Gem-A is delighted to announce the return of the Gem Empathy Award for 2019 – a jewellery design competition hosted in collaboration with International Jewellery London.
For many years the Gem Empathy Award has given exhibitors at International Jewellery London (IJL) the chance to win a gemstone and bring a unique and inspiring jewellery design to life. Now, for the very first time, the Gem Empathy competition is open to IJL exhibitors AND registered IJL 2019 visitors.
To get involved with this fantastic competition and win some great prizes, continue reading below. We look forward to seeing a whole host of creative entries.
The Gem Empathy Award Gemstone 2019
The challenge is simple: design an inspiring piece of jewellery that incorporates a special gemstone selected by Gem-A. The designer or brand with the best design will win the gemstone to transform their hand-drawn sketch or CAD design into a three-dimensional, finished piece.
Read more: Turkish Designer Özlem Tuna Named Gem-A’s Gem Empathy Award Winner at IJL 2017
So, what is the gemstone of 2019? See below for the essential facts…
+ 12.9 carat precious coral cabochon
+ Sourced from sustainable coral supplier, Enzo Liverino 1894
+ Dimensions – L: 22.8mm W: 10.09mm H: 6.9mm
+ Hardness 3 – 4
The 12.9 carat precious coral cabochon that will inspire designers in this year’s Gem Empathy competition, in collaboration with IJL 2019.
Why Coral?
The Pantone Colour of the Year is coral, which means it is the perfect time to shine a spotlight on this beautiful stone. Moreover, with pollution, climate change, trawling and overfishing leading to vast levels of coral bleaching, stock depletion and damage to sea life in recent years, it is more important than ever to advocate for sustainable sourcing of precious coral which live in a different ecosystem than the endangered reef corals. This is why we have chosen a stone from Enzo Liverino 1894.
With a history of coral work going back over 120 years, Enzo Liverino 1894 is a long-established family business based in Torre del Greco, Italy. Through constantly developing techniques, and a commitment to creative and original design, Enzo Liverino 1894 has become internationally renowned as a coral jeweller of exceptional quality.
Enzo Liverino, the company’s director, is also president of the CIBJO Coral Commission, which aims to ensure that all precious coral is harvested in a responsible way and with sensitivity to sea life in order to ensure sustainability.
Note the white lengthwise interior that is an identifying feature of Pleurocorallium elatius.
The particular breed of coral we have chosen is known as Pleurocorallium elatius (Ridley, 1882), a species of precious coral within the Corallidae family that originates from Japan and Taiwan, and tends to grow in depths of 150-350 metres.
Read more: Breaking Down the Misunderstandings about Precious Coral
The Pleurocorallium elatius grows in a fan shape and is the largest type of precious coral; an average colony will reach, in average, a height of 35cm, have a trunk diameter of 25mm and weigh approximately 500g. This variety of coral typically appears in bright red, salmon, orange and flesh-coloured tones, known in the trade as Cerasuolo, Momo or Satsuma, and can be uniquely identified by its white lengthwise interior, usually visible at the base of the cabochon.
How to Enter the Gem Empathy Competition 2019
Send your design (hand drawn or CAD image) along with an accompanying paragraph describing the materials used and the inspiration behind the piece to events@gem-a.com before 12 August 2019.
Our judging panel, which includes the Editor of Retail Jeweller Ruth Faulkner, will choose the winner to be presented on the Gem-A booth at IJL on September 1 2019. The winner must be present at the show on Sunday.
The Prize
+ The winner will receive the stone
+ A press release from Gem-A announcing the Gem Empathy Award winning designer
+ An article in Gems&Jewellery magazine
+ A voucher to put towards the construction of the piece
The Judging Process
+ The judging panel is made up of three industry experts from the jewellery industry and Gem-A. They will judge the designs based on the evaluation criteria below:
+ Relationship between stone and design
+ Practicality of design
+ Style and beauty
Judging procedures
All designs will be reviewed independently and anonymously by each judge. If the judges do not feel that the design can be considered for the award the judge will clearly mark this on the judging form with a No. Any designs that receive a No from ALL judges will be eliminated from the competition.
Read more: Gem Empathy Returns with a Bolivian Ametrine for IJL 2018
The remaining entries will be reviewed by the judges using a points system. Each design will be awarded points between 1 –10 based on the evaluation criteria. The design with the highest score will be the winner of the Gem Empathy Award, announced at IJL and crowned on the Gem-A booth on the first day of the show.
We look forward to seeing your designs! Good luck.
Cover image: A profile view of this year’s prize stone, a 12.9 carat precious coral cabochon harvested in Japan and fashioned in Torre del Greco, Italy by Enzo Liverino 1894.
Interested in enhancing your gemmological knowledge? Take a look at our upcoming Gem-A Workshops.
