2011 Niche Award Winners in Jewelry Design

Oceanic Bangle Bracelet

The winners of the 2011 Niche Awards for jewelry were announced February 18 during the Buyers Market of American Craft show in Philadelphia. The Niche Awards annually celebrate excellence and innovation in American and Canadian craft. They are sponsored by the trade publication, Niche.

Judging was based on three main criteria:

• technical excellence, both in surface design and form
• a distinct quality of unique, original and creative thought
• market viability (professional entries only)

There will be more stories in the coming days from the BMAC show (held February 17-21). For now, the professional and student Niche award winners are as follows:

PROFESSIONAL AWARDS

 
Jewelry: Fashion
Swing
Wiwat Kamolpornwijit
Alexandria, Va.

 Jewelry: Fine
Fluted
Erik Stewart
Tucson, Ariz.

Jewelry: Gold (two winners)
Mother’s Brooch
Juan Carlos Caballero-Perez
Henrietta, N.Y.

 Mandala Ring #2
Jason Dow
Honolulu, Hawaii

Jewelry: Gold with Stones
Circle Disk Brooch with Gold and Pearls
Sadie Wang
Silver Point, Tenn.

 Jewelry: Sculpture to Wear
Oceanic Bangle Bracelet
Kevin O’Grady
Scottsdale, Ariz.


 

 Jewelry: Silver
Lunar Cycle Necklace
Genevieve Yang
Santa Rosa, Calif.

 Jewelry: Silver with Stones
Daisy Diamond Stem
Patricia Tschetter
Dallas

 Jewelry: Wedding
Orange Diamond Ceramic Engagement Ring
Etienne Perret
Camden, Maine




 STUDENT AWARDS

Jewelry: Fashion (two winners)
Finally Coming Home
Andrew Kuebeck
University of Indiana

 Night Blossom Brooch
Bongsang Cho
Savannah College of Art and Design

 Jewelry: Fine
The Laurel
Youngjoo Yoo
University of Iowa







Jewelry: Sculpture to Wear (two winners)
Untitled
Young Eun Tammy Kim
California State University





 

Patterns of Being
Sarah West
East Carolina University





In addition to jewelry, awards were given out in the following categories: Clocks, Ceramics, Fiber, Glass, Metal, Wood and Jewelry.