Chris Blakeslee has experience at Athleta and Alo Yoga. Kendra Scott will remain on board as executive chair and chief visionary officer.
MJSA Vision Awards Open for Entries Until April 1
MJSA is calling for submissions to its 2016 Vision Awards, which recognize outstanding talent in jewelry design.
New York--The MJSA’s 2016 Vision Awards, which recognize outstanding talent in jewelry design, are open for entries now through April 1.
The awards include a number of general categories as well as sponsored categories that honor designers working within specific techniques, known as Distinction awards.
Now in their 25th year, the MJSA Vision Awards also have continued to expand the focus beyond just design to the business of design with the new Responsible Practices Distinction.
The categories for the Vision Awards are as follows.
--Professional Design Excellence (1-3 years), honors designs that exhibit exceptional creativity, craftsmanship and marketability by jewelers who have been in business for one to three years;
--Professional Design Excellence (4-plus years), honors designs that exhibit exceptional creativity, craftsmanship and marketability by jewelers who have been in business for four years or more;
--Custom Design Distinction, honors designs that met a client’s request and the challenges encountered during the design process and how they were overcome;
--Laser Distinction, honors entries in which the design relied upon the use of a laser and any technical challenges that were overcome to take the piece from concept to completion;
-- CAD/CAM Distinction, honors designs that were created with the use of CAD/CAM technologies and the challenges that were overcome to take the piece from concept to completion;
--Responsible Practices Distinction, new for 2016, honors designs that use responsibly sourced materials, including recycled metals and fair trade gems, and were created using environmentally sensitive manufacturing processes; and
--Future of the Industry Award, recognizes the work of students in jewelry-related programs who exhibit exceptional design talent and creativity.
A panel of jewelry designers, manufacturers and editors will judge designs based on originality, presentation quality, effective use of materials, wearability and the design’s perceived manufacturing and marketing potential.
The winning entries will be showcased at the March 2017 MJSA Expo New York and also will be mentioned in InStore, Metalsmith and the association’s own MJSA Journal special awards issue.
In addition, winners will receive cash prizes, gift certificates for tools and supplies, book packages and more.
Eligibility and submission guidelines can be found on the MJSA website.
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