Couture 2019: Design Awards’ winners and my highlights

June 24, 2019

By Katerina Perez

9 min read

Couture Las Vegas is one of my favourite exhibitions of the year, and one of the most exciting parts of the experience is the Couture Design Awards. I was fortunate enough to attend the evening (and even present an award for jewellery innovation) witnessing the prizes which were given to some of the best and brightest stars in fine jewellery today.

Each year, the Couture Design Awards offer prizes to the exhibitors to honour exceptional jewellery and design which is displayed at the event. The judges this year were Tanya Dukes, Todd Reed, Amy Lane, Liza Urla, and Tayloe Piggott – combining the knowledge and talents of journalists, buyers, designers and blogging. This collective judge each piece on a criteria that includes design, craftsmanship and whether the piece is saleable.

Adam Foster accepting the award for Coloured Stones Above $20,000

The 15 categories include: innovative, coloured gemstones over $20,000, coloured gemstones under $20,000, diamonds over $20,000, diamonds under $20,000, silver, platinum, gold, debuting, pearls, bridal, haute couture, editor’s choice and people’s choice – which is voted for by the retail community present at the awards.  

Katerina Perez presenting the award for Best in Innovative category wearing Mike Joseph cuffs

A personal highlight of my Couture experience this year was being asked to present the award for Innovation at the Couture Design Awards. It went to Silvia Furmanovich for her clutch bag with wooden marquetry from the ‘Obi’ collection, featuring a section of vintage Japanese obi fabric depicting a crane. The runner-up places went to Graziela Gems for her titanium earrings with indicolites, and Federica Rettore for using vitreous enamel in her designs.

Innovative

Winner: Silvia Furmanovich 'Obi' bag with wood marquetry and textile panel

1st Runner up: Federica Rettore earrings with pearl, watermelon tourmaline, diamonds and emerald in rose gold

2nd Runner up: Graziela Gems earrings with indicolites, diamonds and Paraiba tourmalines in titanium

One of my absolute favourite pieces which was celebrated on this evening is the feather, diamond and pearl ‘Flamingo’ choker created by Mike Joseph. It was awarded the title of Best in Haute Couture which was the perfect category for this audacious, elegant and stylish piece. It’s worth mentioning that Mike Joseph has previously won the Couture Design Award for Best in Diamonds above $20,000 category in 2018 for another conceptual necklace.  

Haute Couture

Winner: Mike Joseph collar with feathers, pearls and diamonds in white gold

1st Runner up: Selim Mouzannar earrings with diamonds and enamel in yellow gold

2nd Runner up: Giovanni Ferraris earrings with sapphires and diamonds in white gold

Two years ago, at VicenzaOro I encountered Baenteli for the first time, a Swiss brand who specialise in sleek, abstract organic shapes in fine jewellery, as Creative Director Thierry Baenteli told me: “I see jewels as body sculptures that need to be shaped by the body’s form.” At the Couture Design Awards, Baenteli were awarded the prize for Best in the Diamonds Below $20,000 category for their diamond earrings with marquise and brilliant cut diamonds. 

Diamonds Below $20,000

Winner: Baenteli earrings with diamonds in white gold

1st Runner up: Swati Dhanak earrings with diamonds in yellow gold

2nd Runner up: Andy Lif earrings with diamonds and enamel in yellow gold

Going up on stage, several of the winning designers spoke up about the intensity of work involved in creating their design award submissions, and thanked those in their lives who gave them the support they needed. When accepting his award for Best in Coloured Gemstones Above $20,000, Adam Foster said: “I’d like to thank my wife, Alice, for not leaving me, my business partners for standing next to me, and my agent, Beth Anne, for not killing me.”

Coloured Gemstones Above $20,000

Winner: Adam Foster earrings with mint garnet and diamonds in yellow and white gold

1st Runner up: Antonini ring with emeralds in yellow gold

2nd Runner up: VRAM earrings with sapphires in yellow gold

One of my favourite designs was an elaborate pendant with carved amethyst and multi-coloured gemstones. While waiting to go on stage, I saw it on the display and was pleased to see it win in the Best in Coloured Gemstones Below $20,000 category. It was a labour-intensive, one-of-a-kind piece created by Noor Fares. 

Coloured Gemstones Below $20,000

Winner: Noor Fares pendant with hexagonal amethyst, multi-coloured sapphires, tourmaline and enamel in grey gold

1st Runner up: Stephen Webster earrings with diamonds and sapphires in white gold

2nd Runner up: Alice Cicolini ring with emeralds and enamel in yellow gold

It is also worth mentioning that this year the show’s Director Gannon Brousseau presented the inaugural WTF?! Award, that celebrated design fails. It went to Stephen Webster, who had to wear an engraved WTF medallion until the end of the fair and pass it down to the ‘winner’ the following year. 

Now, let us take a look at some other nomination winners…

Bridal

Winner: Jade Trau ring with diamonds in yellow and white gold

1st Runner up: Todd Pownell ring with diamonds in white gold

2nd Runner up: Polly Wales ring and jackets with diamonds and sapphires in rose gold

Winner: Ara Vartanian earrings with emeralds and diamonds in white gold

1st Runner up: Ananya earrings with yellow aquamarine, mother of pearl and diamonds in yellow gold

2nd Runner up: Lotus Arts de Vivre earrings with scarab wings, rubellite and diamonds in white gold

Winner: Katoaka ring with marquise diamond in yellow gold

2nd Runner up: Hearts on Fire earrings with diamonds in white gold

1st Runner up: Gem platinum pendant with pink and colourless diamonds in rose and white gold

Winner: Lombardi by New Italian Art cuff with black diamonds in yellow gold

1st Runner up: Gismondi 1754 necklace with emeralds and diamonds in white gold

2nd Runner up: Crevoshay brooch with rubies and aquamarine in yellow gold

Winner: Nikos Koulis earrings with diamonds in yellow and white gold

1st Runner up: Bibi Van der Velden ring with tourmaline, quartz and diamonds in yellow gold

2nd Runner up: Isabella Fa choker in yellow gold

Winner: Jan Leslie cufflinks in silver

1st Runner up: Shamballa Jewels bracelet in rhodinum plated gold

2nd Runner up: Victor Mayer cufflinks with diamonds and guilloche enamel in white gold

Winner: Karen Suen earrings with conch pearls and diamonds in white gold

1st Runner up: Assael earrings with peridot and Fijian pearls in green gold

2nd Runner up: Moksh lariat with seed pearls and diamonds in yelloe gold

Winner: Gismondi 1754 necklace with emeralds and diamonds in white gold

1st Runner up: A. Odenwald ring with sapphires and diamonds in rose gold

2nd Runner up: Gmbh & Co. ring with baroque pearl and diamonds in platinum

Finishing Touch: How Jewellers Set Deep Gemstones in Their Designs

From edgy, avant-garde methods to more classical yet creative solutions, setting deep gemstones has become a true showcase of artisan craftsmanship at its finest.

by Aliki Barnes

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