Couture Jewelry Awards and Sale

Published: November 30, 2007

18k gold, diamonds.

Photo by Photo courtesy of Couture Jewelry Awards and Sale.

Sterling silver.

Photo by Photo courtesy of Couture Jewelry Awards and Sale.

The inaugural presentation of the Couture Jewelry Awards , which recognize artists who create one-of-a-kind, museum-quality jewelry from precious materials and gemstones, will be held at the Pratt Mansion in New York on December 8, 2007.

Over 450 jewelers applied to be considered for the awards, and 42 jewelers representing 13 states were juried into the show. Two awards will be presented this year, one in the gold/platinum category and one in the silver/alternative metals category. Suz Andreasen, the show's founder, plans to add an alternative-media category to next year's show and predicts that the show may include other wearable media in the coming years.

Planning for the Couture Jewelry Awards and Sale began in 2006, when Andreasen, a jewelry designer based in New York, decided that it was time for a change in the way jewelry-award competitions are run. Andreasen felt that, while peer juries are good, they're not the best way to judge work.

To find judges for the Couture Awards, Andreasen found teachers and curators from across the country. "I wanted to make sure that this was completely academic," Andreasen said. So she didn't include gallery owners or private businesspeople on her list of jurors. Jurors for the 2007 Couture Awards are Judith Price, from the National Jewelry Institute; Ursula Neuman, from the Museum of Arts & Design; Ulysses Grant Dietz, from The Newark Museum; Bert Denker, from Winterthur; Ronda Coryell, from Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts; and Karen Christians, from Metalwerx.

Andreasen says that the awards focus specifically on jewelry made in the United States, in an attempt to make the public aware that jewelry made in America is just as good as jewelry made in other countries. Composition, design, wearability, originality, and use of materials were factors in determining the winners.

Visitors to the show will be able to meet and speak with artists as they shop. In the evening, awards will be presented to the gold medalists in each category. If you can't attend the show, look for American Couture Jewelry, a book including over 100 images of jewelry from this year's participants. The book will be released on December 8, 2007, and will be available through Amazon.com and selected gift stores.

Entries for the 2008 awards will be accepted starting in January and are due by July 31, 2008. For more information on the Couture Awards, visit www.coutureawards.com. --Katie J. Streeter