewelry, the most famous is undoubtedly the Bulgari Serpenti series from the Italian jewelry brand Bulgari.
Since its inception in the 1940s, over a mere 70 years, Bulgari has continuously integrated the latest jewelry craftsmanship and innovative design concepts into the series. This has allowed the Serpenti collection to constantly transform and innovate, much like a living snake, becoming the brand’s most recognizable iconic symbol.
However, the pearl snake necklace introduced by Autore is equally impressive in its design.
The snake’s body, crafted from 18K rose gold, is set with pink diamonds totaling 16.64 carats and colorless diamonds of 23.99 carats. It’s further adorned with 26 non-nucleated saltwater pearls. The soft, lustrous pearls create a striking contrast with the dazzling diamonds, exuding a sense of nobility and elegance.
At the center of the snake’s head is a 2-carat pear-shaped diamond. The eyes are created by layering black diamonds over moonstone, giving them a lively and spirited look that emanates a mesmerizing glow.
The back of the necklace features an openwork design, allowing direct view of the pearls. This ingenious design is truly admirable.
Best in Platinum
New York jewelry designer Eva Fehren’s diamond ring features small carat diamonds adorning the band. A strongly linear fancy-cut diamond is set in the center of the ring, giving it a sharp, edgy feel.
Editor’s Choice
Brazilian jewelry designer Silvia Furmanovich is a frequent participant in the Couture Design Awards.
She employs a series of unique inlay techniques, including marquetry and micro-painting, to create striking contrasts between precious gems and everyday materials such as bamboo, fruits, and tree branches. This approach has resulted in a collection of distinctive jewelry pieces with rich layers and fantastical beauty, opening new doors in the world of jewelry design.
This time, Silvia Furmanovich once again secured the Couture Design Awards [Editor’s Choice] with a pair of flower-shaped earrings.
The earrings feature bamboo-woven flowers that seem to bloom gently at the ears. The varying shades of purple create a dreamy and romantic aesthetic. The design is both innovative and personal, highlighting the subtle and gentle qualities of contemporary women.
Editor’s Note:
Various design competitions in the jewelry field have always been an important means for jewelry companies to discover new styles and designers. For designers, participating in design competitions is also a good way to quickly gain recognition.
If you are a jewelry designer with original jewelry designs, you might want to try these essential jewelry design competitions for jewelry designers! A roundup of well-known jewelry design competitions with prizes and honors awaiting you! These jewelry design competitions might bring unexpected surprises~
Dazzling Brilliance: 2024 ‘Jewelry Oscars’ Reveal Top Designs from 304 Entries – See the Most Extraordinary Pieces!
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