AJA’s Design Competition Now Accepting Entries
The Armenian Jewellers Association is hosting its design competition for the second year, with winners showcasing at GemGenève in May 2025.

AJA’s judging committee will select five winners who will be given the opportunity to showcase their winning piece in the Armenian Designers booth, which is sponsored by AJA, at GemGenève on May 18 – 11 in 2025.
The winners will also have their work highlighted in AJA’s publications and social media, along with exhibiting at the trade show in Geneva.
Interested jewelers and designers must be of Armenian heritage to enter the competition, submitting either a production-ready sketch or a finished piece of jewelry.
The sketches can be hand-drawn or rendered by any traditional drawing media or CAD.
If submitting a finished piece, it must be crafted from precious metals like gold, silver, or platinum, with or without gemstones.
A judging panel made up of independent experts in the industry will choose the competition’s five winners according to three criteria.
There is creativity and innovative design, where the judges will evaluate each piece’s market appeal, design relevance, and manufacturing practicality.
Then they will assess the technical ability of the piece, where they look at the quality of workmanship and materials, and lastly is presentation, where the judges determine if the piece has good branding and inspiration.
The deadline to enter the 2024 Armenian Jewelry Design Competition is Nov. 17.
Judging will take place from Nov. 20 to Dec. 10, with the organization announcing its winners on Jan. 15.
Applicants can submit up to five designs. They must be in separate entry forms submitted online.
To learn more about the Armenian Jewellers Association and its design competition, email contact@aja.internatinal or visit its LinkedIn page.
The Latest

One is the driver who allegedly crashed a car into a Sacramento jewelry store in April, striking a 71-year-old employee who later died.

In a new column, Peter Smith posits that people actually enjoy putting together IKEA furniture, and the same is true for engagement rings.

9lakha Jewelers in Iselin, New Jersey, was the target of a smash-and-grab robbery on Aug. 8.

Retailers are seeking new ways to attract customers, increase traffic, and create revenue – Estate buying events are a popular solution.

The jeweler has partnered with Jenner’s 818 Tequila brand to gift lab-grown diamond studs to a bride-to-be and their bridal party.


Marquise-cut diamonds in drop charms are the center of the new collection, reflecting the movement of a dancer in modular styles.

The family-owned jeweler will open a new showroom in Bel Air, Maryland, this fall.

Colored gemstones, artisan finishes, mixed metals, and meaningful details are shaping demand in bridal jewelry.

Amanda Ileana Hernandez is married to Carlos Hernandez, one of two men in prison for the 2024 murder of Michigan jeweler Hussein Murray.

The reimagined jewel, our Piece of the Week, trades the diamonds in the original 1998 design for blue, pink, yellow, and green sapphires.

Sponsored by American Gem Trade Association

In the United States, second-quarter sales were flat amid soft consumer sentiment and lower in-store traffic.

The 22-karat gold egg, sold at Batemans Auctioneers in the U.K., was part of a 1980s treasure hunt ad campaign for Cadbury Creme Eggs.

Lucara Diamond Corp., which recovered the “Motswedi” diamond from the Karowe mine, sold the stone for an undisclosed amount.

The expanded collections now feature hand-cut gemstones like topaz, tanzanite, chrysoprase, chalcedony, smoky quartz, and fire opal.

The lab-grown diamond jewelry brand’s newest boutique is in Westfield Valley Fair in Santa Clara, California.

The gemstone supplier and manufacturer acquired the remarkable 104-gram Zambian emerald at Gemfields’ auction in May.

Two suspects offered to trade the woman a “winning” lottery ticket for her jewelry.

Finsch has been in business rescue since May, and owner Petra Diamonds said it sees no viable path forward for the mine.

Michel Patrick DeSalles was sentenced after pleading guilty to the 2017 murder of Omid Gholian, who owned a jewelry store in Manhattan.

Longtime industry executive Beth Miller has taken on the role.

The brooch was owned by Virginia Fortune Ryan Ogilvy, who served as a lady of the bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth II for nearly 50 years.

Jamie Cygielman will take on the role on Aug. 24.

Moore, Polly’s husband, is remembered as a family man with an easygoing spirit and a love for sports and the outdoors.

Duvall O’Steen and Jen Cullen Williams share the best ways to display, present, and explain colored gemstones to younger customers.

The mid-year conference for jewelry and watch appraisers will take place Sept. 5-6 on Zoom.

Honest Hands Ring Co. Founder Benjamin Bosworth shared his thoughts on jewelry technology and why AI can never replace the human element.























