Imagine a pair of small adornments, featuring an array of multi-coloured stones that dangle from your ears. Sounds like a set of earrings, right? Now imagine music is coming out of them.
This was the result of the recent Lifestyles Electronics Design Competition by Swarovski Gems to discover the latest trends in personalised electronic goods.
The awards were judged in four separate categories, ‘Highly Luxurious’, ‘Daily Business’, ‘Let’s Party’, and ‘Casual Sports’, with the winners of the four categories displayed in the Swarovski publication Gemtronic 2.0.
The winning creations again challenge the notion of what constitutes jewellery. In recent times a number of discussions have been sparked as to how to classify different types of jewellery, but can electronic equipment, even if designed with quality stones and elegant design, be classed as jewellery? After all, is not a watch just a bracelet paired with more advanced technology?
More than 2,500 entrants submitted designs of personalised mobile phones, mp3 players, notebooks, earphones and loudspeakers, all featuring an assortment of Swarovski gemstones, created stones and components.
A statement by the company said the evolution of electronic devices into “omnipresent cultural necessities” had opened up a demand for increasingly edgier, personalised styles.
A spokesperson for Swarovski told Jeweller that the competition was designed to support and stimulate the lifestyle electronics industry.
A web portal was set up for the competition allowing users to either upload a design or use a toolkit to virtually configure an item. An international jury then selected the winners, who were awarded with monetary prizes, goodie bags and features in the Gemtronic 2.0 publication. None of the designs were manufactured, however.
GALLERY
More reading
What is fine jewellery?