The Hawaii Jewelers Association (HJA) holds a Design Contest annually which showcases the incredible designs of Hawaii's jewelry professionals. Held concurrently with the Annual Fundraiser Banquet, this nationally and internationally recognized design contest is open to HJA members.

Submitted pieces are graded by three independent judges the week prior to the Annual Banquet (usually held in May) and the winners are announced during the banquet. In addition to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners from the formal judging, banquet attendees vote for their favorite entries as "People's Choice" award winners in each category.

The 2020 design contest was held in early October. The deadline to submit entries was Wednesday, September 30th and the winners were:

Under $3500 Category:

• 1st Place: Pua Melia by Chira Duval-Arnould, Aquagems
• 2nd Place: Lunar Love Ring by Carrie Nottage-Smith, Na Hoku
• 3rd Place: Dawn Eclipse by Mark Carson, Mark Carson/Individual Design
• People's Choice: Rippin It by Tom Wheeler, Opal Fields

$3500 and Over Category:

• 1st Place: Magnificent by Tom Wheeler, Opal Fields
• 2nd Place: Secret Garden by Donna Wong, Keoni Collection
• 3rd Place: Dancing Mr. Blue by Wailua Brandman, Opal Fields
• People's Choice: Magnificent by Tom Wheeler, Opal Fields

Hawaiian Themed Category:

• 1st Place: Hawaiian Sunrise by Denny Wong, Denny Wong Designs
• 2nd Place: Moana Reef-Life by Carrie Nottage-Smith, Na Hoku
• 3rd Place: Lehua Alohilani by Sharon Gilbert, Lehua Jewelers
• People's Choice: Ohana by Luana Zablan, Lehua Jewelers

Designer of the Year 2020: Chira Duval-Arnould, Aquagems for Pua Melia

Voting for the 2020 People Choice Awards was done via a Poll linked to the HJA Facebook Page. Voting ended on Saturday, October 10th.

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HJA Facebook Page

Click here to view each of the 2020 Design Contest Entries

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Click here to download the official rules

The winners will receive a koa framed certificate. The winners are promoted by HJA in social media, trade magazines and industry publications, and other forms of communication both locally and nationally.

Design Contest Categories:

• Jewelry under $3500
• Jewelry $3500 and Over
• Hawaiian Themed Jewelry
• Estate/Vintage Jewelry (People's Choice Award only) - NOTE: there is no Estate/Vintage category in the 2020 Design Contest.

Entries are judged on a point system (does not apply to Estate/Vintage):

Judging Criteria

A) Overall Design	40 points maximum
B) Marketability	20 points maximum
C) Practicality/Wearability	20 points maximum
D) Craftsmanship	20 points maximum
Total	100 points maximum

Guide
A) Is it compelling?
B) Does the price match the piece?
C) Is it comfortable to wear?
D) Is it well made?

The designer of the highest scoring entry across all categories is designated the Hawaii Jewelers Association "Designer of the Year". So the Designer of the Year could come from the Under $3500, $3500 and Over, or Hawaiian Themed category.

Estate/Vintage pieces are not eligible for Designer of the Year. Estate/Vintage pieces do not have to have been designed by an HJA member. NOTE - the 2020 Design Contest does not have a Vintage Category.

Entries in the Under $3500, $3500 and Over, and Hawaiian Themed categories must be designed by an HJA member and produced within 18 months prior to the Design Contest.

A designer must be from an HJA member company and can only submit one entry per judged category. More than one designer from a company may submit entries. Estate/Vintage entries are not associated with a designer and an HJA member company may submit as many Estate/Vintage pieces as they wish.

Featured at the Hong Kong Jewellery Show
Biennially, the HJA Designer of the Year is awarded a qualifying entry at the prestigious Hong Kong Jewellery Show.

2020 Design Contest Fee Schedule (per company):

• $75 Single Entry
• $70 Per Entry - 2 Entries ($140 total)
• $60 Per Entry - 3 Entries ($180 total)
• $55 Per Entry - 4 or more Entries ($220 for 4 Entries)

The winner of each category will receive a free entry in the following year's Design Contest.

Each new HJA member will receive one free entry Design Contest entry for the year that they joined (the free entry does not apply towards multiple entry pricing).

After the Design Contest, entrants who wish to know how they did relative to the scoring system may request an email with their score (per entry) along with a score break-down for each of the judging criteria. The total score of the winning entry for the same category will be listed for comparison. This feedback is intended to help designers see how they did and what areas they need to focus upon in the future.

List of previous Design Contest Winners

Archive of previous Annual Banquets and Design Contests.

Looking into the Future with Hawaii’s jewelry industry!

Due to unforseeable situation this Covid-19 pandemic has us in, we cancelled the 2020 HJA Annual Fundraising Gala.

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Design Contest Information

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Congratulations to our last year's Hawaii Jewelers Association Designer of the Year winner,  Chira Duval-Arnould, Aqua Gems for her "Pearl Change" design piece.

This annual event is locally & nationally recognized every year with 27 design pieces in this years competition. We have 3 judges that volunteer their time prior to our banquet.

COMPETITION NUMBER ONE - JEWELRY UNDER $3,500

COMPETITION NUMBER TWO - JEWELRY OVER $3,500

COMPETITION NUMBER THREE - HAWAIIAN THEME JEWELRY

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Archive of previous Annual Banquets and Design Contests

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HJA NEEDS YOUR DONATIONS!!!

HJA is a non-profit organization that is kindly accepting donations for our silent auction and raffle prize. Examples: Jewelry pieces, industry equipment & tools, wine & spirits, electronics, beauty products & services, snacks & desserts, art, home products/culinary, restaurant and store gift cards, as well as live activities such as a private chef dinner, hotel accommodations, golf events, etc.

 Please fill out a Contribution Form

I am graciously requesting your kokua. Please contact our Board of Directors if you have questions or need more information at admin@hawaiijewelersassociation.com or (808) 536-4255.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration.

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Save the Date

2020 Hawaii Jewelers Association Design Competition and Banquet

Saturday, May 16, 2020

Design Contest Information

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 Hawaii Jewelers Association 2019 Design Competition & Banquet

We celebrated our Platinum, or 70th anniversary as an association serving the jewelers and public in Hawai'i.

Our annual banquet & nationally recognized design competition was held on Saturday, May 4, 2019 at the gorgeous Oahu Country Club. We had guest speaker, Dr. James Shigley fly in from GIA to speak of recent industry topics. Then Tom Wheeler provided the attendees with a brief history of HJA with heartfelt quoted memories from a few members.

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Congratulations to our 2019 Hawaii Jewelers Association Designer of the Year winner,  Chira Duval-Arnould, Aqua Gems for her "Pearl Change" design piece.

This annual event is locally & nationally recognized every year with 27 design pieces in this years competition. We have 3 judges that volunteer their time prior to our banquet. This years judges were Trini Kaupoiki-Clark - Make-A-Wish Hawaii, James Escobido - James Angel Designs, and William Irish - WJ Irish Fine Jewelry

COMPETITION NUMBER ONE - JEWELRY UNDER $3,500

1^st Place – LOTUS: by Dona Wong - Keoni Collection. Shimmering like the morning’s dew on a lotus flower, micro pave` diamonds around and behind highlight an exquisite peridot gem. All masterfully crafted in 14 karat white and yellow gold.

2^nd Place - HERITAGE BRACELET: by The Maui Divers Design Team at Maui Divers Jewelry. Inspired by the natural beauty of coral branches and the heritage of Maui Divers this coral branch design bracelet is sprinkled with droplets of diamonds and features a clasp and hinge integrated into the design. Expertly crafted and engraved inside “Made in Hawaii”!

3^rd Place - BEYOND THE REEF: by Carrie Nottage Smith - Na Hoku. Beyond the reef is where the excitement of the open ocean begins. These beautiful, deeply sculpted rose gold dangle earrings with natural pink fresh water pearls, brilliantly decorated with sparkling diamonds capture this excitement wonderfully. Wear these earrings, beyond the reef.

People Choice - BLACK WIDOW: by Mark Carson - Mark Carson Individual Design. A necklace with a black rhodium plated sterling silver spider perched on a web of silver chain. The spider’s notorious red - black widow - markings expressed in flush set rubies.

COMPETITION NUMBER TWO - JEWELRY OVER $3,500

1^st Place – PEARL CHANGE: by Chira Duval-Arnold - Aquagems LLC. A rich 18 karat yellow gold pave` diamond pendant featuring a luxurious Australian South Seas drop pearl as its hanging ornament. With a simple twist the pearl can be removed allowing for other ornaments to be displayed or more casually worn without an ornament.

2^nd Place – WATERFALL: by Denny Wong - Denny Wong Designs. This ring holds a lovely royal blue sapphire displayed in an ornate waterfall of shimmering diamonds. Finely crafted in 14 karat white and yellow gold it has  incorporated into its design an integrated butterfly insert providing amazing luxury in its fit and feel. 

3^rd Place – LUNAR CARESS: by Carrie Nottage Smith - Na Hoku. This pendant design features a rich dark night sky blue tanzanite and is caressed by the lunar glow of a lustrous South Sea pearl and brilliance of raised prong pave` set diamonds. Truly amazing in its design and selection of gems used.

 People’s Choice - WINGS OF DESIRE: by Michael Li - The Wedding Ring Shop. This white gold slide pendant depicting nature’s fauna has a fluttering butterfly in yellow gold landing upon it. The butterfly may be turned in any  direction the wearer desires representing the journey of love and desire that we all share together.

COMPETITION NUMBER THREE - HAWAIIAN THEME JEWELRY

1^st Place – MOON OVER DIAMOND HEAD: by Na Hoku design team - Na Hoku. No view is more iconic than that of Diamond Head seen across the ocean waters of Waikiki. This some what demure pendant sculpted in gold and enhanced with diamonds beautifully captures the magnificence of viewing the moon over Diamond Head.

2^nd Place – OCEAN MOON: by Jane Chen - Opal Fields. Like the moon resting on the night ocean horizon, these pendant features a colorful reflective boulder black opal under a sphere of brilliant illusion set diamonds. The perfect attire for any tropical evening.

 3^rd Place - THE BLUE WAVE: by Denny Wong - Denny Wong Designs. The ultimate surfing experience is surfing inside a closing wave - surfing the blue room that Oahu’s pipe line is so famous for. This pendant, holding a compound wave shape blue moonstone captures the excitement of this experience beautifully in 18 karat gold.

People’s Choice - THE BLUE WAVE: by Denny Wong - Denny Wong

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The night was filled with so much happiness! Here are the candid photos taken by our wonderful photographers, Meri Hoffman & Jeff Bryan.

Thank you to all that attended, donated, and volunteered. You made this year a big success and so much fun!

We will finalize a date very soon for next years annual banquet & design competition.

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Archive of previous Annual Banquets and Design Contests

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HJA NEEDS YOUR DONATIONS!!!

HJA is a non-profit organization that is kindly accepting donations for our silent auction and raffle prize. Examples: Jewelry pieces, industry equipment & tools, wine & spirits, electronics, beauty products & services, snacks & desserts, art, home products/culinary, restaurant and store gift cards, as well as live activities such as a private chef dinner, hotel accommodations, golf events, etc.

I am graciously requesting your kokua. Please contact our Executive Directors if you have questions or need more information at admin@hawaiijewelersassociation.com or (808) 536-4255.
Thank you very much for your time and consideration.