International contest of young diamond jewellery designers was held in Belgian city of Antwerp, where the winner of 2005 HRD Award was chosen.

Eight hundred ant fifty designs from 490 jewellery designers were represented for the jury’s  consideration. Designers from 55 countries fought for the HRD Awards, but only 49 designs from Belgium, Brazil, China, France, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Russia, the Netherlands and South Africa were chosen to take part in the final round.

According to the jury’s decision, the five finalists reflected the spirit of the competition’s theme “Diamonds Are Fun.”  The 20-year-old designer Ceara McGuire became the finalist, and was the youngest of the five laureates. Others were Ming Yi Chang, 22, from China; Gaetano Del Duca, 35, from Italy; South African Cari-Mari Wilsenach, 28, and Shimada Sachiko, 40, from Japan.  

The designs of the winner, Belgium favourite Ceara McGuire, presented to the jury, were five “slightly different” brooches, each of which constructed from paper folded in origami-style and traversed with a band of brilliant-cut diamonds set in white gold. The total weight of the jewellery was 9.53 carats.

“On May 25 we once again showed that the HRD Awards is the world’s most exciting and innovative diamond jewelry design contest,” said Peter Meeus, managing director of the HRD, according to tacyltd.com.

“In the jewelry business, all roads lead to Antwerp, and this clearly was demonstrated by many cutting-edge designs that flowed into our offices over the past year. As the HRD Award Collection 2005 begins its global tour at the beginning of June, people from all over the world will be able to appreciate what we already know here in Antwerp.”

The contest was launched in 1984 under the name of “Antwerp Diamond Council Awards,” with the aim to enhance creativity and design excellence in contemporary diamond jewellery in Belgium. Only in 2003 it became international.

Picture: one of McGuire’s winning brooches