Page 39 - Diamond Digest :: July - August 2021 Issue

engineering and innovation. The 30 outstanding pieces from the three categories were selected after three intense rounds of judging – all done virtually, of course. The unanimous verdict was that the final pieces were reinterpreted with ingenuity.”
The first judging round was a technical assessment of all the entries, which was followed by a second jury meet to shortlist 30 final sketches, 10 in each of the three sub-categories.
The eminent jury for the final round included Fashion Designer James Ferreira, Jewellery Influencer Katerina Perez, Christian Louboutin Country Head – India Anjali Gaekwar, The Rose Group of Companies Managing Director Biren Vaidya, The Adventurine Founder Marion Fasel, and Ensemble Owner and CEO Tina Tahiliani Parikh.
Tina Tahiliani, Executive Director, Ensemble, said, “It was interesting to see some participants really stretch themselves to accommodate the theme and come up with something original. In every category, there were a few renditions that truly stood out.”
James Ferreira, Fashion Designer and founder of the eponymous designer label commented, “I was impressed with the amount of entries, the intricacy of designs, and the technical knowledge of the participants. I’d say, technically, the entrants were more aware of jewellery designing than most fashion designers are in their field; and that is a good thing. Some entries really stood out as the designers played with the theme and took it out of context in interesting ways, which is what, I guess, the Artisan Awards is looking for. Overall, I feel that to push new talent further, we must teach design development in our country, as we require a 360-degree view of the world to make one a better designer.”
Marion Fasel, Founder and Editorial Director, The Adventurine said, “There were many outstanding entries in the Japanesque category. I enjoyed the way various classical Japanese
motifs were worked into new jewelry silhouettes. All the hair ornaments and asymmetrical earrings were delightful. The entries for the Victorian theme had so many nice design flourishes and inventive ideas.”
Katerina Perez, Founder & Editor in Chief, Katerinaperez.com said, “I liked it how the participating designers explored their creativity and didn’t limit themselves to only traditional jewellery materials. Pretty much every sketch in the competition stood out and exemplified how one can still push the boundaries of jewellery design.
Anjali Gaekwar, Country Head – India, Christian Louboutin, stated, “In terms of new talent, there is a lot of potential in India. The Artisan by GJEPC is a great initiative because it discovers new talent and gives them a chance to shine. Overall, I was happy to see that most of the entries were aligned with the three genres of Japanesque, Temple and Victorian. Being a jewellery addict, I’m keen to see the final creations of the sketches that we have selected.
Nisha Jhangiani, curator of Artisan Awards said, “This was one of the tougher themes I had conceptualised for Artisan 2021. Given the lockdown enforcements, we were all concerned with the feasibility of adapting the entire process to a digital model; putting together a versatile group of jurors; the logistics of manufacturing the jewels; and how best we could present them digitally for the final round. The strong line-up of shortlisted pieces just goes to show how we all can come together digitally to make miracles happen!”
Here are the winners of The Artisan Awards 2021:
Navin Jashnani, Educationist, Visionary, Couture Jewellery Manufacturer, and one of the main architects of IIJS Premiere and IIJS Signature, received The Artisan Award for “Excellence in Jewellery Design” amidst thunderous applause.
39 • Diamond Digest • July - August - 2021