Sunday Times 2
SLGJA calls for submissions for SL Jewellery Design Awards 2015
View(s):In a bid to harness and hone talent in the gem and jewellery sector, the Sri Lanka Gem & Jewellery Association has launched the Jewellery Design Awards for the 4th successive year. Designers who participate would have four categories to choose from, with three categories allotted for Sri Lankan residents, while the fourth category would be for the international designers.
The winners will be awarded at a ceremony on September 3 at the BMICH. The international winner will receive an all-expense paid trip to visit the Facets show in September 2015 and the Sri Lankan winners would receive an all-expenses paid trip to the Bangkok Jewellery Show in Thailand in February 2016.
Chairman of the Sri Lanka Jewellery Design Awards, Sellakumar Kandasamy stated that several new advances are being incorporated in the 4th year of the award. “SLGJA is dedicated to taking this industry forward and this award is part of that vision. We have decided to elevate the standards and incorporate design more integrally and a design mentoring programme to ensure our semi-finalists gets the right education and guidance; for this, we have tied up with the acclaimed AOD international design campus whose international design faculty will be part of the mentoring programme.”
The competition would be held in two stages for the local participant with a preliminary round followed by a design mentoring programme for semi-finalists and a final round where the selected finalists have the opportunity to manufacture the pieces themselves or partner with jewellery makers who will manufacture and exhibit their pieces. The categories include gold/silver (metal based jewellery with no stones), diamond jewellery and coloured stone jewellery.
The award is also opening a new international category which will be judged independently to the local category. Mr. Kandasamy said the purpose of this is to promote the Sri Lankan Blue Sapphire among international jewellery designers and to give them a chance to work with local jewellery makers.
AOD principal Karen MacLeod said that that AOD is delighted to be part of the award as the ‘Design Knowledge Partner’ “AOD is a pro-industry campus, we believe that we should work hand in hand with industry so that our joint mission of having industry-ready designers in the future becomes a reality. The outcomes of integrating design knowledge into this award will benefit the entire industry and help elevate the standards to a great level.”
The closing date for submissions is March 27, 2015. The completed applications along with the designs can be submitted in sealed envelopes to The Chairman, Sir Lanka Jewellery Design Awards 2015, Sri Lanka Gem & Jewellery Association (SLGJA), 38 Frankfurt Place, Colombo 4. For more information about the awards, judging process and the applications, log on to http://www.facetssrilanka.com/sljda2015