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Submissions Open for the Jose Hess Design Awards 2025 January 15, 2025 (0 comments)

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New York, NY--The Jose Hess Design Awards, a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering innovation in fine jewelry design, has opened the 2025 competition. This year’s theme, Radiance,” celebrates enduring beauty and invites designers to create jewelry that captures the essence of lasting elegance and brilliance. Participants are encouraged to craft new designs that not only sparkle physically but also illuminate lives, transcending time to become cherished heirlooms for future generations.

The competition aims to discover and support talent in the fine jewelry industry, continuing the legacy of Jose Hess, an award-winning designer and graduate of the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). As one of the first designers to champion design-driven jewelry in America, Hess's influential career spanned more than five decades and included historic achievements such as becoming the first American President of CIBJO (World Jewellery Confederation) and was a founding member of the American Jewelry Design Council.

Participants must submit original and newly designed sketch or CAD rendering piece(s) inspired by this year's theme by February 28. Finalists will be notified in early April and will need to provide photography and videos of the finished piece(s) by May 1 for final judging.

Competition Requirements:

  • Designs must be original and created specifically for this contest and theme
  • Fine jewelry category exclusively
  • Designs must relate to the theme
  • Materials limited to 18kt Gold or Platinum
  • Only Natural Diamonds or Natural Precious Stones permitted
  • Emphasis on quality workmanship, finishing and craft
  • Technical proficiency required
  • Designs must demonstrate consumer wearability
  • Participation requires being an exhibitor at the JCK and/or Luxury 2025 Shows in Las Vegas

The awards will recognize outstanding talent across multiple categories:

  • Grand Prize Winner
  • Second Prize Winner
  • Third Prize Winner
  • Distinguished Finalists

Winners will be selected through a rigorous judging process. The competition will culminate in an awards reception announcing the winners at the JCK Show in Las Vegas where industry leaders, influential retailers and media will gather to celebrate exceptional design achievement.  Winners will receive trophies and valuable opportunities to advance their exposure in the jewelry industry.

"We seek to inspire the next generation of jewelry designers to push creative boundaries while honoring the timeless principles of exceptional craftsmanship," says Magdalena (Maggie) Hess, the late wife of Jose Hess. “Our vision is for the winners of the Jose Hess Design Awards to have a lasting, positive impact on the fine jewelry industry. Their creativity and passion will help shape a brighter, more innovative future for jewelry design.”

Designers interested in participating can submit through the Jose Hess Design Awards official website.