The AJDC Jose Hess Design Award Has a $15K Grand Prize
Created in honor of the late designer, the design competition will also award at least six finalists $1,000 each.

The AJDC Jose Hess Design Award asks applicants to create an original piece of jewelry based on the concept “Connection.”
Entries will first comprise sketches, paintings, and renderings. These works should demonstrate originality, design excellence, and technical skill.
A panel of AJDC members will judge the competition. They are: Maggie Hess, Michael Good, Alan Revere, George Sawyer, Barbara Heinrich, Gregoré Morin, and Paul Klecka.
Entries are due June 1 and should be submitted via the AJDC website.
Finalists will execute their designs, with finished pieces due Sept. 2.
The grand prize winner will receive $15,000. At least six finalists will receive $1,000 awards each.
The “Connection” theme is also the concept for AJDC members’ themed projects for 2023. The competition’s winning designs will be exhibited alongside members’ works at a gala event in Tucson in February 2023.
The AJDC Jose Hess Design Award, to be held biennially, is intended to honor designers who will contribute to the future of American jewelry design, the organization said in a press release.
Jose Hess was a designer who majorly contributed to the American design landscape in his career. AJDC said he was at the forefront of the design-driven jewelry movement that has taken over the contemporary landscape.
Hess was a founding member of AJDC. When he began his career in jewelry in the 1960s, jewelry was much more generic, without nearly as many branded styles, especially from independent designers.

Hess made sure that his works were sold under his name and joined forces with other designers who were doing the same, forming what would become the AJDC.
In the 1980s and 1990s, branded designer jewelry began to take hold, heralding in today’s era of independent designers.
Today, AJDC supports and inspires contemporary design talent, inviting “the finest jewelry artists of each generation” to join the organization, it explained.
For the last 25 years, it has held its annual design theme project, asking its designer members to submit a work based on a specific theme, ranging from “Transformation, “Flight,” and “Tension,” to “Polka Dots,” “Stripes,” and “Spiral.”

It allows designers the room to imagine and create, oftentimes in entirely different directions than they normally would.
The AJDC promotes its themed projects to consumers and the trade, at museums, trade shows, jewelry stores, and special exhibitions around the world.
Questions about the inaugural American Jewelry Design Council Jose Hess Design Award may be directed to the organization’s president, Paul Klecka, via email at paul@pklecka.com, or phone at (858) 380-6767.
The Latest

Sponsored by the Gemological Institute of America

The 2025 Australian Open champion is the jewelry brand’s first athlete ambassador.

The West Village jewelry boutique’s new shop-in-shop is the cornerstone of Nordstrom’s revamped jewelry hall.

The Seymour & Evelyn Holtzman Bench Scholarship from Jewelers of America returns for a second year.

This past year, the manufacturer said it recorded below-zero emissions per carat of natural diamond.


The brand’s “Golden Strada” statement necklace features round, marquise, and pear diamonds that sparkle like Fourth of July fireworks.

JSA’s Scott Guginsky provided a list of nine security measures jewelers should observe while locking up for the long weekend.

The countdown is on for the JCK Las Vegas Show and JA is pulling out all the stops.

Located on Rodeo Drive, the store’s design was inspired by Hollywood and Los Angeles culture.

The new location continues the brand’s celebration of its 25th anniversary.

The online watch marketplace’s “Time Is Our Thing” campaign highlights the importance of time.

She will oversee strategic planning, fundraising, industry partnerships, and the launch of the Gem Legacy Campus in Tanzania.

Working with Amazon’s Counterfeit Crimes Unit and law enforcement, Pandora helped to shut down a large-scale counterfeit network in China.

The jewelry company has closed its three California brick-and-mortar stores, as well as its online shop, for now.

He is remembered for his successful entrepreneurship, generosity, and dedication to his family.

The jewelry store chain has reportedly been struggling with costs related to tariffs as well as tough retail competition.

Welcome warm summer days with red hot rubies perfectly chosen as July’s birthstone.

Co-founders Afzal Imram and Lin Ruiyin brought their son’s story of a cosmic egg, toadstool, and railroad to life in their new collection.

The best time to prepare for the holiday season is right now, according to columnist Emmanuel Raheb.

“The Jewelry Book” comes out this September.

The company is focused on modernizing the custom jewelry buying experience with e-commerce tools like product visualization and 3D styling.

Following its recent acquisition, the storied brand has updated its leadership team and regional managers.

AGS also named the recipient of its “Women in Leadership” scholarship.

The 20-karat yellow gold and diamond wrap ring is modeled after the Monstera plants in the garden of the brand’s Miami villa.

Rocksbox President Allison Vigil shared the retailer’s expansion plans, and her thoughts on opening stores in malls.

The creator of the WJA Chicago chapter is remembered as a champion for women in the jewelry industry and a loving grandmother.

The decline was consistent across age groups and almost all income groups, with tariffs and inflation still top of mind.