Who Are the Winners of JCK’s 2026 Jewelers’ Choice Awards?

By Natalie Chomet | May 04, 2026

And the winners are…

There’s a celebratory feeling in the air when the winners and finalists of JCK’s Jewelers’ Choice Awards (or JCAs) are announced each year. Judged by retailers, winners enjoy the unique honor that comes from knowing peers in the industry gave them their votes of confidence. (If you’re a designer interested in submitting your pieces, the entry period for next year’s awards opens after Labor Day. Here are some insider tips to keep the odds in your favor.)

“The brands that consistently win the JCAs have one thing in common: They’re not afraid to take risks.”
—JCK editor-in-chief Victoria Gomelsky

Some winners are also selected by JCK editors and a cadre of jewelry influencers for additional distinction. Hard choices were made. Just ask the team of judges who weighed in on this year’s awards: JCK’s trusted editors (Amy Elliott, Karen Dybis, Brittany Siminitz, Melissa Rose Bernardo, and Victoria Gomelsky); and social media mavens including Severine Ferrari (@engagement101), Bebe Bakhshi (@champagnegem), Agata Jankowiak (@blingsiscom), and Grant Mobley (@thegrantmobley).

Of the elite designers who took home wins, only one can claim the grand prize. This year, that honor went to Vanessa Fernández for her handcrafted gold Curva necklace set with 32.14 cts. of lemon-yellow chrysoberyls. The Miami designer—who makes every piece of her jewelry by hand at her bench—captivated the retailer, editor, and influencer judges alike, earning the JCA’s top honor.

Victoria Gomelsky highlights a few more category winners:

“From Pompos, whose otherworldly opal ring, winner of the Best Colored Stone Jewelry (over $30,000) category, is the perfect example of the brand’s bewitching use of color, to Rahaminov, the Los Angeles diamond jewelry house that can make a $725,000 colorless diamond necklace (Best Statement Piece over $50,000) feel at once chic and original, the brands that consistently win the JCAs have one thing in common: They’re not afraid to take risks.”

All the winners and finalists of the 2026 Jewelers’ Choice Awards can be found in the Best of the Best publication, where you can leaf through (and drool over) the winners and finalists in each category at your leisure. Below, enjoy a sampling of the eye-catching designs that captured the judges’ hearts.