See the Winner of GIA’s Design Competition
The Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation Award for Excellence in Jewelry Design was presented to a graduate of the GIA school in Taipei.

The award was created alongside the Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation in 2018 to recognize the talent of GIA’s jewelry design students worldwide.
The award for 2023 was presented during the annual GIA Alumni Collective celebration in Tucson, Arizona, to Suhan Wang, a graduate of the GIA school in Taipei, Taiwan.
The winning design was inspired by the jungle, meant to be crafted in platinum and set with diamonds, rubies, emerald, and tsavorite.
“The inspiration came from the mellow and delicate fruits in the dense jungle. It took only a few minutes for the sketch of this design to be completed, but it took dozens of hours to refine details and finish rendering,” said Wang.
“Attending GIA was a rewarding experience for zero-to-one growth, and it certainly gives me higher expectations of myself, which motivates me in my career.”
Larry French, chief officer for North American strategies at the Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation, congratulated Wang and the other designers in the competition on behalf of the foundation and Rosa Maria Buccellati.
“We appreciate the talented GIA design instructors whose skill and efforts helped the students on their journey to celebrate the art of jewelry design in the highest way, an art that meant so much to our founder Gianmaria Buccellati,” said French.
Gianmaria Buccellati set up a foundation in his name in 2008 to honor the artistic and cultural legacy of his work and that of his father, Mario, who established the Italian jewelry brand.
The judges for this year’s competition were:
Nanz Aalund, jewelry designer, goldsmith, and educator;
Cathy Calhoun, owner of Calhoun Jewelers;
Victoria Gomelsky; editor-in-chief of JCK;
Charles Lewton-Brain; jewelry artist and co-founder of the Ganoksin Project;
Rémy Rotenier, fine jewelry designer and design teacher; and
Shelly Sergent, collections manager of Somewhere In the Rainbow Gemstone and Jewelry Collection.
The 2024 Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation Award for Excellence in Jewelry Design competition is currently underway and open to students in GIA’s Jewelry Design course who meet the eligibility requirements.
For more information, visit the GIA website.
The Latest

The Vault’s Katherine Jetter is accusing the retailer of using info she shared for a potential partnership to move into Nantucket.

Agents seized 2,193 pieces, a mix of counterfeit Cartier “Love” and “Juste Un Clou” bracelets, and Van Cleef & Arpels’ “Alhambra” design.

The designer brought her children’s book, “The Big Splash Circus,” to life through a collection of playful fine jewelry characters.

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

The organization has also announced this year’s slate of judges.


Associate Editor Natalie Francisco shares 20 additional pieces that stood out to her at the Couture show.

Lori Tucker started at Williams Jewelers when she was 18 years old.

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

The “Marvel | Citizen Zenshin” watch is crafted in Super Titanium and has subtle nods to all four “Fantastic Four” superheroes on the dial.

The “XO Tacori” collection was designed to blend luxury and accessible pricing.

Pritesh Patel, the lab’s chief operating officer, will take over as president and CEO of GIA.

National Jeweler and Jewelers of America discuss the standout jewelry trends and biggest news to emerge from the shows this year.

Signatories to the “Luanda Accord” committed to allocating 1 percent of annual diamond revenue to the Natural Diamond Council.

Nominations in the categories of Jewelry Design, Media Excellence, and Retail Innovation will be accepted through July 30.

The singer’s ring ticks off many bridal trends, with a thick band, half-bezel setting, and solitaire diamond.

The bracelet references vintage high jewelry and snake symbolism as a playful piece where a python’s head becomes a working belt buckle.

The heist happened in Lebec, California, in 2022 when a Brinks truck was transporting goods from one show in California to another.

The 10-carat fancy purple-pink diamond with potential links to Marie Antoinette headlined the white-glove jewelry auction this week.

The Starboard Cruises SVP discusses who is shopping for jewelry on ships, how much they’re spending, and why brands should get on board.

The historic signet ring exceeded its estimate at Noonans Mayfair’s jewelry auction this week.

To mark the milestone, the brand is introducing new non-bridal fine jewelry designs for the first time in two decades.

The gemstone is the third most valuable ruby to come out of the Montepuez mine, Gemfields said.

Founder and longtime CEO Ben Smithee will stay with the agency, transitioning into the role of founding partner and strategic advisor.

Associate Editor Natalie Francisco shares 20 of her favorite pieces from the jewelry collections that debuted at Couture.

If you want to attract good salespeople and generate a stream of “sleeping money” for your jewelry store, then you are going to have to pay.

The top lot was a colorless Graff diamond, followed by a Burmese ruby necklace by Marcus & Co.

Gizzi, who has been in the industry since 2001, is now Jewelers of America’s senior vice president of corporate affairs.