A Californian jeweller has won the President’s Trophy in the Cultured Pearl Association of America’s inaugural International Pearl Design Contest.
Adam Neeley’s winning design, South Sea Glow, features three golden South Sea cultured pearls and two white Akoya cultured pearls set in hand fabricated Elektra Gold (gold alloy) which “seamlessly transitions” from 24 carat yellow gold to 24 carat white gold.
The other major winners in the competition, which attracted entries from nine countries, were:
Lustre Award (most marketable design) – The Untouchable ring by Pearlotica Design Team and Sea of Love earrings by Philip Dismuke
Designer’s Award (design that takes pearls to the far corners of the imagination and beyond) – Spiral earrings by Zoltan David
Brilliance Award (design that best illustrates the spectrum of pearl colours in the most beautiful way) – Gem of the Sea ring by Joel Green,
Orient Award (design that would most inspire a new found affinity in someone for cultured pearls) – Aurora Eclipse earrings by Anil Maloo
The Visionary Award (design that most re-defines the iconic pearl strand) – The Black Maze necklace by Kaoru Kristy Endo
Wedding Day Pearls – Carved Lace ring by Elizabeth Blair and Massimo Sanalitro
Founded in 1957, the Cultured Pearl Association of America is a non-profit group comprising manufacturers, wholesalers, dealers and suppliers of cultured pearls in the United States.