Hong Kong: JNA of UBM Asia Ltd have launched the JNA Jewellery Design Competition 2018/19 at a dedicated seminar held on the side-lines of the June Hong Kong Jewellery & Gem Fair on 21st June, 2018.
Sponsored by Crossfor HK Ltd, Platinum Guild International (PGI) and the Tahitian Pearl Association Hong Kong (TPAHK), the competition recognises and celebrates excellence in jewellery design. It invites amateur and professional jewellery designers to harness their passion and ingenuity towards producing modern and innovative designs that reflect their perspective.
In his remarks at the launch ceremony, Wolfram Diener, Senior Vice President of UBM Asia Ltd, said the JNA Jewellery Design Competition provides an ideal and sustainable platform for fostering creativity and innovation in the jewellery industry. “Demand for fresh, exciting and progressive jewellery designs is constantly high. The market perennially seeks design-led, stand-out yet commercially viable creations, which are increasingly favoured by consumers these days. I am delighted that the JNA Jewellery Design Competition will help facilitate industry growth by nurturing new and young designers and opening doors for them in the jewellery world,” he said.
The judging panel of the competition is chaired by Fei Liu, who earned the coveted UKJA Designer of the Year award in 2016 and was named Designer of the Year by China’s Harper Bazaar in 2012 through his passion for jewellery and his commercial nous. Liu said he expected contestants to create contemporary designs that are visually aesthetic but practically wearable and will be embraced by consumers.
The competition has three categories – Dancing Stone, Platinum, and Tahitian Pearl. Their respective themes are New Fashion Tech, Platinum Attitude, and Asymmetric Perfection. Design entries must reflect the specified theme while highlighting the respective material’s exceptional qualities.
Industry stakeholders and jewellery trade professionals attended the launch event, which included a seminar on jewellery design trends. Distinguished experts shared valuable insights on jewellery fashion trends and the specific design materials for the competition’s different categories.
Gloria Au, Sales Manager of Crossfor HK Ltd, spoke on the patented Dancing Stone component in the ‘Vitalisation of Jewellery Pieces with Dancing Stones’ session. “Setting the centre gem in a semi-floating state to keep it moving incessantly, the patented Dancing Stone injects an aura of vitality in jewellery pieces thereby scaling new heights of fashion,” Au explained. She also encouraged designers to take advantage of the opportunity presented by the competition to showcase their creativity and infuse the market with innovative and unconventional designs of Dancing Stone jewellery pieces.
The second session, ‘Platinum Design Trends in Defining Consumer Attitudes,’ was headlined by Paola De Luca, Founder and Creative Director of The Futurist Ltd. The renowned trend forecaster discussed the style and attitude of today’s consumers whom she categorised as Purist, Dreamer, and Discoverer, among others. Platinum does not only possess unique qualities – it possesses a unique attitude. The key design trends emerging in platinum jewellery are an aspiration to express styles and values of the most precious metal, and to connect design and beauty of the wearer. Competition sponsor, PGI added that the upcoming competition would help widen the reach of platinum in the design community, thereby resulting in more contemporary and innovative platinum jewellery designs in the market.
Rebecca Cheng, Chief Operation Officer of Rio Pearl (founding member of TPAHK), delved into the unique attributes of Tahitian pearls. She noted, “There’s no telling the shape of a Tahitian pearl before it is taken out of the oyster. It can be either round, oval, drop, button, circled or baroque. But there is beauty in a pearl’s asymmetry, where perfection lies not in a full circle but in the character and dynamism that fancy shapes bestow on jewellery designs.” TPAHK likewise expressed its anticipation of the unprecedented design concepts expressing the beauty of Tahitian pearls that would be generated by the competition.
The JNA Jewellery Design Competition 2018/19 is open to all budding and professional jewellery designers as well as students and graduates of all jewellery design disciplines. More information, including details of the judging panel, important dates as well as prizes, will be revealed on the JNA Jewellery Design Competition 2018/19 official channels.
