Premier diamond industry association, Diamond Guild Australia, has announced that the Diamond Guild Australia Jewellery Awards will be held once again in 2020 and is calling for entries from all jewellers and designers around Australia working within the retail fine jewellery industry.
The Diamond Guild Awards, to be held for the 7th time in 2020, are widely regarded as the foremost jewellery design event in Australia. The 2020 competition will test the design and manufacturing skills of the participants across 6 categories:
Solitaire Diamond Award
The simplest and yet most challenging of categories – the Solitaire Diamond Jewellery Award applauds the beauty of the single stone of any shape showcased in a unique ring setting. This category is awarded for excellence in craftsmanship and innovation of design.
Diamonds For Men Award
Always innovative and modern, the Men’s category is hallmarked by the creative use of materials to highlight the diamond. This category celebrates contemporary jewellery for the design conscious Australian man.
Diamonds For Everyday Award
This award honours jewellery design that is inspirational and accessible. Entries in this category can take any form but must be to the retail value of $6,500 or less. Diamond jewellery that is wearable, affordable and stylish.
Emerging Talent Award
The category that celebrates the next generation of Australian Jewellery Design talent. Jewellery apprentices and students of jewellery design are encouraged to test their skills in this accessible and prestigious award. For the first time entry to this category in 2020 will require only a hand rendered illustration of a unique design from which the finalist and winner will be selected. Entries are to feature diamonds of any colour and shape inspired by the robust beauty of Australian nature.
Argyle Australian Fancy Coloured Diamond Award
As the world bids farewell to the finest source of fancy coloured diamonds in 2020, this category celebrates the unique range of coloured stones sourced from the Australian Argyle mine. In this category, certified fancy coloured Argyle stones must represent 70% or more of the overall diamond content of the design.
Red Carpet Award
Always highly anticipated and fiercely contended, the Red Carpet Award honours the fantasy and glamour of high jewellery. No limits apply to diamond content, value or creativity. Think showstopping, trendsetting, eye-catching design at its best.
From the winning design selected in each category the Supreme Winner will be awarded as the pinnacle of design excellence and craftsmanship in 2020. Representing the best of diamond jewellery, this award is the most aspirational and prestigious in Australian jewellery design today.
Executive Officer of Diamond Guild Australia, Melissa James confirmed that the Guild and its members were looking forward to being able to offer this design event to the wider industry again in 2020 explaining that supporting and promoting the jewellery trade was key to the mission of Diamond Guild Australia.
“We see this competition as the most valuable way to showcase the amazing talent we have in Australia to the jewellery loving general public,” she said.
Early registrations of interest are now open at www.diamondguild.com.au/awards/awards-registration. Full criteria for each category will be released in March when registered jewellers and designers will receive an entry information kit.