The Gem and Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) announced the winners of the fifth edition of The Artisan Awards, powered by GIA, at a glittering ceremony in Mumbai. The awards were given away by Chief Guest David Bennett, former Worldwide Chairman, International Jewellery Division, Sotheby’s, along with Colin Shah, Chairman, GJEPC; Vipul Shah, Vice Chairman, GJEPC; Milan Chokshi, Convener, Promotions, Marketing & Business Development, GJEPC; and Sriram Natarajan, Managing Director, GIA India.

GJEPC conceptualized The Artisan Awards in 2014 with the purpose of motivating designers and artisans who are the backbone of this industry. The Awards provide a platform for jewellery designers to push their creativity and design aesthetics to showcase world-class pieces. Over the years, the Artisan Awards has been attracting a lot of entries not just from India, but all parts of the world – thus establishing its prestigious leadership position in the jewellery industry.

Nine awards were given away, three in each category of the theme – The Collectors. The theme was based on three iconic and legendary women who were known for their incredible style; insatiable hunger for beautiful, one-of-a-kind, signature jewels – a) Elizabeth Taylor, b) Barbara Hutton, and c) Wallis Simpson.

The competition received 570 entries from India and across the world including UK, UAE, Egypt, Turkey, and Russia. The entries were evaluated based on the versatility, technicality, and adaptability of classic curations in today’s time.

Eminent personalities from the world of fashion and jewellery were part of the jury for Artisan Awards which included former journalist and columnist Gayatri Rangachari, bespoke jewellery consultant Arundhati De, avant-garde jewellery designer heading VAK Jewels Vishal Kothari, and GIA India Managing Director Sriram Natarajan.

The international jury members were award-winning jewellery designer and professor Reena Ahluwalia and former Worldwide Chairman, International Jewellery Division, Sotheby’s David Bennett, who judged the pieces virtually. The technical jury for Artisan 2022 consisted of Vikram Singh, Creative Head of Walking Tree and Devinder Layal, Jewellery Artist and Educationist. Nisha Jhangiani was the curator and conceptuliser for the Artisan Awards 2022.

Colin Shah, Chairman, GJEPC, said, “This has been a year of revival and resilience. Today, our country is at the helm of the jewellery business, which is well known for our exceptional designing and manufacturing talent pool which has created renowned jewellery pieces cherished across the world. The Artisan Awards is one of the main initiatives to showcase India’s design prowess and position the country as one of the main design destinations for jewellery. Through Awards, the GJEPC has been encouraging designers to think fearlessly and shape the future of design with unbridled creativity. This year too, we received an overwhelming response despite the tough theme of styling the three famous style icons of yesteryear whose jewellery collections were unparalleled. The Council has also been nurturing previous winning designers by providing them international exposure and opportunities to intern with leading brands in the industry.”

ELIZABETH TAYLOR            

Winner

1. Pendant designed by Pratiksha Gandle; manufactured by Reliance Retail Ltd.(Reliance Jewels)
2. First runner-up Brooch+Pendant designed by Jayaprabu B; manufactured by Vummidi Bangaru Jewellers
3. Second runner-up Necklace+Bracelet designed by Divya Banjare; manufactured by Vummidi Bangaru Jewellers

WALLIS SIMPSON

Winner

1. Brooch designed by Dip Sit; manufactured by KGK Creations India Pvt. Ltd
2. First runner-up Ring designed by Vishnupada Das; manufactured by Popley Eternal
3. Second runner-up Earring designed by Suryadeb Ghosh; manufactured by Gehna Jewellers Pvt. Ltd

BARBARA HUTTON

Winner

1. Necklace designed by Shrutika Shinde; manufactured by Walking Tree Ventures
2. First runner-up Ring designed by Pooja Mohnani; manufactured by International Institute of Gemology
3. Second runner-up Brooch designed by Ruchira Singh; manufactured by Walking Tree India Pvt. Ltd.