(PRESS RELEASE) Silas Smith, the owner and designer at Meridian Metalworks in Los Angeles, has won the 2025 MJSA Responsible Design Challenge, an online initiative that highlights responsibly sourced gemstones and supports worthy causes in the communities where they’re mined.
Sponsored by MJSA and Columbia Gem House in Vancouver, Washington, the Challenge annually invites designers to create custom renderings that are inspired by the story of a fictional client and feature a selection of gemstones chosen by Columbia Gem House, a renowned supplier of Fair Trade and responsibly sourced gems. A different entry is presented monthly on MJSA.org, and throughout October an online poll enables viewers to vote for their favorite. In 2025, the client was Matilda “Tilly” Cleary, an Australian scientist with a deep commitment to land stewardship, and the featured gems were Lightning Ridge opals from New South Wales and green and blue Australian sapphires.
Smith’s design blended Australian and American landscapes into a pendant with a stylized desert scene. “I kept the imagery simple: a red rock formation on one side, a yellow cactus on the other, and a dark sky above, punctuated by an opal moon and scattered stars,” Smith says. “Beneath that, a burst of yellow plant life brings in energy and balance. The colors are bold but purposeful, chosen to echo the earthy tones of the Outback while also feeling at home in the American Southwest.”
Columbia Gem House also supplied the opals, sapphires, and other materials for the designers to turn their renderings into finished pieces, all of which were then entered into a fundraising raffle, “Opals for Outback Heroes.” A total of $6,900 (approximately $10,650 AUD) was raised to support the Lightning Ridge HQ Rural Fire Brigade, the volunteer team that provides critical frontline protection for the community where the gems were sourced.
Leaders at Columbia Gem House note that the Challenge continues to encourage greater awareness of responsible sourcing and the impact of designers’ choices. The initiative not only highlights the origins of the featured gemstones, but also strengthens the connection between designers and the communities from which those materials come.
Smith was one of nine designers who competed in the challenge. The others were Marilyn Brogan of Marilyn Brogan Jewelry in Apalachicola, Florida; Laura Deakin of Coral Covey Jewellery in Melbourne, Australia; Delphine Leymarie of Delphine Leymarie Fine Jewelry in New York City; Jiovanni Mancarella of Lux Forge in Denver; Kelsey McQown of Moraine Jewelry in Leland, Michigan; Kassandra Nicholson of Kassandra Nicholson Jewelry in Los Angeles; Destené Styles of House Third Rock in New York City; and Allison Teague of Allison Alane Jewelry Designs Ltd., in Brooklyn, New York.
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The completed pieces are featured in the December issue of MJSA Journal. For more information about the Responsible Design Challenge and past editions, visit MJSA.org.
