Jury Selects Finalists for HRD Jewelry Awards

An HRD jury has selected 44 designers to enter the next round of its biennial diamond jewelry award contest. 698 designers submitted 1092 drawings for the HRD Awards, which was based on the theme of ‘A Night at the Opera’.

The 44 designers who have been picked to move onto the next stage will be sponsored by Antwerp diamond companies, which will supply them with the diamonds needed to turn their submitted drawing into jewelry items.

The goal of the competition is to encourage creativity and design excellence in contemporary diamond jewelry. The 44 designers, who come from 11 countries, were judged on creativity, originality, wearability, and craftsmanship.

The 44 finished jewelry items must be submitted to HRD before March 9, 2007 when they will then be judged for design excellence, innovation, enthusiasm, and craftsmanship. The winner will receive € 5,000.

All 44 candidates will enjoy a promotion program both in Belgium and abroad, which will be launched at a gala prize giving event on May 24, 2007. In July and August, the HRD Awards 2007 Collection will be displayed at the Antwerp Diamond Museum, followed by a world tour that will showcase the designs at international jewelry fairs, museums, and jewelry galleries.

The selected designers are:

• Reena Ahluwalia (Canada),
• Shan Feng Bao (China),
• Esther Belis (Belgium),
• Rudrajit Bose (Brazil)
• Sarah Bovendeerd (Belgium),
• Soraya Camilo (Brazil),
• Luiza De Castro (Brazil),
• Neha Ghai (India), Ruth Grieco (Brazil),
• Ying He Ying (China),
• Zhao Honggang (China),
• Kazuyo Ishikawa (Japan),
• Shi Jing (China),
• Chatri Keereedej (Thailand),
• Mei Lee (Belgium),
• Ke Yang Ma (China),
• Ronil Magdaraog Buitre (Philippines),
• Jorge Manilla Navarette (Mexico),
• Ga?lle Mari? (France),
• Hiroshi Matsumoto (Japan),
• Ximao Miao (China),
• Sarah Mossaed Bin Abdulaziz (Saudi Arabia),
• Asako Ohtsuki (Japan),
• Juliana Pellegrini Lemos (Brazil),
• Yan Ray (China),
• Sancha Livia Resende (Brazil) ,
• Eliania Rosetti (Brazil),
• Hitomi Sasaki (Japan) ,
• Kana Sato (Japan) ,
• Marleen Schodts (Belgium),
• Reema Shah (Belgium),
• Yi Song (China),
• Alina Sossou Alamorean (France),
• Nathalie Swinnen (Belgium),
• Chisa Takagi (Japan),
• Rachel Tavora & Mariana Tomasi (Brazil),
• Tamako Tsuda (Japan),
• Hilde Van Belleghem (Belgium),
• Annelies Van Isacker (Belgium),
• Anouck Van Puyvelde (Belgium),
• Annelies Weinberger (Belgium),
• Timoth? Windeshausen (Belgium),
• Yi Zhao (China),
• Ying Zheng Zhi (China).