(PRESS RELEASE) MUMBAI — The Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) announces the launch of the 4th edition of The Artisan Awards. The prestigious jewelry design awards invite designers from India and overseas to send in their entries to showcase their excellence and innovation in jewelry design.
The main theme for the 2021 edition is Reinventing Vintage. This theme is further subdivided into three categories: Victorian, Temple and Japaneseque jewelry.
Colin Shah, chairman, GJEPC commented, “India has a rich legacy of heritage crafts going back many centuries, and today, we are known across the world for manufacturing world-class jewelry, and designing products catering to various markets. The Artisan Awards was instituted to challenge designers and help them unleash their creativity. We have been receiving phenomenal response by way of entries for the Artisan Awards all through these years, and this time, too, we are proud to present the fourth edition of the Awards with yet another challenging theme Reinventing Vintage, to push the design boundaries even further. Interpreting the age-old, classic forms with a contemporary twist is a means to bridge the old and new. So, it’s once again time to show your creativity at its best.”
The sub-theme Victorian Jewelry takes its name from the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901), and focuses on The Romantic Period of this reign (1837-1860).
The second theme, Temple Jewelry, originated in South India, during the Chola dynasty reign. These ornaments were originally created to adorn deities and idols in the temples of the South.
Finally, the Japanesque Jewelry focuses on Shakudō, a gold content alloy that was used to create ornamental bits for katana, or swords. Centuries later, the use was expanded to include lifestyle items like vases, boxes and jewelry.
Milan Chokshi, convener, promotions and marketing, GJEPC said, “The theme is unquestionably influenced by the impact of the covid pandemic on jewelry preferences, with more and more consumers gravitating towards enduring, classic designs that will stand the test of time. The Artisan Awards hope to celebrate the revival of these eternal design eras and will inadvertently chronicle the new design epoch thrust upon us by the pandemic.”
Participants can select any of the vintage themes – Victorian, Temple or Japanesque – and select any of the below three categories to present their piece:
- Brooches OR hair jewels
- Single OR mismatched earrings
- Single OR multiple Charms – that could be hooked on to bracelets or chains
The Artisan Awards is founded to promote the best talent and honor the artists by bestowing them their global jewelry design competitions that is judged by an influential jury panel from across a wide range of creative disciplines.
Entries to the Jewelry Design competition will be open until Nov. 15, 2020. For details on themes and Participation criteria, visit www.theartisanawards.com
The Artisan Jewellery Design Awards 2020 themed Architectural Gems witnessed three winners and six Runners up across Art-Deco, Neo Futurism and Islamic Arabesque. The winner for the Art-Deco category was Harjas Kaur; Neo futurism – Namrata Bhardwaj; and the winner for Islamic Arabesque category was Koushik Mondal.