Rio Grande has announced the 45 finalists of its 2018 Saul Bell Design Award competition—along with the jewelry experts that will comprise its two judging panels.

The competition, now in its 18th year, includes nine categories: Gold/Platinum; Silver/Argentium Silver; Enamel; Hollowware/Art Objects; Alternative Metals/Materials; Emerging Jewelry Artist (two tiers); and Jewelry Collection (two tiers).

The Emerging Jewelry Artist category has two ranges based on age: under 18 years old (high schoolers) and 22 years old and younger (college-age artists).

New to the 2018 competition are two “Collection” categories, which require designers to make a “cohesive set of wearable pieces,” such as a coordinated necklace, bracelet, and pair of earrings, according to a Rio Grande statement.

Jewelers can compete in one of two Jewelry Collection subcategories: Couture/Fine and Fashion/Bridge, meant to concentrate on trend-focused jewelry made with semi-precious and/or alternative materials.

The 2018 finalists were selected “from hundreds of competitors, with entries hailing from 83 countries,” according to the same statement. Winners will be announced at an awards dinner May 20 in Albuquerque, N.M.

Check out a sampling of finalists’ designs here. And see below for the full list of 2018 finalists:

Gold/Platinum

“Mata Hari” by Garen Garibian (Los Angeles)
“Lotus in the Pond (Renaissance)” by Kajal SherchanRai (Hong Kong)
“Freedom” by Rosario Garcia (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
“Meteor Engagement Ring Set” by Greg Neeley (Georgetown, Texas)
“Irony” by Ruben Zhitnik (Mayfield Heights, Ohio)

“Khephir” by Travis Martin, a finalist in the Silver/Argentium Silver category

 

Silver/Argentium Silver

“Venus of Willendorf” by Paul Bundarin (Jackson Heights, N.Y.)
“Itado” by Matthieu Cheminée (Canada)
“Khephir” by Travis Martin (Milwaukie, Ore.)
“Koral” by Caroline Riviere (Canada)
“Worldview” by Allison Ice (Chesterfield, Mo.)

 

“North American Owls” bracelet by Jill Tower, a finalist in the Enamel category

Enamel

“North American Owls” by Jill Tower (Irvine, Calif.)
“Leaping Tree Frog” by Carina Wong (Hong Kong)
“The Wisteria Bower” by Kelly Morgen (San Rafael, Calif.)
“The Dragonfly” by Sinork Agdere (Los Angeles)
“Testa” by Gill Cordiner (Australia)

“Fan Club” by Susan Coddon, a finalist in the Holloware/Art Objects category

Hollowware/Art Objects

“A Little Nonsense” by Janet Huddie (Crownsville, Md.)
“Fan Club” by Susan Coddon (Atlanta)
“Soumbedioune” by Matthieu Cheminée (Canada)
“Cheap Thrills” by Jason Baide (Bozeman, Mont.)
“Fantasy Coach” by Leonardo Maldonado (Delray Beach, Fla.)

“Green Dragon” by Ricardo Basta, a finalist in the Alternative Metals/Materials category

Alternative Metals/Materials

“Ipomoea” by Elysha Roberts (Vineyard Haven, Mass.)
“Green Dragon” by Ricardo Basta (Los Angeles)
“Head in the Clouds” by Gabri Schumacher (Netherlands)
“Orchid Neckpiece” by E. Douglas Wunder (Kutztown, Pa.)
“Art D’Eco—Motif Pendant” by David Alvarado (Los Angeles)

 

Jewelry Collection Couture/Fine

“Rocky Mountains Memories” by Wolfgang Vaatz (Rio Rico, Ariz.)
“Knightsteel” by Zoltan David (Bee Cave, Texas)
“Art D’Eco (Decoratif d’ Ecologie)—Decorative Ecological Art” by David Alvarado (Los Angeles)
“Precious Time” by Kathleen Hubley (Canada)
“The White Daisy Set” by Pavit Gujral (India)

 

Jewelry Collection Fashion/Bridge

“Origami—Window with a View collection” by Sophia Hu (Las Vegas)
“Dreamweaver” by Elizabeth Sabol (Pittsburgh)
“The Wave Collection” by Kwabena Abeney (Canada)
“Vortex” by Leonid Krykhtin (London)
“Lava Pearl Series” by Dawn Teasdale (Canada)

 

Emerging Jewelry Artist 18 Years of Age or Younger

“Waterfall” by Peyton Rogers (Fort Worth, Texas)
“Discrete Extravagance” by Augustin Gregory (Mauritius)
“Think About It” by Rowan Zinn (Fort Worth, Texas)
“Fairy Necklace” by Caroline Senyszyn (Fort Worth, Texas)
“Tangential Rings” by Emma Petrovich (Wellesley, Mass.)

Emerging Jewelry Artist 22 Years of Age or Younger

“The Unseen Seen” by Cecilia Zhu (Providence, R.I.)
“Goya” by Taron Rueger (Parker, Colo.)
“Courage” by Hoi Yi Lai (Canada)
“We Must Carry the Weight” by Tyler Kane (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
“Balance” by Cassidy Terry (Rockville Centre, N.Y.)

 

Here are the judges for the 2018 competition:

Final Round

Jeanette Caines: goldsmith, educator, and owner of Jewelry Arts Inc.
Paula Crevoshay: designer and owner of Crevoshay
Jose Hess: master goldsmith, gemologist, designer, and educator
Lee Krombholz: third-generation designer and owner of Krombholz Jewelers
Alan Revere: goldsmith and founder of Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts

First Round

Mark Guerin: jeweler and co-owner of Harris Jewelers & Gemologists
Elizabeth Kirk: jeweler and designer
Rémy Rotenier: designer and renowned jewelry illustrator
John Sartin: jeweler, designer, and Rio Jewelry Tech Team member
Robin Waynee: Saul Bell Design Award–winning jeweler and designer

(Top image: Gill Cordiner’s “Testa” necklace, a finalist in the Enamel category; all images courtesy of Rio Grande)

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