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.
Events & AwardsAug 01, 2016
2017 Saul Bell Design Contest Open for Submissions
Rio Grande has issued a call for entries for its annual design contest and will be accepting them through late October.
Albuquerque, N.M.--Entries for next year’s Saul Bell Design Award competition are now being accepted.
The annual design competition, run by jewelry supply company Rio Grande, has eight categories: Gold/Platinum, Silver/Argentium Silver, Metal Clay, Enamel, Hollowware/Art Objects, Alternative Metals/Materials, plus two Emerging Jewelry Artist categories, one for designers who are 18 or younger and the other for designers who are 22 or younger by the Oct. 27 deadline.
“These are people who care deeply and passionately about our craft; most of them have dedicated a lifetime to honing their skills,” said Alan Bell, president of Rio Grande. “Everyone in the industry benefits from their design leadership and the excitement they bring to the jewelry and metal arts-- the new directions and possibilities that emanate from them and spread to the wider jewelry world.”
Next year will be the 17th year of the competition. Last year’s winners were announced at Rio Grande’s Santa Fe Symposium in May.
The competition, which commemorates the life of longtime jeweler Saul Bell, is judged by various jewelry industry professionals. Winners of the competition will be featured in the Plumb Club at the 2017 JCK Las Vegas show.
“I have been fortunate enough to win many of the jewelry industry’s top design awards, and I can say that the Saul Bell Award is the most important to me,” said Ryan Roberts, a multi-year winner. “No other competition covers so many aspects of what it takes to make a great piece of jewelry. Winning a Saul Bell truly means that you’ve had your work scrutinized by the industry’s top designers, jewelers and jewelry media professionals. I feel it is the most important design competition in the business.”
Entries will be accepted through Oct. 27. For more information, visit SaulBellAward.com.
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