JEWELRY CompetitionsJewelry arts 3 min read

Jewelry Arts Awards 2022: Winners and Honorable Mentions

Oregon Sunstone Dreamscape Cut, by John Dyer
Join us at Maker Festivals Colorado, the ultimate crafting extravaganza in Loveland from April 10-13, 2024, where the beloved Yarn Fest evolves with an exciting addition of beads and jewelry artists!

Presented by Interweave, the Jewelry Arts Awards: Tucson Show Guide Cover Competition was open to any maker/designer working in traditional or other materials using any techniques. Two Grand Prizes were awarded, along with Category Winners and Honorable Mentions in three divisions: Gemstones, Metalsmithing, and Sterling Silver. 

Entries were so amazing that we couldn’t choose just one Grand Prize Winner! John Dyer’s Oregon Sunstone and Julie’s Glassman’s cloisonne necklace each appear on the cover of the print and digital editions of the 2023 Tucson Show Guide.

Grand Prize Winners

Here are the stunning pieces that caught the eyes of the judges. 

Sunstone, by John Dyer
Oregon Sunstone Dreamscape Cut, by John Dyer

Grand Prize Winner

Title: Oregon Sunstone Dreamscape Cut 
Artist: John Dyer 
Primary Techniques: Faceting, carving 

Oregon sunstone dealers use the term “schiller” to describe the twinkling effect of copper inclusions in sunstone. John believes “schiller can really add to the beauty of the gem when it is properly combined with the design of the cut.” 

Check out more of John Dyer’s work on his site.

Sonoran Desert Dance, by Julie Glassman
Sonoran Desert Dance, by Julie Glassman

Grand Prize Winner

Title: Sonoran Desert Dance 
Artist: Julie Glassman 
Primary Techniques: Cloisonne enamel, soldering, stone setting, sawing, polishing. 

“Lines, color, and light rule my world and tell my story in enamel,” says Julie. “All my work is inspired by my mother and her battle with cancer… her memory is my muse.” 

View more of Julie Glassman’s work on her site.

Gemstones Category

This category features beautiful ideas for setting, carving, or otherwise highlighting a gorgeous gemstone (or stones). Thank you to our sponsor: Fire Mountain Gems and Beads

Camouflage in the American West, by Jill Tower

Category Winner

Title: Camouflage in the American West
Artist: Jill Tower
Primary Materials: Hell’s Canyon petrified wood, sterling silver, fine silver, 24K gold, enamel

Jill shares her motivation for this piece, “Tucson plays host to numerous national and international visitors for the duration of its shows, and I wanted to share a piece that uniquely represents the American West for everyone coming to this region.” 

View more of Jill Tower’s work on her site.

Riding the Wave, by Barbara McLaughlin

Honorable Mention

Title: Riding the Wave
Artist: Barbara McLaughlin
Primary Materials: 18K gold, sterling silver, boulder opal, diamond, carved chrome chalcedony 

Jewelry Artist Barbara McLaughlin defines her work as “Rich Textures ~ Gorgeous Gems”. I am often torn as to which is more important; the rich textures or the gorgeous gems, as both play an important role in how and what I create. Studio space is shared with her husband Robert, a lapidary artist on the seacoast of New Hampshire. McLaughlin is inspired by natural textures / patterns found in nature. Textural inspirations are interpreted thru techniques such as stamping, roller printing, reticulation and the forging of metal with rusty old hammers.

View more of Barbara McLaughlin’s work on her site.

Metalsmithing Category

These entries take full advantage of traditional and contemporary metalsmithing techniques to tell their stories. Thank you to our sponsor: Susan Lenart

Alhambra-Inspired Salt and Pepper Shakers 

Adrienne Neszmelyi-Romano
Alhambra-Inspired Salt and Pepper Shakers, by Adrienne Neszmelyi-Romano 

Category Winner

Title: Alhambra-Inspired Salt and Pepper Shakers
Artist: Adrienne Neszmelyi-Romano 
Primary Techniques: Forming, soldering, hammering, sawing, photoetching, patina 

“My jewelry is influenced by my experience of the world around me – the varied expressions of nature and cultures that I encounter through my travels. This piece was inspired by the Moorish architecture and design that I encountered in southern Spain. The patterns photoetched onto the surfaces are found in the Alhambra, located in Granada.”

Last Snow, by Adrienne Cantler
Last Snow, by Adrienne Cantler 

Honorable Mention

Title: Last Snow
Artist: Adrienne Cantler
Primary Techniques: Sawing, soldering, forging wire, stone setting 

View more of Adrienne Cantler’s work on her site.

Sterling Silver

These submissions expand our ideas about what jewelers can do using sterling silver as the primary material. Thank you to our sponsor: Halstead

Scaffold Bangle, by Neil Ramsay
Scaffold Bangle, by Neil Ramsay 

Category Winner

Title: Scaffold Bangle
Artist: Neil Ramsay
Primary Techniques: Wireframe, CAD, casting 

With designs that blend engineering and sculpture, Neil is “proud to create fine jewelery statement pieces that are meant to be wearable, but also just a little outside the everyday.” 

View more silver jewelry at MontgomeryRamsay.com

Jewelry Arts Awards honorable mention winner Hexavalent Bond by Jonathan Bassett
Hexavalent Bond, by Jonathan Bassett. Photo by Dexx Negron.

Honorable Mention

Title: Hexavalent Bond
Artist: Jonathan Bassett
Primary Materials: .925 sterling silver wire, gemstones 

This piece features a hexagonal step cut Dravite Tourmaline facet center stone that is so thick it looks black, 2 rectangular cut bluish green step cut Tourmalines facets as main side stones, 2 greenish blue oval brilliant cut Topaz facets, 4 round brilliant cut Pink Sapphire facets, and 6 round brilliant cut Emerald facets around the perimeter on the 6 sides of the pendant. This piece also features a custom stamp I had made of my hand-written initials.

View more of Jonathan Bassett’s work on his site.


Related: 2022 Bead Arts Awards Winners

Make sure to pick up both print copies of the Tucson Show Guide this year to have both beautiful covers! You can download the digital edition, which includes both covers, now!

  • Tucson Show Guide 2023 Digital Edition

    $14.99

Join the Conversation!

Choose the membership you’d like to join​

Bead & Jewelry

Annual Charter Membership â€‹

(Limited Time Offer)​

$78.00 $24.95/year

Interweave Knits

Annual Charter Membership â€‹

(Limited Time Offer)​

$78.00 $24.95/year

  • 250+ Projects should be ​ ($2,000+ value)
  • 100 Member exclusive ​ should be ($800+ value)
  • 10,000+ Pieces of Expert Advice (Priceless)​​​
  • To View All Benefits Click Here for Bead+Jewelry or here Interweave Knits

The membership you’d like to join​

Interweave Knits

Annual Charter Membership â€‹

(Limited Time Offer)​

$78.00 $24.95/year

  • 250+ Projects – Fresh for Each Season ($1,400 value)​
  • 100 Member Exclusive Projects ($500 value)​​​
  • 10,000+ Pieces of Expert Advice (Priceless)​​​
  • To View All Benefits Click Here for Bead+Jewelry or here Interweave Knits

The membership you’d like to join​

Bead & Jewelry

Annual Charter Membership â€‹

(Limited Time Offer)​

$78.00 $24.95/year

  • 250+ Projects – Fresh for Each Season ($2,000 value)​
  • 100 Member Exclusive Projects ($800+​ value)​​​
  • 10,000+ Pieces of Expert Advice (Priceless)​​​
  • To View All Benefits Click Here for Bead+Jewelry or here Interweave Knits

The membership you’d like to join​

Bead & Jewelry

Annual Charter Membership â€‹

(Limited Time Offer)​

$78.00 $24.95/year

  • 250+ Projects – Fresh for Each Season ($2,000 value)​
  • 100 Member Exclusive Projects ($800+​ value)​​​
  • 10,000+ Pieces of Expert Advice (Priceless)​​​
  • To View All Benefits Click Here for Bead+Jewelry or here Interweave Knits

The membership you’d like to join​

Interweave Knits

Annual Charter Membership â€‹

(Limited Time Offer)​

$78.00 $24.95/year

  • 250+ Projects – Fresh for Each Season ($1,400 value)​
  • 100 Member Exclusive Projects ($500 value)​​​
  • 10,000+ Pieces of Expert Advice (Priceless)​​​
  • To View All Benefits Click Here for Bead+Jewelry or here Interweave Knits