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.
Editors' Picks
Sponsored by
More on Events & Awards
The Latest
CrimeNov 09, 2026
Jeweler Pistol-Whipped, $900K in Jewelry Stolen During Home Invasion The incident, which happened in Miami-Dade County, serves as a reminder to jewelers of the dangers of selling and storing jewelry at home.
GradingNov 09, 2026
GIA Acquires Thousands of Gem Specimens With ‘Extraordinary’ InclusionsGIA Analytical Microscopist John Koivula curated the collection of 2,665 crystals, gems, and minerals over a 60-year span.
CollectionsNov 09, 2026
Bibi van der Velden’s Alligators Become High JewelryThe “Eclipse” collection, the brand’s first high jewelry line, centers its alligator motif in diamond and spinel jewels.
Brought to you by
DSF Antique Jewelry: Fine Jewelry, Signed Designers, and a World of Rare DiscoveriesWith over 50 years experience in the trade, DSF Antique Jewelry offers quality, craftsmanship, condition, and remarkable variety.
EditorsNov 06, 2026
The Spectrum Pieces I Can’t Stop Thinking AboutFrom a Betta fish brooch to a “dragon’s trove” of zircon eggs, here are seven pieces that’ve stuck with Associate Editor Lauren McLemore.
Weekly QuizNov 05, 2026
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
TrendsNov 06, 2026
Pat Pruitt’s DragonFly Earrings Take Flight on Election NightGroundbreaking New Mexico Governor-elect Deb Haaland wore the earrings, our Piece of the Week, when she declared victory on Tuesday.
MajorsNov 06, 2026
SNL’s Colin Jost Finds the Perfect Gift in Kay Jewelers’ Holiday AdJost goes on an epic journey, traversing rough seas and encountering a cyclops, to discover the perfect holiday gift.
Brought to you by
How Overnight Mountings’ Bridal Builder Makes Custom Engagement Ring Design Easier to SellWith customization becoming more expected in engagement ring shopping, the Bridal Builder makes the process tangible.
Supplier BulletinNov 05, 2026
Winning With GCAL 8X®: What’s Working at the CounterSponsored by GCAL by Sarine
SurveysNov 05, 2026
What Retailers Should Know About Holiday Shoppers This YearFrom shrinking budgets to AI elves, here are five takeaways from holiday reports by Bain, Adobe, Mastercard, NRF, and insights from YouGov.
CollectionsNov 05, 2026
Judi Powers, Russell Jones Unleash Joy With New CollaborationThe designers combined their talents for Little Pet Portraits, hand-painted miniatures of our best friends set in a piece of jewelry.
FinancialsNov 05, 2026
Brilliant Earth Continued to Resonate With High-Income Shoppers in Q3Its non-bridal fine jewelry remains the star of the show, recently launching new collections inspired by Elizabeth Taylor and Jane Goodall.
MajorsNov 05, 2026
Ariana Grande Stars In Swarovski’s Holiday Campaign“Joy: The Swarovski Musical” features Ariana Grande as the leading lady in scenes inspired by classic musical montages.
GradingNov 05, 2026
GIA to Offer Next-Day Holiday ServicesThe lab will bring back its complimentary next-day service for some reports starting next week.
CrimeNov 04, 2026
$250K+ in Undeclared Cartier Jewelry Seized at Philadelphia AirportA Pennsylvania woman failed to declare a ring and a bracelet, discarding the boxes and receipts to conceal the purchases, officials said.
FinancialsNov 04, 2026
Pandora’s Q3 Sales Up 7% Amid Focus on DesignNew collections and relevant marketing pushed the company forward, while Pandora’s lab-grown diamond sales continue to lag.
MajorsNov 04, 2026
Bergdorf Goodman Names New PresidentLanessa Elrod, former president and CEO of Louis Vuitton Americas, has stepped into the role as the retailer celebrates 125 years.
AuctionsNov 03, 2026
Infinity Gauntlet Set With 170+ Carats of Colored Gemstones Up for AuctionA replica of one of the most powerful objects in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the glove is heading to auction next month in Abu Dhabi.
IndependentsNov 03, 2026
Longtime Jewelry Marketer Arthur Klein Dies at 89Klein, who had his own marketing agency and worked for Gabriel & Co. and Trans American Diamond, is remembered as a kind man.
IndependentsNov 03, 2026
Zadok Jewelers Toasts To 50 Years With Diamond Bracelet GiveawayTo enter the giveaway, locals can purchase a featured beverage from one of eight participating restaurants in Houston and Austin, Texas.
Events & AwardsNov 03, 2026
NAJA, Instappraise Name 2026 Scholarship WinnersThe winners include a non-NAJA member seeking training, a member beginning NAJA courses, and a member becoming a Certified Master Appraiser.
AuctionsNov 02, 2026
197-Carat ‘Romanov Sapphire’ Heads to Sotheby’s GenevaThe rare jewel, which has links to Russia’s Romanov dynasty, is estimated to fetch up to $2 million.
CrimeNov 02, 2026
Customs Seizes More Than 400 Fake Audemars Piguet WatchesIt is one of several seizures of counterfeit jewelry and watches by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials in Louisville this year.
MajorsNov 02, 2026
Lawrence Bock, Caryl Capeci, Amanda Coleman-Phelps Join JA Board Jewelers of America announced the additions to its board of directors following its annual general meeting, held last week.
CollectionsNov 02, 2026
Olympian Kristi Yamaguchi, Heller Jewelers Expand ‘Always Dream’ CollectionThe jewelry collection supports Yamaguchi’s Always Dream foundation, which provides reading and educational resources to families in need.
Events & AwardsOct 30, 2026
Illuminating Carved Paraiba Pendant, Suite of Moonstones Wow at Spectrum AwardsSpectrum’s “Best of Show” honors went to a 101-carat Paraiba carved to look like Medusa that has a magnet-activated LED light.
TrendsOct 30, 2026
Edina Kiss’ Pendants Say ‘Eye’m Watching You’Our Halloween Pieces of the Week are four “Eye” pendants, each set with colorful gemstones.
