Sometimes a new design-related event works; sometimes it doesn’t. Happily, in the case of Schwarzchild Jewelers in Richmond, Va., it was the former.

After a successful inaugural Genesis Award in 2001, in-house designer Trish Mitchell Harris last year undertook a second edition of the design competition. The contest challenges jewelry design students at Virginia Commonwealth University not only to design but also to understand and communicate the inspiration for their jewelry.

Last year the contest incorporated a charitable element: The students were charged with creating jewelry that interpreted and portrayed appropriately one of several charitable organizations. The winner, Andrea Suchosky, was chosen for her modern interpretation of what has become an international symbol of the American Heart Association.

After the contest, Schwarzchild’s Harris fabricated the design, which was ready in time for the holiday season. The piece is now being sold by the American Heart Association.