Jewelry designer Stephanie Maslow Blackman, founder of the New York City–based brand Metalicious, won the 2023 Responsibly Sourced Design Challenge doing something she knows well—giving clients custom pieces that show off her skill, creativity, and experience.
The annual design competition is sponsored by the Manufacturing Jewelers & Suppliers of America (MJSA) and Columbia Gem House, a U.S. supplier of responsibly sourced colored gemstones. Maslow Blackman’s winning necklace and the other entries were raffled off, raising $12,000 for an environmental charity, she says.
“This contest shows how creativity and ethics work together in jewelry design,” says Maslow Blackman, whose company is known for its commitment to ethical sourcing and sustainability. “Not only have I had this award on my bucket list, but the best part about winning is being able to bring awareness to the responsibility we have in this industry to work with ethically sourced metals and gemstones, no matter the size of your business.”
The nine designers who participated in the challenge had to create a meaningful piece of jewelry based on a fictional scenario—a 52-year-old recently divorced mother of two seeking a new beginning—and using a selection of materials from Columbia Gem House. Maslow Blackman used Cortez mabe pearls, grape garnets, neon green beryls, and teal tourmaline baguettes in her sterling silver necklace.
To come up with her design, Maslow Blackman says she thought about her own clients and what they choose to wear. She decided on a necklace because it would allow this fictional client to embrace an active lifestyle. “You can put a necklace on and leave it on. It’s not fussy,” says Maslow Blackman.
The necklace features the designer’s signature swirls, symbolizing the client’s ups and downs in life. “Each wave seems challenging, but when seen together over time they become a beautiful, sculptural work of art,” Maslow Blackman says.
Detailing on the outside of the pearl bezel resembles motorcycle tire tread, to represent the fictional client’s love of motorcycles. On the back, Maslow Blackman included a grille effect with the initials of the customer’s daughters, showing that they are always close to their mother’s heart.
Maslow Blackman says she is proud of the necklace because it reflects the journey the client has taken, highlighting her accomplishments as well as the idea of entering the next phase of her life.
The raffle of jewelry entered in the contest benefited the Mexican nonprofit CRRIFS’ sea turtle rehabilitation project along the Sonoran Coast (where the pearls used in the designs were sourced). MJSA’s 2024 Design Challenge is now open for entries. This year’s fictional scenario focuses on a young woman about to move abroad for her dream career and the piece of jewelry her best friends would have custom-made for her as a going-away gift.
Top: Stephanie Maslow Blackman’s necklace recently won the MJSA’s Responsibly Sourced Design Challenge, cosponsored by Columbia Gem House. (Photos courtesy of Stephanie Maslow Blackman)
Follow me on Instagram and Twitter
Follow JCK on Instagram: @jckmagazineFollow JCK on Twitter: @jckmagazine
Follow JCK on Facebook: @jckmagazine
