Some of the finalists for the JNA Jewellery Design Competition

The winners of a new competition dedicated to design were announced Thursday during the June Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair.

The name of the awards program is the JNA Jewellery Design Competition for 2018/19.  The winners were named at a press event during the fair’s opening day attended by officials representing Informa Markets and JNA magazine, and corporate sponsors, Crossfor Co Ltd, Platinum Guild International (PGI) and the Tahitian Pearl Association Hong Kong (TPAHK).  The competition celebrates artistry, innovation and excellence in jewelry design and production.

Organizers and sponsors of the JNA Jewellery Design Competition during the announcement of the winners at the June Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair

The winners of the JNA Jewellery Design Competition 2018/19 are as follows:

* Dancing Stone Category – New Fashion Tech - “Heptagram” by Mami Ochiai of Japan

* Platinum Category – Platinum Attitude - “Star Lingers” by Liang Fan of China

* Tahitian Pearl Category – Asymmetric Perfection - “The Leonidas Man” set by Alessio Boschi of Italy

The winners will be featured at an awards presentation during at the September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair. Each winner will also receive a cash prize of $2,000, and have their creations showcased at the June and September Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fairs.

The Leonidas Man by Alessio Boschi, one of the winners of the JNA Jewellery Design Competition

The competition’s judging panel was led by jewelry designer Fei Liu, who served as chair. He was joined by jewelry designer Robert Tateossian, visual artist Bradley Theodore, and publisher and editor-in-chief of the JNA group, Christie Dang. The three category judges were Hidetaka Dobashi, founder and CEO of Crossfor, Suzanne Wong, senior product manager of PGI, and Ida Wong, general manager of TPAHK.

The winners were selected out of 15 finalists across three categories, and evaluated against the criteria set by the organizers as well as the entries’ adherence to the respective themes. Of the 15 finalists, five were from China; three were from Taiwan; with the rest from Bulgaria, Egypt, Iran, Italy, Japan, Malaysia and the U.S.

The competition drew 2,588 entries from jewelry designers and students from 39 countries and regions.