Gem-A are delighted to announce that Susan Blackler, of Sonkai Ltd., is the winner of Gem-A's newly-revamped Gem Empathy Award 2016, with her design titled ‘Supernova’.

In previous years the award has been presented to the IJL exhibitor displaying, in the opinion of the judges, a single piece or collection of jewellery that makes captivating use of one or more gemstones. This year, however, Gem-A has remodelled the creative initiative, requesting that designers featured in the Design Gallery at IJL, produce a design based around a breathtaking 10.46 ct Fantasy Cut heliodor (also known as golden beryl), sourced from award-winning gem cutter John Dyer.

The judges included Gem-A CEO, Alan Hart and Teaching Manager Claire Mitchell; former multiple winner Chris Sellors and IJL Event Director, Sam Willoughby. Whilst the judges were extremely pleased with the quality of the submissions received and impressed with the talent of all designers who took part, they were unanimous in their decision to present the award to Susan for her Supernova design. The striking piece, a cuff formed from textured sterling silver with an oxidised finish, prominently features the Fantasy Cut stone in a central 'double walled' bezel setting in rich 18 ct yellow gold. Echoing the theme of the sun and stars ('helios' is the personification of the sun in Greek mythology), Susan's exquisite design features additional detailing of radiating bands of pavé and flush-set small diamonds, along with 18 ct vermeil detailing.

Of the piece, Susan said: “I wanted to create a striking, futuristic design featuring bold geometric shapes which echo the radiating facets of the 'Star Brite' fantasy cut heliodor. ’Folds' of oxidised silver arranged around the centrally placed stone act as a continuation of the gemstone cut and serve to focus attention on the gem. Bands of pavé-set diamonds and polished yellow gold detailing suggest rays of light and I had in mind constellations of stars set against the dark night sky when I added these details.”

The submitted designs were evaluated based on the relationship between stone and design; the practicality of the design;and the style and beauty of the overall design. When asked about the winning piece, Alan Hart, Gem-A CEO and one of the judges, said: “We are pleased at the success of the new format of the Gem Empathy Award and have been overwhelmed at the enthusiastic response by talented designers jumping at the opportunity to design a piece around a gemstone cut by John Dyer. This competition places the gemstone at the heart of the design and Susan is a deserved winner".

Susan was presented with the Award at International Jewellery London (IJL) on Tuesday 6 September by Alan Hart, Claire Mitchell and Sarah Kitley-Spencer from IJL. The heliodor has since been given to Susan in order to bring to life this stunning design, which Gem-A hope to display at one of their prestigious events between 2016 and 2017.

Sonkai Ltd., a family jewellers based in Norwich, have been producing bespoke and handmade jewellery since 2006, and specialise in creating high-quality and unique jewellery from new materials and by transforming existing pieces.

Gem-A (The Gemmological Association of Great Britain) has announced that leading supplier of responsibly sourced coloured gemstones, Gemfields, has signed up as Silver Sponsor of the Gem-A Conference and as exclusive Ruby Sponsor of Gem-A’s annual Graduation Ceremony and Presentation of Awards — a prestigious new sponsorship package created exclusively for the London-based company.

Gemfields, who also own Fabergé, is one of the world’s largest producers of coloured gemstones including emeralds and amethysts from Zambia and rubies from Mozambique. The company delivers a constant supply of professionally-graded, uncut coloured gemstones to world markets via their highly acclaimed auction platform, as well as supporting the sale and distribution of cut and polished gemstones to discerning downstream customers.

Gemfields CEO, Ian Harebottle, is featuring in the line-up of world-class speakers at the Gem-A Conference on Saturday 5 November, with a talk on the role of colour and design in the future of the jewellery sector.

Alan Hart, Gem-A CEO, said, “We are extremely pleased to have Gemfields on board to sponsor both the Gem-A Conference and Graduation Ceremony. Gemfields’ generous support of both events clearly highlights the importance of education is still key, and that Gem-A students will play a big role in the future of the industry. It is fantastic that such a high-profile company can support our events in this way and further cements the strong friendship between the two companies.”

Gemfields CEO Ian Harebottle, said: “We are very proud to support the Gem-A Conference and Graduation ceremony. At Gemfields, we constantly strive to better the way we operate and champion innovation across the gemstone sector as a whole. Gem A’s education and development of emerging talent is a true example of this and an organisation that we are honoured to partner with.”

Gem-A’s Graduation Ceremony and Presentation of Awards, which will be held at The Royal College of Surgeons in Lincoln’s Inn Fields on Monday 7 November, is a prestigious annual event celebrating the achievements of the Association’s Gemmology Diploma and Diamond Diploma graduates. During the ceremony, Jack Cunningham, the Sustainability Manager of the Gemfields Group, will be taking the opportunity to share with students his experiences championing sustainability on behalf of Gemfields, with advice on a career in the world of gems. Following the ceremony guests are invited to a drinks reception in the Hunterian Museum and Surgeon’s Library — a once in a lifetime experience. The Ceremony will mark the closing of the annual Gem-A Conference, which will be held on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 November at the Royal Institute of British Architects, Marylebone. The conference will feature talks from some of the world’s top gemmologists and experts, including Jim Clanin (JC Mining), Pat Daly (Gem-A), John Dyer (John Dyer & Co.), David Fisher (De Beers), Ian Harebottle (Gemfields), Bill Larson (Pala Gems), Helen Molesworth (Gübelin), Danny Sanchez, Robert Weldon (GIA) and Dr Michael Wise (Smithsonian Institution), covering topics ranging from the history of gemstones, stone cutting and photomicrography, to gemstone localities and updates on the detection of certain treatments.

For more information on the 2016 Gem-A Conference and Graduation Ceremony and Presentation of Awards or to learn more about Gem-A visit www.gem-a.com.

Gem-A (The Gemmological Association of Great Britain) has announced that leading supplier of responsibly sourced coloured gemstones, Gemfields, has signed up as Silver Sponsor of the Gem-A Conference and as exclusive Ruby Sponsor of Gem-A’s annual Graduation Ceremony and Presentation of Awards — a prestigious new sponsorship package created exclusively for the London-based company.

Gemfields, who also own Fabergé, is one of the world’s largest producers of coloured gemstones including emeralds and amethysts from Zambia and rubies from Mozambique. The company delivers a constant supply of professionally-graded, uncut coloured gemstones to world markets via their highly acclaimed auction platform, as well as supporting the sale and distribution of cut and polished gemstones to discerning downstream customers.

Gemfields CEO, Ian Harebottle, is featuring in the line-up of world-class speakers at the Gem-A Conference on Saturday 5 November, with a talk on the role of colour and design in the future of the jewellery sector.

Alan Hart, Gem-A CEO, said, “We are extremely pleased to have Gemfields on board to sponsor both the Gem-A Conference and Graduation Ceremony. Gemfields’ generous support of both events clearly highlights the importance of education is still key, and that Gem-A students will play a big role in the future of the industry. It is fantastic that such a high-profile company can support our events in this way and further cements the strong friendship between the two companies.”

Gemfields CEO Ian Harebottle, said: “We are very proud to support the Gem-A Conference and Graduation ceremony. At Gemfields, we constantly strive to better the way we operate and champion innovation across the gemstone sector as a whole. Gem A’s education and development of emerging talent is a true example of this and an organisation that we are honoured to partner with.”

Gem-A’s Graduation Ceremony and Presentation of Awards, which will be held at The Royal College of Surgeons in Lincoln’s Inn Fields on Monday 7 November, is a prestigious annual event celebrating the achievements of the Association’s Gemmology Diploma and Diamond Diploma graduates. During the ceremony, Jack Cunningham, the Sustainability Manager of the Gemfields Group, will be taking the opportunity to share with students his experiences championing sustainability on behalf of Gemfields, with advice on a career in the world of gems. Following the ceremony guests are invited to a drinks reception in the Hunterian Museum and Surgeon’s Library — a once in a lifetime experience. The Ceremony will mark the closing of the annual Gem-A Conference, which will be held on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 November at the Royal Institute of British Architects, Marylebone. The conference will feature talks from some of the world’s top gemmologists and experts, including Jim Clanin (JC Mining), Pat Daly (Gem-A), John Dyer (John Dyer & Co.), David Fisher (De Beers), Ian Harebottle (Gemfields), Bill Larson (Pala Gems), Helen Molesworth (Gübelin), Danny Sanchez, Robert Weldon (GIA) and Dr Michael Wise (Smithsonian Institution), covering topics ranging from the history of gemstones, stone cutting and photomicrography, to gemstone localities and updates on the detection of certain treatments.

For more information on the 2016 Gem-A Conference and Graduation Ceremony and Presentation of Awards or to learn more about Gem-A visit www.gem-a.com.

Gem-A are delighted to announce that Susan Blackler, of Sonkai Ltd., is the winner of Gem-A's newly-revamped Gem Empathy Award 2016, with her design titled ‘Supernova’.

In previous years the award has been presented to the IJL exhibitor displaying, in the opinion of the judges, a single piece or collection of jewellery that makes captivating use of one or more gemstones. This year, however, Gem-A has remodelled the creative initiative, requesting that designers featured in the Design Gallery at IJL, produce a design based around a breathtaking 10.46 ct Fantasy Cut heliodor (also known as golden beryl), sourced from award-winning gem cutter John Dyer.

The judges included Gem-A CEO, Alan Hart and Teaching Manager Claire Mitchell; former multiple winner Chris Sellors and IJL Event Director, Sam Willoughby. Whilst the judges were extremely pleased with the quality of the submissions received and impressed with the talent of all designers who took part, they were unanimous in their decision to present the award to Susan for her Supernova design. The striking piece, a cuff formed from textured sterling silver with an oxidised finish, prominently features the Fantasy Cut stone in a central 'double walled' bezel setting in rich 18 ct yellow gold. Echoing the theme of the sun and stars ('helios' is the personification of the sun in Greek mythology), Susan's exquisite design features additional detailing of radiating bands of pavé and flush-set small diamonds, along with 18 ct vermeil detailing.

Of the piece, Susan said: “I wanted to create a striking, futuristic design featuring bold geometric shapes which echo the radiating facets of the 'Star Brite' fantasy cut heliodor. ’Folds' of oxidised silver arranged around the centrally placed stone act as a continuation of the gemstone cut and serve to focus attention on the gem. Bands of pavé-set diamonds and polished yellow gold detailing suggest rays of light and I had in mind constellations of stars set against the dark night sky when I added these details.”

The submitted designs were evaluated based on the relationship between stone and design; the practicality of the design;and the style and beauty of the overall design. When asked about the winning piece, Alan Hart, Gem-A CEO and one of the judges, said: “We are pleased at the success of the new format of the Gem Empathy Award and have been overwhelmed at the enthusiastic response by talented designers jumping at the opportunity to design a piece around a gemstone cut by John Dyer. This competition places the gemstone at the heart of the design and Susan is a deserved winner".

Susan was presented with the Award at International Jewellery London (IJL) on Tuesday 6 September by Alan Hart, Claire Mitchell and Sarah Kitley-Spencer from IJL. The heliodor has since been given to Susan in order to bring to life this stunning design, which Gem-A hope to display at one of their prestigious events between 2016 and 2017.

Sonkai Ltd., a family jewellers based in Norwich, have been producing bespoke and handmade jewellery since 2006, and specialise in creating high-quality and unique jewellery from new materials and by transforming existing pieces.