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Feature Stories, Diamonds, Fairs and Events













2017 Jewellery Design Awards – Finalists Revealed

The 2017 Jewellery Design Awards celebrates the industry's most talented manufacturing jewellers, bringing together some of Australia and New Zealand's best imagination and design aptitude. View the finalists' designs ahead of the presentation ceremony.

The inaugural Jewellery Design Awards (JDA) competition was developed with the aim of showcasing the design and manufacturing prowess of Australia and New Zealand’s most talented jewellers working in all areas of the trade.

Expertise Events announced the competition in 2016 as part of its celebration of the International Jewellery Fair (IJF) returning to Darling Harbour and by all accounts industry support and participation has exceeded expectations.

Gary Fitz-Roy, Expertise Events managing director
Gary Fitz-Roy, Expertise Events managing director
"We've had the highest number of entries received for an industry design awards program in recent times"
Gary Fitz-Roy, managing director of Expertise Events

The contest boasts a prize pool of more than $80,000 – winners across 11 sponsored categories will be awarded a minimum prize of $2,500 in cash or category-specific product intended to benefit the jeweller’s business, while the overall Supreme Award Winner will receive two airline tickets to Baselworld next year flying business class with Etihad Airways and four nights’ accommodation to attend Baselworld, as well as a full-page advertisement in The Australian Women’s Weekly.

What’s more, there were 105 entries submitted, which Expertise Events managing director Gary Fitz-Roy said reflected the highest number of entries received for an industry design awards program in recent times.

An independent jury had the difficult task of reducing this number to 59 finalist pieces, and these have been left to the devices of a judging panel that will determine the best of the best in each category.

Finalists will be judged on criteria including relevance to the design theme, intelligent use of materials, presentation in a retail environment, as well as commercial viability.

In an effort to avoid bias, judges won’t be identified until the awards ceremony and cocktail function held at the new International Convention Centre on Saturday August 26. Fitz-Roy believed judging should be blind both ways (judges are not aware of entrant names), explaining that designs could not be influenced by a judge’s likes, dislikes or professional activities when the jeweller did not know their identity.

The pieces will also be on display at the IJF, which takes place from Saturday August 26 to Monday August 28, and visitors are encouraged to preview the designs and vote for their favourite to win the Fair Visitor Choice Award.

While everyone must wait for the winners to be revealed at the awards ceremony, Jeweller does have the inside scoop on the finalist pieces, including the inspiration and materials involved.

Get ready to be mesmerised by the incredible talent and craftsmanship that exists in the local industry.

VIEW ENTRIES BY CATEGORY

 1st & 2nd Year Apprentice/Student Award (3 Finalists)
 3rd & 4th Year Apprentice/Student Award (7 Finalists)
 Australian Opal Award  (5 Finalists)
 Bridal Award (5 Finalists)
 CAD / CAM/ Cast Award (5 Finalists)
 Coloured Gemstone Award (9 Finalists)
 Diamond Award (7 Finalists)
 Men's Accessories & Jewellery Award (6 Finalists)
 Pearl Award (6 Finalists)
 Precious Metal Award (6 Finalists)

1st & 2nd Year Apprentice / Student AWARD - 3 Finalists 

AWARD SPONSORED BY

Tieke's Fall Pendant

Sameer Aneez

Inspiration

Maori mythology: Maui battles the Su. Maui was followed by his pet bird Tieke and each time Maui told him to go home because it was dangerous, he refused. Eventually during battle Maui threw him back to earth with fiery hands, and although burning him, ultimately saved him.

I wanted to bring light to the loyal companions we all have and the recognition they deserve. The front shows Tieke as being valiant and brave; the reverse showing the injuries he sustained during battle. Both of these are true, as he falls from the sun that formed the bale.

Materials

Sterling Silver

Passion Necklace

Sumaya Bakkar

Inspiration

The piece is filled with femininity, delicacy and details in all directions that symbolise non-stop passion. To me, it means beauty in all its details. Passion is a piece of art made from gold and diamonds filled with specific details.

Materials

Gold, diamond

 
In Bloom Ring

Hannah Caravella

 

Inspiration

Every morning on my way to work I pass through my father’s garden full of fruit trees. I always find that the seasonal change has such a beautiful effect on the fruit trees.

The tangled branches of all the different trees inspire the intertwining branches that form the structure of the ring. The delicious smell of the ripening sweet fruits that are so inviting inspired my choice of juicy looking sapphires.

Materials

18-carat rose gold, fairtrade palladium silver, sapphire

 

3rd & 4th Year Apprentice / Student AWARD - 7 Finalists

AWARD SPONSORED BY 

 
Dove Ring

Sayeh Alizade Ahrabi

 

Inspiration

The Dove is inspired by my beloved childhood homeland bird in our garden. When it came time to make my ring, I combined Persian motifs with the symbol of peace to create an innovative piece.

This bird sings love, peace and friendship messages among people in the world and the ring is designed for two fingers to join them together.

Materials

Sterling Silver, blue tourmaline, enamelled colouring

 
Nouveau Pendant

Heather Bell

 

Inspiration

The inspiration for this piece came from the design styles of the Art Nouveau period. My pendant features common themes found in Art Nouveau design such as mythical creatures, whiplash curves, organic forms and unusual materials.

My construction of the piece was inspired by the Japanese art form of carving the metal with a hammer and chisel.

Materials

Sterling silver, mammoth ivory, lapis lazuli

 
Pavo Earrings

Louis Buckland

 

Inspiration

My inspiration for these earrings comes from the Silk Road trading route that ran from Japan through to the Mediterranean Sea.

Peacocks and their feathers were some of the items traded along this route and I thought they would make beautiful chandelier earrings with their bright, deep colours and the way that they flow from quill to end.

I have named them Pavo as that is one of the ancient names for the peacock and similar to the Spanish word pava´.

Materials

Sterling silver, cubic zirconia

Silk Road style earrings

Tang Ning

Inspiration

These earrings feature Chinese and West Asian style – with the middle part showing a dragon, the bottom with purple grapes and a symbol of the Silk Road civilisation of China and West Asia.

Materials

Sterling silver, cubic zirconia, crystal

 
Sun & Moon Earrings

Kelly Ryu

 

Inspiration

I was inspired by the Byzantine Empire and their infatuation with silk and their granulation techniques.

I was also inspired by their balance for delicate and detail oriented with sturdy, weighty jewellery.

Materials

Sterling silver, cubic zirconia

 
Time Machine Bracelet

Lucy Tang

 

Inspiration

The inspiration for this piece was time travel, space and aliens.

I wanted a futuristic look that was raw, thus contrast between textured and sleek surfaces was used.

Materials

Sterling silver, spring steel

Birdcage Interchangeable Earring / Brooch

Tianyi Wang

Inspiration

Birdcage was inspired by the quote: “If you love someone, set them free. If they come back, it was meant to be.”

The piece features a pearl bird egg in an 18-carat gold-plated solid sterling silver cage.

Jewellery provides a universe of modern and hand-finished jewellery made from primarily high-quality materials.

Materials

18-carat gold plated sterling silver, pearl

 

 Australian Opal Award - 5 Finalists

AWARD SPONSORED BY 

Opal Ear Plug Ring

Alyra Bartasek

Inspiration

Working in the commercial jewellery industry, the purely materialistic requests in relation to value has made me question my making ethos. This piece forms part of a larger series called ‘Can You Hear the Value’. The materials in Can You Hear the Value are all arguably traditional; however, the techniques used are contemporary. Specifically, the method used to make the Opal Ear Plug Ring on an ice cast of my own ear and the setting

of the Australian boulder opal as it blocks the ear canal is unconventional.

It is hoped that on further inspection of these pieces a conversation on the potential deeper meaning and function of jewellery will be stimulated.

Materials

Sterling Silver, Australian boulder opal

Great Barrier Reef Ring

Jim He

Inspiration

Inspired by a sense of social responsibility, designer Jim He handcrafted the Great Barrier Reef ring to draw attention to climate change and its e ects on one of the world’s greatest natural wonders. A large 218-carat boulder opal, set atop 18-carat yellow gold, dominates the centre of the piece and boasts a rich blue colour to imitate the captivating beauty of the ocean.

The vibrant marine world is brought to life by the stunning array of gemstones, ranging from black diamonds to rubies, depicting a variety of  shell and coral.

Materials

18-carat yellow gold, boulder opal, black diamond, coral, other gemstones including garnet, moonstone, ruby and sapphire

Barbarous Neckpiece 
Shelly Jam

Inspiration

This piece is largely inspired by brutalist architecture. At first glance these monolithic structures seem to be in conflict with their environment but more often than not if you look beyond the scope of the building itself a jarring harmony exists.

Here, that jarring harmony is showcased with the use of hard metal and soft gemstone. The metal becomes the built environment and the opal is the natural world.

Materials

Sterling silver, opal

 
 
Australiania By Cassandra Mamone

Cassandra Mamone

Inspiration

Australiana is inspired by the beauty of Australia, and captures the essence of the woman who lives for the finer things in life and the desire for it to be forever cherished. The luxury eyewear encapsulates the essence of Australian summer with 9-carat yellow gold representing sun-kissed skin, inlaid with solid green-blue opals embodying the sparkling blue waters of the Pacific Ocean.

Opal is the gemstone of love and represents purity and intensity. It was enthralling to work with opals, and also a challenge to present a traditional gemstone in an interesting and wearable way.

Materials

9-carat yellow gold, solid green-blue opal from Mintabie, South Australia, diamond

The Mistress Of The Adriatic

Yuji Satomi

Inspiration

Northern Italy is the cultural and artistic centre of the Mediterranean – the birthplace of world- class design and traditional aristocratic style. I have always looked for an opportunity to reveal the style of this region in the form of fine jewellery design.

Luckily, I found a piece of Australian native black opal that had not been manually crafted very much.

Materials

Platinum 900, 18-carat gold, black opal, diamond, silk rope

 

 

  CAD / CAM/ Cast Award - 5 Finalists

AWARD SPONSORED BY 

 
Samurai Warrior Ring

Justin Burman

 

Inspiration

Growing up with interests in martial arts, the Samurai is a symbol of building skill and maintaining discipline towards achieving mastery of oneself.

The Dragon represents something that is ancient and powerful, which inspires my appreciation for past cultures and their beliefs. I wanted something to remind me of these qualities that life has to offer.

Materials

Sterling silver

Boundless Ring

Emily Copp

Inspiration

Original inspiration comes from the joyous connection between music and dance. Like a ballerina executing a perfect pirouette, the design is an expression of elegant movement.

The Boundless ring design builds from interlocking in nity swirls to cradle the solitaire parti sapphire – a tribute to the eternal love of betrothal.

Materials

Rhodium-plated 18-carat white gold, Australian parti Sapphire

The Wave Ring

Amrith Dharmawadane

Inspiration

My aim was to create something that pushed current 3D modelling technology to the limit. Drawing inspiration from ‘The Great Wave o Kanagawa’, I wanted this ring to have a truly ‘organic’ feel to it.

However, despite wanting to up the complexity from a 3D modelling standpoint, I really wanted to follow the most basic jewellery design guidelines with respect to wall thicknesses, intricate details and castability so that this piece could be reproduced without requiring any special manufacturing techniques/equipment.

Materials

18-carat rose and white gold, diamond, pink sapphire

Modern Classic Ring

Mindika Haddagoda

Inspiration

Development and creation was in uenced by modern and traditional decorative elements that would cater to the modern-day market where customers search for modern designs with classic decorations.

Materials

Yellow gold, white gold, sapphire, diamond

Northern Beaches Cacatua Brooch / Pendant

Joel Nicholls

Inspiration

I live and work in Sydney’s Northern Beaches and see this beautiful bird in my everyday life. It is a loud, bold and powerful bird that I wanted to create into a sculptural piece of jewellery.

I decided to make a brooch/ pendent as this lends itself to a bigger scale and generally from a more opulent era. Realism is a style/art form that I enjoy and wanted to give this my best shot using the latest technology in our industry.

Materials

White, yellow and rose gold, black rhodium, white, black and yellow diamond, emerald, chrome tourmaline, pink tourmaline, smokey quartz, morganite, tanzanite, aquamarine

 Coloured Gemstone Award - 9 Finalists

AWARD SPONSORED BY 

Fox Glacier Ring

Greg Holland

Inspiration

The Fox Glacier ring with aquamarine sapphire and diamonds is handcrafted as a one of a kind in recycled platinum.

The internal shapes and forms of Fox Glacier in NZ inspired this piece.

Materials

Recycled platinum, aquamarine, Ceylon sapphire, diamond

Moeraki Earrings

Greg Holland

Inspiration

Inspired by the boulders at the famous Moeraki beach north of Dunedin, NZ.

The concept was inspired by the ow of the tide in and around these incredible and iconic spherical boulders.

Materials

Recycled platinum, black spinel, diamond

Rubellite Drop Earrings

Danielle Klar

Inspiration

Looking for a red carpet look; a dramatic drop earring.

Materials

18-carat white gold, rubellite, diamond

Violet Eden Pendant

Sarah-Lyn Lewis

Inspiration

I wanted to design a large but elegant statement pendant, using a vine and leaf pattern.

Old Hollywood glamour and the free- owing lines of the Edwardian era jewellery inspired me.

Materials

Sterling silver, 23-carat gold, amethyst

In The Beginning: Earth’s Story, The Known And The Unknown Necklace & Earring Set

Jane Magon

Inspiration

My inspiration was the creation of the Earth and the social and religious discussions surrounding this topic.

Materials

18-carat gold, dinosaur tooth and a range of gemstones such as emerald, peridot, sapphire and garnet

 
From Paris with Love Ring

Jodi Penfold

 

Inspiration

This piece was a celebration of survival. After almost being caught in the Brussels airport bombings while collecting this aquamarine from the Baselworld jewellery fair, I wanted to come home and make a piece that celebrated life and togetherness.

I wanted to set the aquamarine so it was visible from all four sides. If you turn the ring upside-down its reminiscent of the Eiffel Tower.

Materials

Platinum, 18-carat rose gold, aquamarine, diamond

All Wrapped Up Ring

Ben Preston-Black

Inspiration

Entering competitions are the best opportunity to push yourself in design originality. I try not to have any design constraints or limitations and enjoy a uid, open and organic process at the bench.

All Wrapped Up evolved with no nished image in mind. For me, I nd this is the best way to be as original as possible for the purpose of a competition piece.

Materials

Rose gold, palladium, zircon, diamond

Oceanic Ring

Luke Rose

Inspiration

I’ve always been mesmerised by the ocean and the beautiful coastline of NSW.

Using this as my inspiration, I really wanted my design to convey the hypnotic, rolling motion of the ocean, whilst staying true to my signature style.

It was important to have movement within the piece, and so the central gemstones all slide from side to side when the piece is worn.

Materials

18-carat white gold, platinum, white and blue sapphire, aquamarine, blue topaz

Azure Ring

Nicholas Vrettas

Inspiration

Bold, statement jewellery has to be my number one favourite aspect of being a jeweller because it allows me to create a piece of jewellery that speaks for itself through its wow factor.

I wanted to achieve a dramatic design by keeping the focus on the brilliance of the carefully selected gemstones and colour combinations.

Materials

18-carat white gold, London topaz, yellow topaz, diamond

 Diamond Award - 7 Finalists

AWARD SPONSORED BY 

Kanga Ring

James Ballas

Inspiration

A weekend away in Mudgee, NSW and watching a kangaroo in full flight gave me the inspiration to design a ring using the natural flow of its body shape; it worked so well with the legs wrapping around the finger to form the band.

Materials

18-carat white gold, diamond

Tablet of Love Ring

Jamie McGeachie

Inspiration

The Tablet of Love was inspired by the essence of Soraya Diamonds. Soraya is the Persian meaning for ‘jewel’ and this ring was designed to capture our love of diamonds.

This alluring tablet, designed to eloquently sit above the ring finger, is a declaration of exquisite taste, expert craftsmanship and endless love.

Materials

18-carat white gold, diamond

 
Diamond in a Shell Ring

Yossi Jablonski

 

Inspiration

The piece is inspired by the look of pearl in a shell but instead of using pearl and mother of pearl shell I made it with a big, bright diamond and little diamond ‘walls’ to represent the mother of pearl shell.

I always wanted to make a diamond ring where the size and type of the gemstone/diamond could be changed. This ring allows the jeweller to use different types of marquise cut gemstones in different sizes; the diamonds and gold colour of the insert between the shell’s walls can also be changed.

Materials

18-carat white, yellow gold, diamond

Balancing Act

Ben Preston-Black

Inspiration

My main aim is to always present an original design to the judges. To best communicate this I try not to have any design constraints or limitations and enjoy a fluid, open and organic process at the bench.

Balancing Act evolved with no finished image in mind. For me, I find this is the best way to be as original as possible for the purpose of a competition piece.

Materials

Green gold, platinum, diamond

 
Ovgianos Pendant

Ara Tchorbadjian

 

Inspiration

I sought inspiration from the abundance of natural beauty found in the Australian environment – primarily the ocean and the organic, free-formed coral found within, lent a natural fluidity to my piece.

The colours of an underwater scene are also captured in the coloured Australian diamonds, and the Australian South Sea pearl reflects the beauty of the ocean.

Materials

18-carat white gold, Australian South Sea pearl, white and coloured diamond

Pente Ring

Nicholas Theocari

Inspiration

To excel furthermore in tension setting, a multiple tension set ring where the floating aspect can be viewed from many angles was created. Five diamonds were tension set.

Materials

18-carat white gold, diamond

Folie A Deux (The Madness Of Two) Ring

Alison Wheeldon

Inspiration

“There is always some madness in love. But there is always some reason in madness” – Friedrich Nietzsche. I am moved by the madness of love.

Love is a matter of perspective, like the waxing and waning of the moon. This ring is the two full half moons, connected, shining bright and, equally, they total more than the sum of their parts.

Materials

18-carat white gold, diamond, light yellow sapphire

 Bridal Award - 5 finalists

AWARD SPONSORED BY 

Spring Flower

Lisa Burge

Inspiration

I designed this piece to represent the sweetness of a spring wedding. The textured flower centrepiece represents the blossoms of spring, the blue topaz represents ‘something blue’ and the purple amethyst represents the colour of royalty, as every bride wants to feel like a princess on her wedding day.

The freshwater pearl symbolises the purity and beauty of the beautiful bride and the diamond and cubic zirconia add a touch of sparkle.

Materials

Sterling silver, freshwater pearl, blue topaz, amethyst, cubic zirconia, diamond

C'est La Vie Hairpiece

Kelly Litterick

Inspiration

This product was created with a beach-themed wedding in mind. I grew up in Exmouth on the North West Cape of Western Australia. The ocean and beach were my whole world as a child so I drew on my memories of the cape.

I wanted to create a simple jewellery hairpiece that only incorporated small freshwater pearls to portray the look I was after. My gold diamante innovative hair charm is the unique jewellery accessory that accompanies this piece to hold it rmly in place in any hairstyle.

Materials

Kela gold and diamante hair charm, tiger tail wire, small odd-shaped oval freshwater pearl

 
Take Flight Earrings

Samantha Nordhoff

 

Inspiration

Looking at the strength and grace of birds of ight. Di erent types of feathers all work together to create a perfect and powerful wing that can carry the bird on a dance-like ight path, with every small movement portraying its intention.

These earrings are graceful and feminine, yet empowering through their symbolism. Versatile, the wings can be worn out-stretched and erce, ready for ight, or dropped down for elegant composure, with briolette sapphire drops that can be moved from wing shoulder to wing tip.

Materials

Fairtrade palladium silver, fairtrade 18-carat white gold, Argyle certi ed diamonds, pastel-blue sapphire

Love in a Jewel Pendant

Tracy Van Oostrom

Inspiration

Inspired by the idea that the most precious jewellery we own in life is that which has sentimental value, Joachim and Tracy van Oostrum designed a unique collection of jewellery.

The Love In A Jewel pendants have a special compartment that can hold a tiny note of love, sand or soil from a special place – so, love and magic moments can be treasured forever. A photo of the contents is taken prior to the pendant being sealed.

Materials

Yellow gold, diamond

Tie the Knot Ring

Gary Thyregod

Inspiration

I wanted to create a dress ring using marquise cut diamonds in a way that flows along the finger incorporating colour and movement.

Materials

18-carat white and yellow gold, diamond

 

 Men's Accessories & Jewellery Award - 6 finalists

AWARD SPONSORED BY 

 
Sea of Tranquility Bracelet

Louis Buckland

 

Inspiration

My inspiration for this piece comes from the rock pools and sunsets at beaches near my hometown.

The sunburst pattern represents the sunset and I have blackened and then polished the high points of the textured side to show how the ocean will smooth and grind down the tops of the rocks but still leave the hollows and rock pools untouched.

I chose the hexagonal shape because it is comfortable to wear and straight lines and corners give it a masculine feel.

Materials

Sterling silver, stainless steel (for the snap blade)

Carbon 1 Series 1
(Rose Gold & Navy Blue) Watch

David Chen

Inspiration

The design inspiration came from a honeycomb’s shape and structure with the aim of creating a timepiece that is from the future.

Materials

Rose gold, carbon fibre, fibreglass, sapphire crystal, 316 stainless steel

La Lineas Ring

Steve Pallas

Inspiration

La Lineas represents the complex aesthetics of architecture, combining clean lines with multi-dimensional arrays.

I created something with presence that I would like to wear.

Materials

18-carat white gold, white and black diamond

Explorer Ring / Pendant

Sonja Scharmann

Inspiration

Versatile platinum ring and pendant combination on rubber bands.

The piece features the Latin words aqua (water), terra (earth) ignis (re) and aer (air) cut out of the ring’s surface with corresponding symbols on one side, and the classic compass rose engraved on the opposite side of the pendant component.

This jewellery represents desire in men to explore all elements of their surroundings and ts perfectly with the modern lifestyle where it is not always possible for men to wear a ring on their hand.

Materials

Platinum, Rubber

Pyramid Ring

Nicholas Theocari

Inspiration

The natural shape of a rough diamond is explained to our clients as two pyramids and the free-form patterns of the mokume gane.

Both elements of shapes and patterns are unique by nature and hand much like the mysteries of the Pyramids themselves.

Materials

18-carat white and yellow gold mokume gane, 18-carat white gold band, natural Australian Argyle champagne diamond

 
Memento Cufflinks

Albert Tse

 

Inspiration

I have always wanted to make a memento of the places that I have been, and the topographic view has always fascinated me.

So for my first city, I combined both Sydney and its topographic view. This will become part of my memento series.

Materials

Sterling Silver

 

 Pearl Award - 6 finalists

AWARD SPONSORED BY 

Ballerina Ring

Mindika Haddagoda

Inspiration

Developed, created and influenced by modern and traditional decorative elements.

A highly engineered look, fine edges, creativity, effciency, functionality, delicacy, lightweight yet with strength are the hallmarks of this design.

Materials

18-carat white gold, yellow gold, diamond, pearl

 
Cultured Deco Waterfall

Yossi Jablonski

 

Inspiration

My inspiration for this piece was to modernise the necklace style that was used in the 1920s Art Deco period into something that could be worn in contemporary society.

I was intrigued by the extravagant size, beauty and attention to detail within the pieces of the Art Deco era, and wanted to impose those elements by using contemporary materials and creating an industrial look while keeping the design soft, classy and elegant – alluding to an updated and revamped historical heirloom.

Materials

Pure silver, rose gold, dyed freshwater pearl, rubber O rings

Dancing Light Bracelet

Linaire Kibblewhite

Inspiration

I was inspired to make this piece of jewellery after a challenge I was given, to ‘play with light’. Keeping these words in my head, I have spent a lot of time experimenting with di erent surfaces, shapes and pearls in order to discover this effect.

I have kept the design of this bracelet simplistic in nature in order to keep the attention on the beautiful pearls and their surrounding colour.

Materials

9-carat white gold, 18-carat white gold, Australian South Sea pearl, gold pearl from the Philippines, pearl from Fiji, Tahitian pearl

Echoes of the Ocean Ring

Barrie Lander

Inspiration

Since I was a child the nautilus has always captivated me. Both the nautilus and the Pinctada maxima oyster, which hosts our South Sea pearls, inhabit the same waters in the North West of Western Australia, where I spent time as a jeweller. Echoes of the Ocean is a combination of both.

Materials

18-carat yellow and white gold, South Sea pearl, diamond

White Coral Reef In The Moonlight
(Reefs Of Australia) Necklace

Jane Magon

Inspiration

This design emerged after we were stranded in our boat on a white reef one night. The white South Sea pearls refer to their clean saltwater origins; white jade and diamonds refer to the white sand and coral.

The jade master carving represents a dragon that to my western eyes looks like waves. In Chinese culture dragons represent the sea as well as the ow and power of the oceans.

Materials

18-carat yellow gold, South Sea pearl, Tahitian pearl, keshi pearl, freshwater pearl, diamond, jade, opal, quartz

Radiolaria Earrings

Gerard Wollaston

Inspiration

Radiolaria – the ocean; woman; beautiful; bountiful; mysterious; dangerous.

Materials

18-carat yellow gold, platinum, ruby, diamond, hand-carved mother of pearl

 Precious Metal Award - 6 finalists

AWARD SPONSORED BY 

Salad Fork

Paul Amey

Inspiration

Fine dining is a great pastime for me. When I got a fantastic meal I was always annoyed that the cutlery was in such a shabby state so I did something about it.

Nothing beats fine dining using 18-carat platinum and diamonds with oysters.

Materials

18-carat platinum, stainless steel, diamond

Sea Urchin Trillion Ring With Lemon Quartz

Ness Campagnaro

Inspiration

Sea urchin texture is incredibly unique and fine in detail. When you magnify it, it looks like a completely different universe – a myriad of craters and fine dots and lines, a subterranean organised chaos.

We wanted to bring it to life in cast silver and add our favourite canary yellow lemon quartz for extra sparkle.

Materials

Sterling silver, 18-carat gold-plated 3 micron half shank, lemon quartz

Falling Apart Necklace

Jane Magon

Inspiration

This necklace is the result of my reconsidering the notion of the construction of jewellery and playing with its antithesis – ‘deconstruction’.

A necklace that is constructed (ordered) is subsequently reversed to create ‘disorder’. It looks as if it’s falling apart, yet it is not. Deconstruction is dismissive of authority and order for the jade is tilted at various angles.

The necklace is connected to the philosophical notion of ‘play’ and the idea of the Creation-Destruction cycle.

Materials

14-carat yellow gold, white jade, pink sapphire

Sydney's Secrets

Nick de Klerk

Inspiration

The necklace is inspired by two beautiful, rare and elusive sea-creatures native to Sydney’s sea shores: the shy, diminutive White’s seahorse, with its sinuous curling tail and gracefully-curved neck; and the exquisitely marked Weedy seadragon, found only in a few places, with the males carrying their vibrant pink eggs along their bellies and tails.

Materials

18-carat white and rose gold, white diamond, fancy intense pink Argyle diamond

Klif-hang-er Ring

Jason Ree

Inspiration

I’m always intrigued by texture, form and discovering unconventional ways to use precious materials. Klif-hang-er evolved over 20 years and is inspired by my love of Sydney’s coastal sandstone cliffs.

This design expresses elements of suspense, intrigue and chaotic symmetry.

Materials

22-carat yellow gold, 18-carat green gold, 14-carat rose gold, palladium 500, Argentium Silver 935, natural diamond

Eternity Necklace

Sonja Scharmann

Inspiration

This 18-carat yellow gold ornamental necklace takes the timeless but ever popular Celtic theme and elevates it to a precious and elegant new level.

By carefully choosing classic materials, like brushed 18-carat gold with ebony inlays and leather, this fully handcrafted piece will give the wearer a feeling of enduring value, strong connection with nature and deep cultural roots in a time of constant changes and uncertainties.

Materials

18-carat yellow gold, ebony, leather

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