Diamond melee specialist Grunberger Diamonds is trying something new. The Great Neck, N.Y.-based stone producer recently announced its first-ever design contest to drive interest and awareness to its diamonds. Fans will be asked to judge the winner on Grunberger’s social media pages (Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter).

The 2013 Grunberger Jewelry Design Competition encourages artists to craft original styles in precious metal including silver, platinum, palladium, or gold (10k or more for U.S. residents, and 9k or higher for Europeans—“As long as local authorities consider it gold we will, too,” says sales associate William Frost).

Each entry will be professionally photographed and “posted with other entries in their category so that viewers can vote for the designs that they believe are the most beautiful and inspirational,” according to the company. 

Contest categories include bridal jewelry (engagement semi-mounts, wedding sets, and his or hers wedding bands), fashion-forward pieces, and men’s fashion styles. “We want to see traditional designs, but people should be as creative as possible,” says Frost. When submissions are entered, images and designers’ biographies—provided by artists—will be featured on the social media pages of Grunberger Diamonds. And while entries can include colored stones and pearls, each piece must have at least one Grunberger diamond.

“When entering, we give them one diamond—about a half a point or a little larger,” he adds.

Entrants can use CZ—and Frost encourages them to do so—if they want to lean heavily on a colorless diamond look in their designs but can’t afford a big diamond investment. But for those who want to use real rocks, the diamonds must be sourced from Grunberger. The diamantaire is giving discounts to entrants for the purposes of the competition. 

The cost to enter the contest is $150, and entries must be received by Oct. 1. Winners will be announced on Feb. 14, 2014, and will receive a refund for diamonds purchased from Grunberger as well as public relations and media promotion.

To enter the competition, log onto the Grunberger contest website.

JCK