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DIVA Design Competition
The annual WJA DIVA Design Competition is a competition created to promote and encourage jewelry design by women. Open to all women, regardless of experience, formal training or background in jewelry or jewelry design, the competition is judged by a panel of industry experts who evaluate designs based on their originality, creativity, wearability, and interpretation of an annual theme.
The 2008 Diva Design Competition Theme is the Platinum Wedding
Applications are now being accepted for the annual WJA DIVA Design Competition. The deadline for online entries is April 18th. Every woman is welcome to apply - please let your friends know!
For the second year in a row the Platinum Guild International is the sponsor so our competition will celebrate the cool beauty of platinum. One category adds the excitement of natural color diamonds, too.
New this year is our online entry system, which only has one requirement. You must enter a specifically sized digital image of your design. It's easy, we promise! Click here to download the full competition information and entry form.
For information please contact DIVA Competition Chair, Cindy Edelstein at 914-738-8485 or cindyedelstein@aol.com.
2007 DIVA Design Competition
Two People, Three Platinum Rings
The engagement ring symbolizes the promise, while the wedding bands represent the commitment a couple makes to one another. Your challenge as a jewelry designer is to depict these three rings using platinum - for the very best relationship is deserving of the world's most precious metal.
WJA is pleased to announce the top three winners of its 11th annual DIVA design competition.
First prize was awarded to Mary Tanana, of MJT Designs in St. Petersburg, FL, for her platinum vintage-style eternity wedding set with mill-grain details. A Reggae music fan, she was inspired by a Jamaican word, “irie,” that means to be in a state of peacefulness or harmony. “The word captures the feeling when a couple gets engaged,” said Tanana, who will receive a cash prize of $2,000 from WJA and a packet of Platinum benefits, valued at $15,000, from Platinum Guild International (PGI), including a private consultation with PGI’s Director of Technical Education, Jurgen Maerz.
PGI, along with Gem Certification & Assurance Lab (GCAL) and American Gemological Laboratories (AGL), are top DIVA Awards sponsors.
Tanana, who studied fashion illustration and textile design at Syracuse University, says she is enamored by textures and contrasting patterns. She was trained on the job in a variety of jewelry-making techniques. Her career was shaped observing the factory floor and studying with some accomplished model makers in the U.S. and internationally, said Tanana, whose work has involved Platinum. “I love the density and the feel of Platinum. Recently I have worked on many vintage-style designs, and I find this the metal of choice.”
Second prize went to Younhee Shin, director of product development, at A. Jaffe, in New York City. Her boss, Sam Sandberg, a WJA member, encouraged her to enter the competition.
Born in Korea, Shin received a degree in biology from the University of Kyung Pook. She realized her passion for the design of structural elements and enrolled in the prestigious Academia di Moda Costume in Rome to study jewelry design. After graduating, Shin moved to New York City in 1993, where she worked for several renowned jewelry companies before joining A. Jaffe as an exclusive designer for the A. Jaffe collection. In 1997 De Beers selected her engagement ring design to be part of a three-year national advertising campaign.
Shin’s winning three Platinum ring designs were inspired by traditional Korean wedding ceremonies, in which the bride and groom bow down to each other as a promise to live with respect for each other.
Evelyn K. Huang, of evelynH Jewelry Inc., Temple City, CA, received the third Platinum DIVA Award. A native of California, she was exposed to the world of gems and diamonds in her father’s fine jewelry business in L.A. After receiving a degree in economics from the University of California and working for a few years in Asia, she returned to her father’s business. She received her G.G. from GIA, and later worked for a high-profile jeweler on Rodeo Drive.
In 2006 she opened her own firm. “The inspiration for my jewelry flows from the many facets and experiences of life, from the past towards the future, a place where the East meets the West,” said Huang, who incorporated an infinity symbol at the base of her classic Platinum designs, representing love without end, said Huang.
The Platinum DIVA judges chose the winning designs based on their originality, creativity, wearability, and interpretation of the theme. “Mary Tanana’s had a traditional feel, but the pattern was more contemporary so the combination seemed ‘fresh,’” said Michael O’Connor of PGI, a member of the judging panel along with Mark Schonwetter of Lieberfarb; Frank Stankus, Jeweler's Resource; designer Amy Levine; FIT Jewelry Department Chair Michael Coan; and designer Jessica Cohen.
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