Christopher S. Nelson 
IGI has announced its JEWEL jewelry design competition 2020. The competition invites novice and professional jewelers, artists, teachers, students and fans to submit design concepts for review by a esteemed international jury in the hopes of receive media exposure, cash prizes and scholarships at one of IGI’s international gemological schools. In the wake of the pandemic, this event will help aspiring designers overcome obstacles and be introduced to manufacturers who can develop their designs.
With the theme of the competition “Collision and Merger”, IGI encourages participants to embrace duality in their future submissions. Involving a collision of crystals in the creation of gemstones and stylistic cultural fusion, the same growth and unity is shared globally in these unprecedented times.
“In the history of our industry, every collision and fusion of civilizations has given way to classic new eras,” said Roland Lorie, CEO of IGI. “With the new IGI JEWEL jewelry design competition, we hope to allow entrants to approach design from a global perspective and make room for the next era of influential jewelry.”
IGI’s international panel of industry expert judges include Stephen Webster, David Gotlib, Paola De Luca, Alexandre Corrot, Mauro Vegliante, Maria Laura La Mantia, Philip Sajet and Ms. Wang Jin Yuan, President of the Fosun Art Center. This prestigious group will judge four different categorical events: the diamond, the colored gemstone, the gold and the creative material. In their assessment, they will critique the submissions on creativity, material use, budget, production feasibility, and portability.
Participation is free for all registrations. A maximum of 30 participants will be selected by September 1st to move on to the manufacturing stage of the competition where each finalist will enjoy seeing their creative concept come to life by a manufacturer, endorsed by IGI and the event’s partner, House of Jewelry Creation. All finalist designs will be on display during a physical tour of various trade events and exhibitions, as well as online promotion through a series of professional channels and the opportunity to receive support from jewelry brands for further development. .
The special jury will select a grand champion of the competition and two silver medalists. These winners will receive cash prizes and full scholarships to attend courses at one of IGI’s international gemological schools. The Special Jury will award four other “Outstanding Design” prizes, one for each competition category. These recipients will also receive cash prizes and scholarships.
The IGI JEWEL 2020 jewelry design competition award ceremony will tentatively take place on November 25e and will be broadcast live worldwide. As the safety of all parties present is the top priority of the IGI, the Institute will inform all parties of the circumstances and safety measures that could impact the event.
For more information on IGI and to learn more about the rules and requirements of its new design competition, please visit https://www.igi.org/contest.
