The Southern Jewelry Travelers Association (SJTA) and the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) recognized winners of a new design competition for the school’s metals and jewelry students in an awards presentation held during the Atlanta Jewelry Show. SCAD and SJTA partnered in the fall of 2003 to launch the competition as a way to recognize outstanding work in a host of mediums and to give budding jewelry designers an inside look at the commercial jewelry industry.

Winners were chosen in four categories—Silver, Gold and Platinum, Alternative Materials and Methods, and High-Tech Design—as well as for the top award, Best in Show. Awards were presented by jewelry designer Robert Lee Morris, Marie Pugh of Guertin Brothers, and Darrell Warren of Stuller Inc. This year’s first-place winners were: Gold and Platinum, Amy Pilkington; Silver, Melanie Clarke; Alternative Materials and Methods, Katherine Mayer; and High-Tech Design, Kristi Sward, who also won the “Best in Show” award.

The competition was open to current matriculating students and alumni. Entries were judged by a panel of industry experts, including members of the press, industry designers, retail jewelry store owners, and SCAD faculty. All pieces were evaluated on the basis of overall design, marketability, wearability, and craftsmanship. For more information on the next design competition, contact SJTA at (800) 241-0399.