Albuquerque, N.M.–Six designers were honored for their works of jewelry and art last month when they placed first in Rio Grande’s annual Saul Bell Design Awards.
“The Hummingbird Necklace” won first place in the Alternative metals/materials category
The competition “recognizes the power of design to elevate common elements to a higher purpose,” and offers seven categories for work to be submitted: gold/platinum, silver/Argentium silver, metal clay, enamel, hollowware/art objects, alternative metals/materials, and the emerging jewelry artist category, which is open to designers 21 and younger.
All entries were evaluated by a panel of judges.
The winners of this year’s contest are as follows.
Gold/platinum
First place: Kent Raible of Mossyrock, Wash.
Second place: Susan Blennerhassett of Nedlands, Australia
Silver/Argentium silver
First place: Andy Lucas of Klamath Falls, Ore.
Second place: Kate Hubley of Pointe-Claire, Quebec, Canada
Metal clay
First place: Ivy Solomon of Oak Park, Mich.
Second place: Holly Gage of Bowmansville, Penn.
Enamel
First place: Jennifer Park of Budd Lake, N.J.
Second place: Sandra McEwen of Raleigh, N.C.
Hollowware/art objects
First place: Raible
Second place: Genevieve Flynn of Kansas City, Mo.
Alternative metals/materials
First place: Kathleen Nowak Tucci of Atmore, Ala.
Second place: Sandy Mikel of Hawthorne, Fla.
Emerging jewelry artist
First place: Lisa Krulasik of Glendale, N.Y.
Second place: Elly Cernohorsky of Halls Head, Western Australia
Third place: Ella Calas of Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich.
The first-, second- and third-place winners all were awarded gift certificates to Rio Grande. A complete listing of the winners and finalists, as well as information on the 2016 competition, can be found on the Saul Bell Award website.