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MJSA presents Innovation Awards

March 20, 2007

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New York—Manufacturing Jewelers and Suppliers of America (MJSA) recently celebrated those who are leading the way in creating processes that improve jewelry-manufacturing performance and efficiency at the third annual MJSA Innovation Awards.

The presentation, held during the MJSA Expo at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City on Monday, celebrated new technologies that include a vibration casting machine, a spray ceramic coating and a patent-pending ring-sizing system.

"[We] established 'Thinking Ahead: The MJSA Innovation Initiative' in 2004 to recognize those individuals and companies that aim high by looking to change the way things are currently done and bring improvements that will benefit the entire industry," MJSA president and chief executive officer Frank Dallahan said.

Designer Steven Kretchmer, who died in a motorcycle accident last July, posthumously received the Lifetime Achievement award for his work as an artist, metallurgist and inventor.

"No one is a better example of how imagination can lead to new and improved processes and products than the late Steven Kretchmer. During his lifetime, Steven secured patents for many breakthrough processes and alloys, including multi-colored layered golds," Dallahan said. "His latest creation, Polarium, was a permanently magnetic platinum alloy with amazing properties including levitation."

Other innovations honored were: HiDef Patterns, a liquid photopolymer designed to produce detailed, high-resolution patterns for lost-wax casting; Indutherm VC 600 V Casting Machine, a pressure-over-vacuum casting machine designed to decrease porosity, failed castings and post-processing work; Nventa Inc.'s Firescoff, a spray ceramic coating adopted from the aerospace industry that prevents oxidation and firescale, acts as a flux and features easy removal with water; and Stuller's Preform Ring Sizing System, a patent-pending system that saves time with a unique, half-moon dovetail process.

The Stuller system was implemented internally before the company decided to share it with the industry.

Stuller president and chief operating officer Chuck Lein accepted on behalf of the company, noting how the major breakthroughs tend to be simple, coming from those who work in the trenches, day in and day out.

"I think that the challenge to each of us in our respective organizations is to solicit the best and most creative ideas and create a blue ocean environment and invite our people to step forward and be as creative as they can be," he said.

The winners were selected by a global panel of judges that included: James Binnion of James Binnion Metal Arts LLC, Bellingham, Wash.; Michael Coan of the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York; Dr. Christopher W. Corti of the World Gold Council, London; Dr. Jorg Fischer-Buhner, Forschungsinstitut fur Edelmetalle und Metallchemie (FEM), Schwabisch Gmund, Germany; Mark Grimwade, metallurgical consultant, Northwood, Middlesex, United Kingdom; Charles Lewton-Brain, goldsmith, author, educator and inventor of fold-forming, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Jurgen J. Maerz, Platinum Guild International USA, South Coast Metro, Calif.; Gay Penfold, Jewellery Industry Innovation Centre (JIIC) University of Central England, Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom; and Tino Volpe, Tiffany and Co., Cumberland, R.I.

The awards are part of the "Thinking Ahead: The MJSA Innovation Initiative," which is intended to celebrate and motivate innovation across the industry. In addition to the awards, the MSJA Expo also features "Thinking Ahead: Technology Day," being held today.

Information and full descriptions of the winning products can be found in the December 2006 issue of MJSA Journal, or by visiting the MJSA Web site, MJSA.org.
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