KEY CONTEST LINKS: Overview |  Rules and Regulations | Download Entry Form (PDF)

Ten finalists have been selected for the Ultimate Design Contest. See full announcement here. Thanks to everybody who entered, and if you didn't make the finals this year, please try again next year.

Overview

This design competition is open to all.  The competition will take jewelry designs from rendering to the finished pieces of jewelry. There will be elimination of designs through a competitive process. This will be done in two phases. The first submission will be of a rendering (hand or cad).  The top ten designs renderings will be selected as semi finalists.  They will have seven weeks to complete their jewelry items, and submit them for final phase of judging.

(All ten finished jewelry pieces will be on display at The SMART Jewelry Show).

Prior to the show four finalists will be selected by a panel of judges from the ten submitted finished pieces.  These four finalists will be guests of The SMART Jewelry Show.  Show attendees will vote on the finalist’s jewelry pieces for first and second place in both the CAD and traditional rendering categories.  One champion will take top honors in The Ultimate Design Competition.

This is a “Top Chef” kind of competition including traditional hand rendered designs and CAD designs.  Competitors are given a choice of either a 9x7 mm oval rhodolite cabochon or a 9x7 mm faceted oval aquamarine as the centerpiece of a size seven ladies ring.  (See images and a description of the gemstones.) The featured aquamarine or rhodolite garnet will be provided by Gem 2000.  Accent gems, design, metals and manufacturing techniques are left open to the designer.

The goal is to see designers and bench jewelers show off their skills and creativity within a common theme.

There is an entry fee of $75 for the first design and $50 for any additional design submitted by the same entrant.

Design Requirements/Description

The item to be designed is a size seven women’s ring.  The ring must include the provided 9x7 mm faceted oval aquamarine or the 9x7 mm oval cabochon rhodolite garnet.

The ring may be made using any manufacturing techniques, accent stones or metal the designer would like. (All work, metal, accent stones and supplies are at the designer’s expense).  Entry must include a brief description of the process of construction.

Entrants chosen for the final phase, construction, will be provided the center stones.

Phase 1: Submit Rendering of Original Design

Contestants will produce a rendering by hand or CAD of a women’s ring.  Renderings submitted will be placed in one of two categories:

Category 1 – Hand rendering
Category 2 – CAD rendering

Five finalists will be selected from each of the two categories by a panel of judges.  This will provide ten finalists for Phase 2 of the competition.

• Judging criteria for rendering include:
• Professionalism and skill of presentation
• Creativity and design
• Wear-ability

All entries and entry fees must be received by Friday, January 29, 2010.  Entries may be sent electronically to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Or delivered to:
The Ultimate Design Contest
The Smart Jewelry Show   
45 West 45th Street, Suite 808
New York, NY 10036
(212) 981-9625

Judging is completed by Friday, February 12, 2010. Finalists are notified and posted on the website www.smartjewelryshow.com. 

Phase 2: Fabrication of Design

The ten finalists will be provided with the featured gemstone to create the design of the rendering they submitted.  The choice of stones is either a 9x7 mm oval cabochon rhodolite garnet or a 9x7 mm faceted oval aquamarine.

The ten finalists will manufacture the design they submitted using the provided gemstone and the metal of their choice.  (The finalists complete their selected design at their own expense. Accent stones, metals and labor costs are the responsibility of the entrant.)

All entrants must do 50% percent of the work on the entry piece and provide a description of how the piece was constructed.

Finished item will become the property of the contestant at the conclusion of the contest.

Ship finished item to:
The Ultimate Design Contest
The Smart Jewelry Show   
45 West 45th Street, Suite 808
New York, NY 10036
212.981.9625

All finished pieces must be received by Friday, March 19, 2010

The judges will select 2 finalists from the finished pieces for each of the two categories, hand rendering and CAD, to move to Phase 3 of the contest.

The four finalists will receive an expense paid trip to The SMART Jewelry Show.  (Expenses include coach airfare and provided hotel for two nights).

All finished designs will be on display at The SMART Jewelry Show, April 24-26, 2010.

Phase 3: Completion of Judging – The SMART Jewelry Show

Show attendees will be asked to cast a vote for the overall winner.  Votes will also determine a winner and first place in each of the two categories.

It is a combination of the judges’ pre-show selection of finalists and the show attendee vote will determine the “Ultimate” winner of the contest.  (Think of the “Dancing with the Stars” judging process where a combination of the judges’ considerations and the popular vote determine the winners).

Judging Criteria of Jewelry Item Includes
• Skill in execution of design
• How closely the item matches the rendering
• Technical merit of design and execution.
• Wear-ability

Completion: Contest winner will be announced on 1 PM, Monday, April 26, the final day of The Smart Jewelry Show. Trophies will be provided for:

• First place CAD design 
• First place hand rendered design
• Second place CAD design
• Second place hand rendered design
• First place/over-all, Champion, winner from Phase 3 participants

Completed items are property of the designer at the conclusion of The SMART Jewelry Show.

First place/overall champion will have their winning design featured on the cover of INSTORE magazine.

Comments (12)

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Designer
written by Lee Krombholz, November 10, 2009

This sounds like a lot of fun! I like the "same stone" part of it and I don't think that has been done in the jewelry industry that I can remember. Count me in!

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written by Travis Piper, January 08, 2010

and to think I stayed up late the other night to get mine submitted....that just means more time to submit another one I guess....

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written by Janice A. Niebauer, January 14, 2010

Will there be insurance on the items while at the show?

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written by Janice A. Niebauer, January 14, 2010

Will items be insured while at the show?

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written by Jan Forrester, January 14, 2010

just a tho't for next year....there are those of us who are successful designers who do not do 50% of the "work" to create our pieces...maybe we should be included or create a separate catagory for us. we are almost always left out of competitions because of similar requirements.

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written by Cindy Chandler for The SMART Jewelry Show, January 15, 2010

Hello! There are some great designs coming in. Items are insured for up to $5,000 wholesale value while at the show. If the item is over $5,000 insurance will need to be obtained by the entrant.

I look forward to seeing the actual pieces.

Cindy

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written by Cindy Chandler for The SMART Jewelry Show, January 15, 2010

Please note with the contest entry extended to Friday, January 29, there is still time to get in an entry! There are some terrific hand renderings coming in along with CAD designs. After teaching Jewelry Design at GIA for a number of years and doing design work myself I can appreciate the art and skill exhibited in the designs coming in. It will be interesting to see if a hand rendering piece of jewelry takes first place over a CAD piece. It's going to be tough!

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written by Toby @ PAOLO A MODERN JEWELER, January 24, 2010

question?:

are we allowed to re-cut the oval stone?

p.s. love the NEW concept for the competition!

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written by Joel McFadden, January 25, 2010

The concept is to have a real life design situation. Customer has two heirloom stones and wants one in a ring. Recutting would sort of negate that idea.

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written by Travis Piper, January 29, 2010

DEADLINE is TODAY...... I submitted a 2nd design this morning....!!!

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written by cjd, February 14, 2010

Hi

Base on the contract of the competition, and the Judging is completed by Friday, February 12, 2010. Finalists are notified and posted on the website www.smartjewelryshow.com. I still don't see any update on this site. what is going on with this promoter. Is this real or .........................

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written by Cindy C., February 15, 2010

The semi-finalists have been seletced from the 50+ designs submitted. The semi-finalists have been contacted and are ready to produce their actual designs.

The finalists in the Hand Rendering Catagory are:

Alexander Chulyakov, Quick Fix Jewelers, Brooklyn, NY

Gregory Crawford, Gregory Crawford Design, Bolingbroke, GA
(Two designs)

Brandon Justice, Stall and Kessler's Diamond Center, Lafayette, IN

Gary C. Wyant, G C Wyant Fine Jewelry, Indiana, PA

CAD Semi-finalists

Zoltan David, Zoltan David, Bee Cave, TX

Lisa Kirkawa, Kirkawa Jewelry Designs, Tucson, AZ

Mark Lauer, Mark Michael Diamonds Designs, Maple Grove, MN

Tom Lineberger, Goldworks, Garden City, KS

Mark Maxwell, Mark Maxwell Designs, Vista CA.

Congratulations to the semi-finalists! I look forward to seeing the finished pieces at The SMART Jewelry Show.

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