The diamond jewelry design competition being held by the Israel Diamond Institute Group of Companies, in conjunction with the Israel Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor and the Israel Jewelry Manufacturers Association, has entered its second phase.

The competition is being held in honor of Israel’s 60th anniversary, and is intended to encourage the use of Israeli diamonds by jewelry designers here, and to promote cooperation between Israeli jewelry designers and the diamond industry. The competition also seeks to position Israel as a manufacturer of unique and original diamond jewelry.

Yehuda Kassif, Art and Jewelry Promotion director for IDI and the coordinator of the competition, said 54 designs were submitted by 31 designers. The committee of judges, composed of leading jewelers, teachers from academic institutions with jewelry design disciplines, heads of design and jewelry-making programs, representatives of the sponsoring organizations, and diamantaires chose 24 designs to enter the second stage of the competition, which is producing the actual pieces of jewelry. The jewelry must be submitted by March 1, 2009.

According to the competition guidelines no designs are to be made public at this stage. However, Kassif noted, that some of the designs have been inspired by the following motifs: the city of Tel Aviv with its famous Bauhau architecture, the sabra (cactus) plant, and the Dead Sea scrolls, as well as the more pedestrian Star of David and the hamsa (hand shaped amulet popular in Middle Eastern cultures).

Kassif said that the judges expect that competition for the winning spots will be tough. “This is going to be a very interesting competition. Amongst the top slots we look forward to welcoming some new talent as well as some of Israel’s leading designers.”

JCK