February sees colorful 'Best Of' entries

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February sees colorful 'Best Of' entries

March 17, 2009

Richard Krementz Designs, whose entries included this 30.61-carat bi-color topaz pendant accented with diamonds, has been named the winner of National Jeweler's February "Best Of" contest for colored gemstone jewelry.

New York--Right in line with the Tucson gem shows, the winners of National Jeweler's February "Best Of" contest burst with color.

The Best Of series made its debut in January 2009, cataloging the best of print marketing, and the February competition marks the first product-design category for the awards, with colored-stone jewelry up for examination.

Out of nearly 70 entries, Richard Krementz Gemstones came out on top for its sculptural designs featuring one-of-a-kind gemstones and a sprinkling of diamonds set in platinum and 18-karat gold. One particularly stunning piece, designed by the company's Pablo Colon, features a 30.61-carat bi-color topaz set in platinum and featuring 1.36 carats of diamonds.

Four other designers came in as close competitors and were chosen as finalists. They include: Jane Wullbrandt, Krikawa Jewelry Designs, Mathon Paris and Noam Carver.

Jane Wullbrandt entered a pair of "GemDrop" earrings featuring a playful mix of gemstones cut into varying shapes and swinging in drop-style form. The earrings feature green tourmaline, fire opal, yellow beryl, rubelites and amethyst briolettes.

Krikawa Jewelry Designs was singled out for its unique engagement rings, including the "Mokume Ribbon Three-Stone Engagement Ring" with a 4-carat color-changing blue sapphire and crescent-cut diamonds, and the "Juicy Liquor" ring with a 4-carat orange sapphire and graduating-color sapphires set in 18-karat rose gold with 18-karat mokume.

The entries of Mathon Paris all displayed a whimsical feel with vibrant gemstones shaped into figures such as dragonflies and seahorses. One yellow gold ring crafted into a frog shape sparkles with peridot, yellow sapphires and tsavorite garnet.

And, last but not least, Noam Carver was recognized for such pieces as a dazzling lodolite quartz ring featuring a natural peach-colored crystallization magnified by the clear quartz. The stone is set into pink gold and the outer frame is adorned with 44 round brilliant-cut diamonds.

The winner and finalists for the competition were chosen by a panel of three judges: Victoria Gomelsky, editor of Couture International Jeweler; Lorraine DePasque, contributing editor to National Jeweler; and Amanda Gizzi, associate director for public relations at the Jewelry Information Center.

In addition, a "People's Choice" winner was chosen by online voters. Armenta won with a total of 90 votes for its yellow gold bracelet featuring oxidized sterling silver, malachite and green amethyst, and Bertoni Designs came in a close second, with 87 votes. Bertoni's entries included a variety of organic designs featuring stones such as pink tourmaline, opal and colored diamonds. Skatell's Manufacturing Jewelers, with 85 votes, rounded out the top three for a design featuring a 53.45-carat cognac quartz and prong-set diamonds.

"The quality, creativity and inspiration of the designs was stellar," National Jeweler Editorial Director Whitney Sielaff said of the February entries. "These pieces were gorgeous, and the use of the materials was highly imaginative. We're very happy that these awards are proving to be what we had hoped for: a repository of standards in design and marketing for jewelers to use as benchmarks in running and making decisions for their businesses."

Next month, online advertising will be the category up for review in National Jeweler's Best Of Awards.

For more information on future categories and how to enter the awards, click here. As part of the People's Choice award, visitors to the site can also vote each month for their favorite product and marketing entries.

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