Contests

Staff -- JCK Online, 5/1/2000 2:00:00 AM

MJSA NAMES VISION WINNERS

Manufacturing Jewelers and Suppliers of America has named the winners of the ninth annual American Vision Award jewelry design competition. The awards recognize professional and student designers as ?visionary representatives of upcoming trends.?

In the professional category, the winner was Hiroko Sato- Pijanowski, Ann Arbor, Mich., for an ?Orchid Cattelya? brooch in platinum and 18k gold with diamonds and quartz hand-carved by Anna Reagal. Second place was awarded to Radu Vidrascu of Stefan Otter Fine Art Jewelers, Rochester, N.Y., for ?The Cubiculus,? a platinum pendant with tourmaline. An honorable mention went to Chicago designer Ellie Thompson for ?The Circles and Spokes Ring,? hand-fabricated in platinum with diamonds.

In the student category, the winner was Jan Houston of the Fashion Institute of Technology for a gold necklace with diamonds, peridot, citrine, and rock crystal. Michael Toth of the Texas Institute of Jewelry Technology took second place for ?Celestial Bodies in Perfect Harmony,? a brooch in 18k gold and platinum with sugilite, sapphire, and diamonds. Jung Yoon Ok of Rhode Island School of Design received an honorable mention for a silver brooch with cabochons, pearls, and diamonds.

First-place winners received a trophy and a $500 prize. Second-place and honorable-mention winners received plaques.

SCHUETZ ENTRIES DUE NEXT MONTH

June 1 is the deadline to enter the George A. Schuetz Jewelry Design Contest, coordinated by the Gemological Institute of America. The competition, which focuses on men?s jewelry and accessories, is named in memory of Schuetz, whose business specialized in men?s jewelry.

Original renderings will be judged by an independent panel of industry experts on the basis of overall wearability, feasibility, and appeal. Contestants may submit one rendering only. Judges will consider only original color designs, which must not have been previously exhibited or offered for sale. The winner will receive a $500 award and a plaque. Two honorable mention winners will also receive plaques. Judging will be completed by Aug. 1. All entrants will be notified of the results by mail.

For information, contact GIA?s Office of Student Financial Assistance at 5345 Armada Dr., Carlsbad, CA 92008; (800) 421-7250, Ext. 4004 or 4005 or (760) 603-4000, Ext. 4004 or 4005; fax (760) 603-4153.