MajorsJan 27, 2022
A New Book Collects the Musings of the Late Jose Hess Events & AwardsMar 14, 2022
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.
Article Image Caption In honor of one of its founding members, the late Jose Hess (pictured), the American Jewelry Design Council has launched a jewelry design competition. (Image courtesy of AJDC)
New York—The American Jewelry Design Council has established a design competition in memory of jewelry designer Jose Hess.
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.
Related stories will be right here …
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.
Jose Hess (Image courtesy of AJDC)
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.”
Designs from AJDC’s Polka Dot Design Theme projects. Clockwise from top left: Jose Hess, Diana Vincent, Alan Revere and Gregoré Morin. (Image courtesy of AJDC)
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.
More on Events & Awards
The Latest
FinancialsMay 22, 2026
Richemont’s Jewelry Brands Lead the Charge in Q4The company’s jewelry sales were up in Q4 and the fiscal year, with Richemont raising prices in part because of the cost of gold.
CollectionsMay 22, 2026
Leigh Maxwell Celebrates 5 Years at Couture With ‘Bauble’ CollectionThe “Bauble” capsule collection of colorful one-of-a-kinds includes our Piece of the Week, the “Bauble” earrings, featuring rose zircon.
MajorsMay 22, 2026
Stuller’s New Packaging, Display Catalog Is Out The updated catalog has a newly dedicated section for gift wrapping.
Brought to you by
All Eyes on Gold Prices. Alternatives to Look For. And What to BEWARE of in VegasAs gold prices rise, today’s retailers are looking for alternatives at prices that will appeal to wider audiences.
PodcastsMay 21, 2026
Episode 5: Sotheby’s Frank Everett Puts the Auction Market in PerspectiveEverett covers colored stones’ surging popularity, the mellow return of the “Mellon Blue,” and his “The Devil Wears Prada” doppelgänger.
Weekly QuizMay 21, 2026
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
IndependentsMay 21, 2026
Springer’s Jewelers’ New Flagship Will Serve Next-Gen Luxury ShoppersFourth-generation CEO Lilly Mullen wants to emphasize experience, connection, and personalized service.
SourcingMay 21, 2026
Botswana, Angola Join WFDBThe addition of the diamond-producing countries as nation affiliated members broadens the federation’s global representation, WFDB said.
Brought to you by
How Modern Training Is Becoming a Competitive Advantage for Jewelry RetailersWith the trade and customer trust in mind, GIA® developed NextGem™ – on-demand training designed specifically for retail.
CrimeMay 20, 2026
NYPD Warns of Jewelry Swap Scams Targeting SeniorsThe NYPD is warning elderly New Yorkers to keep their jewelry hidden when walking outside to avoid being a target.
IndependentsMay 20, 2026
Adornment & Theory’s New Store Feels Like Home Designer Viviana Langhoff has realized her dream of owning a space for her Chicago jewelry store that looks and feels like her brand.
Events & AwardsMay 20, 2026
Here Is Couture’s 2026 Education Lineup The sessions will run from Friday, May 29, to Sunday, May 31, with one being a live taping of an episode of Couture’s podcast.
Lab-GrownMay 20, 2026
Savannah Friedkin Jewelry Names New CEOFormer Stephanie Gottlieb Fine Jewelry executive Morgan P. Richardson is joining the lab-grown diamond jewelry brand.
WatchesMay 19, 2026
Here’s the AP x Swatch Pocket Watch That Caused PandemoniumThe $400 pocket watch is a blend of Audemars Piguet’s iconic eight-sided Royal Oak and Swatch’s unserious Pop watches from the ‘80s.
CollectionsMay 19, 2026
Chris Ploof’s New Collection Makes an Ancient Metal ModernWith gold prices on the rise, the “Modern Electrum” collection uses an alternative, non-tarnishing metal alloy composed of gold and silver.
IndependentsMay 19, 2026
Ellen and Michael Fruchtman Retire, Sell Marketing Agency Fruchtman Marketing has new owners, Erin Moyer-Carballea and Manuel Carballea, and will relocate to Miami.
ColumnistsMay 19, 2026
Peter Smith: The (Mostly) Immutable Sales TruthsIn a column for the 2026 State of the Majors issue, Smith lists 10 time-tested principles about sales that still ring true.
ColumnistsMay 18, 2026
Edahn Golan: What a K-Shaped Economy Means for Fine JewelryIn a column for the 2026 State of the Majors issue, Golan spells out how the growing economic divide in the U.S. is reshaping the market.
CollectionsMay 18, 2026
Foundrae’s New Collection Taps Into JoyThe “Limitless Expansion of Joy and Hope” collection evokes summer through colored gemstones and motifs of butterflies and florals.
CollectionsMay 18, 2026
Hancocks London Acquires Historic ‘Inchiquin’ EmeraldThe jewel, circa 1890, is from the late Victorian era and was owned by descendants of the last high king of Ireland.
Events & AwardsMay 18, 2026
Here Are the 2026 JCK Industry Fund Grant Recipients This is what the nine recipients plan to do with the funds.
AuctionsMay 15, 2026
American Collector Ponies Up Almost $17K for John Wayne’s RingThe Western star’s 14-karat gold signet ring sold for six times its low estimate following a bidding war at U.K. auction house Elmwood’s.
Events & AwardsMay 15, 2026
JA, MJSA To Sponsor Roundtable at TJSThe discussion, "Rebuilding the Jewelry Workforce," will take place on Saturday, May 16, in Troy, Michigan.
SourcingMay 15, 2026
State of Diamonds: The Way Forward for Natural DiamondsThe jewelry industry is reassessing its positioning as Gen Z reshapes the retail landscape and lab grown continues to gain market share.
AuctionsMay 14, 2026
White Diamonds Lead Sotheby’s Auction, Blue Diamond Does Not SellA matching pair of 18.38-carat, D-color diamonds from Botswana’s Jwaneng mine sold for $3.3 million, the top lot of the jewelry auction.
Supplier BulletinMay 14, 2026
A Diamond Is Forever Continues Desert Diamonds – Bridal ReinvigoratedSponsored by A Diamond Is Forever
SourcingMay 14, 2026
State of Colored Stones: The Spirit of Young American Gemstone CuttersThe next generation of lapidarists are entrepreneurial, engaged online, and see the craft as a means for artistic expression.
AuctionsMay 14, 2026
‘Ocean Dream’ Makes Waves at Christie’s, Fetching $17MIt was the second auction appearance for the fancy vivid blue-green diamond, which sold for $7.8 million at Christie’s Geneva 12 years ago.
