Rio Tinto Diamonds recently announced nine winners of its Global Design Competition, awarded by a panel of eight judges including JCK‘s Jennifer Heebner and style expert Michael O’Connor. The winners will have their pieces showcased in a suite at the 2012 Academy Awards.

Winners, who were named in four categories (Champagne Diamonds, Silvermist Diamonds, Canadian Diamonds, and Sustainable Jewelry), include: Nejal Rajesh Mehta, India; Stacey Lindsell, Australia; Dean Walker, Australia; Joseph Weinreich, United States; ­Vijayshree Sovani, India; Reena ­Ahluwalia, Canada; Michelle Buxani, Hong Kong; Nadia Neuman, Australia; and V. Saravanan, India.