MJSA Announces Vision Award Winners

RAPAPORT… Nine jewelry designers have received the Manufacturing
Jewelers & Suppliers of America (MJSA) Vision Award, which honors
outstanding creativity, craftsmanship and technological prowess in the field.



Prizes include cash and gift certificates for tools and
supplies, as well as scholarships for students, the trade body said Tuesday. Winners
will also be profiled in the MJSA Journal, and receive promotion through
ads in industry media forums. The winning entries will go on display at the
annual MJSA Expo in New York.



This year’s judges were Alan Revere, founder and director of
the Academy of Jewelry Arts; Klaus Kutter, jewelry designer and founder of A
Jour Jewelry; Michelle Graff, editor-in-chief of National Jeweler
magazine; Jim Grahl, owner of J. Grahl Design; and Michael Coan, chair emeritus
of the jewelry-design department at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT).



The 2018 winners of the Vision Awards are:



First Place, Professional Excellence, 4+ Years in
Business:

Adam Neeley of Adam Neeley Fine Art Jewelry in Laguna Beach,
California, for his Ombré pendant featuring a rare, 25.39-carat, blue-green
tourmaline.




Second Place, Professional Excellence, 4+ Years in
Business:


Rachael Mitchell of Stuller in Lafayette, Louisiana, for her
Fire Teardrop pendant necklace featuring a pear-shaped, 20.77-carat topaz with
yellow, burnt-orange and garnet-red diamonds set in 18-karat yellow gold (pictured).




First Place, Professional Excellence, 1 to 3 Years in
Business:

Xuehui Liu of Grace Hui Jewelry Studios in San Jose,
California, for her Eternity of the Plant Kingdom set which symbolizes “a flower
that was never discovered by humans.”



Second Place, Professional Excellence, 1 to 3 Years in
Business:

Julie Lamb of Julie Lamb New York in Hastings on Hudson, New
York, for her statement ring The Entrepreneur.



CAD/CAM Distinction:

Andrew Bugher of Andrew Bugher Design in St. Paul,
Minnesota, for his 14-karat yellow- and white-gold Peridot Scroll ring with
diamond accents.



Laser Distinction:

Adam Neeley, for his Ombré pendant.



Custom Design Distinction:

Victor Hararuk of V. Hararuk JDS in Kylv, Ukraine, for his
Atmosphere cocktail ring.



Responsible Practices Distinction:

Wolfgang Vaatz of Earth Terra Erde in Rio Rico, Arizona, for
his hand-fabricated and oxidized At the Creek pendant featuring placer gold
particles and nuggets, as well as Argentium silver.



First Place, Future of the Industry Award (for students):


Angely Martinez of the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in
New York, for her La Inspiración de una Mariposa necklace in sterling silver,
featuring synthetic rubies.



Second Place, Future of the Industry Award:

Hsinyu Chu of the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) in Carlsbad,
California, for her CAD-rendered Interlock ring.