GIA Announces Jewelry Design Competition Winner

Carlsbad, Calif.—The Gemological Institute of America has granted the annual Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation Award.

GIA and the Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation first partnered in 2018 to highlight the talent among GIA’s jewelry design students across its global campuses.

Now in its sixth year, the 2022 honor went to a student from the GIA London school for the first time, Sara Guergova.

“On behalf of the Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation, we want to congratulate Ms. Sara Guergova, this year's winner, plus all the other finalists whose work so enriched this year's competition,” said Larry French, chief officer of North America strategies at the Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation.

“We also want to recognize the talented GIA design instructors who helped guide the students on their way to the final judging in Tucson. Our founder, Gianmaria Buccellati, believed that designing jewelry was an art and, like all art, needed to be studied and practiced in order to grow into a master designer. The Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation is proud to partner with the Gemological Institute of America to encourage the growth of these young designers and we hope they will continue on this exciting career path.”

The judging panel consisted of award-winning designer and goldsmith Alishan Halebian of Alishan Jewelry Studio located in Southern California; retailer Cathy Calhoun of Calhoun Jewelers in Royersford, Pennsylvania and Carmel, California; jewelry designer and rendering and design teacher Remy Rotenier; Shelly Sergent, the collections manager of the Somewhere In the Rainbow Gemstone and Jewelry Collection; and Victoria Gomelsky, the editor-in-chief at JCK.

Winner Guergova said of the honor presented at a GIA event in Tucson, “The evening was incredibly inspirational, but then also to go on and receive the Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation Award; it was truly an unforgettable experience for me. In a way, it validates the hard work throughout the years and diminishes any previous self-doubt in what I can achieve,

“Attending GIA was a transformative moment in my life, I learned so much …going forward, the techniques and technical skills I gained, will propel me even further.”

The competition for the 2023 award winner is already underway, GIA said. Open to GIA jewelry design students, eligibility requirements and more information are available online.