Artistar Jewels celebrates its sixth successful year and announces prize-winners

Not just a showcase, but a genuine tool to champion, promote and grow jewellery businesses through tangible strategies, such as its book and e-book, commercial website and press office support for all exhibitors, it is serious about making a difference within the industry. 

Over five-hundred jewels from around the world were on display, most of which were created specifically for the event. The 2019 edition marks a record because for the first time agreements with galleries outside of Europe have been made, with Bini Gallery in Australia, Ame Gallery in Hong Kong and Alice Floriano in Brazil. All the 14 galleries involved in the project represent a reference point in the contemporary jewellery field and are able to offer the public an eclectic mix of collections made with ancient and modern techniques. Some directors attended the event and personally to choose the works among all those on display, which would enrich the proposal of their collections. The founder Enzo Carbone expresses himself on this: "Artistar  

Jewels is a growing project, with new partners in Italy and outside of Europe where we are working a lot. The public attention to contemporary jewellery and artistic manufacture is growing significantly in our country and we strongly believe in it. We are investing not only to spread the culture of this sector but also to respond to what the designers really ask: international visibility and commercial opportunities.''

The winners of the    Jewels 2019 contest were announced on Friday 22nd February. The three

winners who won the  Jewels Award - given by Enzo Carbone, CEO and Founder of  Jewels, and who will be entitled to participate for free in the 2020 edition, are Sowon Joo, Veronika Kuryanova and Bia Tambelli.

The Korean designer Sowon Joo, a graduate of Seoul National University, has worked in the jewellery and sculpture fields for over twenty years. Among the most appreciated , there is a large heart-shaped crochet gold sculpture necklace with a rutilated quartz pendant in the centre.

The Russian Veronika  graduated from the Moscow State Stroganov Academy of Design and Applied Arts and with a master's degree from the MIREA - Russian Technological University, presented bold bronze and enamel rings with bright colours that show the vitality of continents such as Australia and South America.

Bia Tambelli is a young designer with Italian origins, born and raised in a land rich in precious stones: Brazil. For  she presented geometric and refined pieces from the Trinity collection in gold, diamonds and rock crystal that express a spiritual order between God, the cosmos and men. Form and materials are carefully selected to increase the energy and strength of the wearer.

A special mention was given to the New York born and raised artist and creator of bijoux Nita Angeletti, of Italian origin. Her career began as an actress on Broadway, then went on to

sculpture, creating figurines made of fabric, to arrive at the realization of what she calls "Wearable Art" Accessories: creations that reflect in an exuberant way the passion for fabrics, used as pictorial elements with playful and colourful arrangements that want to amuse those who observe them.

During the exclusive awarding night

numerous prizes were given, handed down by the judges of the contest who selected them. The young Dutch Lindsey Fontijn graduated from the renowned Gerrit Rietveld Academie won the Accessory Vogue Vanity Fair Award, awarded by Elisabetta Barracchia, Director of Accessory Vogue Vanity Fair and Wedding Vogue Vanity Fair. The Director also present the Wedding Vogue Vanity Fair Award to the English Michelle Lung graduated in Jewellery Design at Central Saint Martins. Both the artists will be the protagonists of an article on the next issues of the related magazines.  Fashion and costume journalist Maristella Campi has delivered the Press Kit Award to the talented Russian designer Denis Sozin. A press kit useful for his promotion will be realized directly by the juror herself. The De Liguoro Prize, which consists of a week of internship in the De Liguoro atelier, was presented by Gianni De Liguoro to the Italian designer Elena Franceschetti.

Anna  Rossi with her fine jewellery creations, born in 2018, which contain a quartz movement which rotates a hand-painted disc - and which already boasts collaborations with Cartier, Bulgari, Tiffany & Co and Jaeger-Le Coultre - was awarded by the consultant Ivan Perini, who will create a communication and social campaign for her and also by Luca Solari, founder and owner of the Scuola Orafa Ambrosiana, director of the Via Tadino 30 school in Milan, and Guido Solari director of the Via Tortona 26 school in Milan, Director of the SOA Lab & Factory in Via Savona 20 in Milan, who assigned her a course among those offered by their prestigious Milanese schools.

For more information about Artistar Jewels, visit their website.

For more pictures of this years' exhibition, follow #artistarjewels2019 on Instagram.