Philip Bouasse of Montreal has picked up one of the top prizes at Cultured Pearl Association of America’s (CPAA’s) 2014-2015 International Pearl Design Competition (IPDC).
It is the second year in a row Bouasse has won, this time for ‘State of Grace’ in the ‘Wedding Day Pearls’ category.
“Throughout history, pearls have been at the height of wedding fashion,” Bouasse says. “Historically, pearls have been considered a symbol of love, fertility, and prosperity. The Wedding Day Pearls award invites designers to create a ‘fantasy wedding’ with cultured pearls. It was exciting to me to challenge the conventional pearl necklace and consider the latest generation of freshwater pearls. They come in such outstanding metallic lustre and amazingly intense new colours! Trendy coloured stones in different shapes and organic settings are the perfect contrast to the roundness of pearls.”
CPAA president Peter B. Bazar said the group received entries from designers in 18 countries. “We are very happy with the success of our fifth annual competition,” he added.
The other winners at IPDC are:
• President’s Trophy—’Seven Wonders’ by Bimal Koley of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The award represents the highest honour given to a design that unanimously captivated the judges as the best of the best.
• Luster Award—’Nautical Pearl Ring’ by Mark Schneider of Long Beach, Calif. The honour is given to the entry judged most marketable of all entries in the competition. This design will have the most overall appeal for the retail marketplace.
• Designer’s Award—shared by ‘Seven Wonders’ by Bimal Koley of Dubai, United Arab Emirates and ‘Birth of Pearl’ by Llyn Strong of Greenville, S.C. The prize represents the entry that takes pearls to the far corners of the imagination and beyond.
• Brilliance Award—’Entangled’ by Aspen Demirdjian of Los Angeles, Calif. This design encompasses the best illustration for the spectrum of pearl colours.Â
• Orient Award—’Pearl Geode’ by Hisano Shepherd of Los Angeles. The award is given to the entry that would inspire a newfound affinity for cultured pearls.
• Visionary Award—’Lady Gaga Transformation’ by Shinka Kimura of Brooklyn, N.Y. The prize is given to the entry that redefines the iconic pearl strand and shifts the perception of cultured pearls for today’s buyer.
• Fashion Award—’Leaf Walk’ by Murugesh Manickam, C Krishniah Chetty & Sons of Bangalore, India. Fun, fresh, modern—a design that looks as if it came straight from the Paris runway.
• Wedding Day Pearls—’State of Grace’ by Phillip Bouasse of Montreal, Que. The award is given for the design that best creates a fantasy wedding theme with pearls.
• Fantasy Award—’Celebration’ by Shinka Kimura of Brooklyn. Conceptual, aspirational design, prohibitive to fabricate.
