AWDC announces winners of 2009 HRD Awards

The Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) announced winning designs of the 2009 HRD Awards diamond jewellery design contest, which is the 13th edition of the design platform. The contest called on designers to create jewellery pieces based on the theme “Once upon a time…my favourite fairy tale”. The winner , Isabelle Geeroms from Belgium, named her design “Mirror Mirror on my hand”, after the fairy tale ‘Snow white and the seven dwarfs’. Her creation, a ring, is crafted with white gold and ceramics, with 114 diamonds weighing 10,28 carats being disposed in the mirror. The diamonds have been provided by Luc Vets Diamant and the jewel is sponsored by Gemsset.

The first finalist, Thitiwan Thubtimthong from Thailand, entitled her necklace design - “Beyond Imagination”. The designer invented a unique technique of designing small objects, to create the 30 meter chain. The design is based upon the definition of a fairy tale – that no one knows when a fairy tale begins or ends, and is set with 595 brilliant-cut diamonds, 38 champagne coloured diamonds, two pink diamonds and one gold coloured diamond weighing a total of 9,11 carats. The diamonds are provided by Om Diamond Co Ltd, the jewel is sponsored by Ariha Diamond Jewellery Co, Ltd.

Another finalist, Cari-Mari Wilsenach, South Africa, designed a bracelet around the story of “The Ugly Duckling”. The piece exhibits a stark contrast between black and white feathers and changes in shape and colour, revealing an inner beauty of sparkling diamonds, set amongst pure white feathers. Casa Gi provided the 700 brilliant-cut diamonds weighing 7 carats. South Korean finalist Guerina Yoo created a head jewel based upon the Korean fairy tale “The Woodsman and the Fairy”. Dark bamboo was used to depict a sad bride forced to marry, with the veil attached to the bamboo stick symbolising the robe of feathers, and set with 506 brilliant-cut diamonds of total weight of 15,62 carats. The diamonds were provided by Gembel European Sales NV and the jewel is sponsored by Soon-Young Lee.

Lithuanian Viktoras Sitalo crafted a ring “A Kiss of the Sunbeam’ inspired by the fairy tale “The Conceited Apple –Branch”. The ring is crafted in white gold, enclosing 181 brilliant cut diamonds with a total weight of 5, 43 carats. The diamonds are provided by Vets Alphi Diamond Manufacturing NV.

from. The contest saw 1089 designs being submitted by 654 artists from 40 countries, of which, 39 designs from from Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, India, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, South Korea, Thailand and USA, reached the final round. “Today we once again proved that the HRD Awards is the world’s most exciting and innovative diamond jewellery design contest,” said Freddy J. Hanard, CEO of the Antwerp World Diamond Centre. “As the HRD Awards Collection 2009 begins its global tour at the beginning in September – it will be exposed at the Antwerp diamond museum until then - people from all over the world will be able to appreciate what we already know here in Antwerp.”

The competition jury included eminent professionals from the academic, jewellery and art worlds - professors Max De Cock, professor at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp and Zou Ningxin from the Beijing University for Clothing technology in China, Georges Cuyvers, and Katrin Wouters and Karen Hendrix from Antwerp, Jo Hardy from Sotheby’s London and Raymond Sancroft-Baker, London. Ann De Meulemeester, Kaat Tilley and Johanne Riss, Didier Brodbeck and Peter Thijs, Editors in Chief of the trade publication Diamond Dreams, Paris, France and Label. Jewels & Watches, Antwerp.