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PHOTOS: See Winning Pieces from Jewelers of America’s National Retailer Design Competition

Published

8 years ago

March 30, 2016

INSTORE Staff

CASE Awards recognize retail members who exhibit creativity and excellence in jewelry design.

Jewelers of America recently held its annual national retailer design competition at the JA New York Spring Show. The CASE Awards, the association says, recognize JA retail members “who exhibit creativity, artistry, style and excellence in jewelry design.” Many of the winning pieces feature hand-fabricated designs with unique stone settings that reflect current trends in both bridal and fashion jewelry.

Winners were selected out of 42 entries from JA Retail Members for five categories: Jewelry up to $2000; $2001-$5000; $5001-$10000; over $10,000 (retail values) and Buyers’ Choice.

The winners were determined by a judging panel of industry experts who judged the entries in a specific area of concentration. Voting in the category of Buyers’ Choice was open to all JA New York attendees with a separate ballot. CASE Award winners received a trophy from JA.

PHOTOS: See Winning Pieces from Jewelers of America’s National Retailer Design Competition

Jewelry up to $2,000 and Buyers Choice
First Place
Sterling silver ring featuring an 8.70 carat oval blue chalcedony cabochon with 10 lavender round cut sapphires (0.61 ctw)
Lisa Perantoni Khamis
Fine Jewelers | Indianapolis, IN

Jewelry $2,001 to $5,000
First Place
14K white and rose gold and 18K yellow gold pendant featuring a 3.73 carat orange sapphire surrounded by graduated color orange to yellow melee sapphires
Jason Baskin
The Gem Vault | Flemington, NJ

Jewelry $5,001 to $10,000
First Place
9.26 carat opal ring surrounded by
36 tsavorites (0.38 ctw)
set in 18K yellow gold
Ricardo Basta
Ricardo Basta Fine Jewelry | Los Angeles, CA

Jewelry $10,000 and Over
First Place
Hand-fabricated 14K rose gold ring featuring a 2.52 carat rose cut pear center stone surrounded by round cut diamonds (1.45 ctw) and round black diamonds (0.34 ctw)
Jess Roussel
Roussel’s Fine Jewelry & Gifts | Gramercy, LA

When There’s No Succession Plan, Call Wilkerson

Bob Wesley, owner of Robert C. Wesley Jewelers in Scottsdale, Ariz., was a third-generation jeweler. When it was time to enjoy life on the other side of the counter, he weighed his options. His lease was nearing renewal time and with no succession plan, he decided it was time to call Wilkerson. There was plenty of inventory to sell and at first, says Wesley, he thought he might try to manage a sale himself. But he’s glad he didn’t. “There’s no way I could have done this as well as Wilkerson,” he says. Wilkerson took responsibility for the entire event, with every detail — from advertising to accounting — done, dusted and managed by the Wilkerson team. “It’s the complete package,” he says of the Wilkerson method of helping jewelers to easily go on to the next phase of their lives. “There’s no way any retailer can duplicate what they’ve done.”