PALLADIUM ALLIANCE INT'L ANNOUNCES JEWELRY DESIGN CONTEST

PALLADIUM ALLIANCE INTERNATIONAL ANNOUNCES 

INDUSTRY’S LARGEST JEWELRY DESIGN CONTEST

Up to 100 winners; up to $1 million in prizes; up for grabs!

 

BILLINGS, Montana —Tuesday, May 29, 2012—Palladium Alliance International (PAI) announces today that it will sponsor the largest jewelry design contest in the industry to date. The competition which will exclusively showcase designs crafted in palladium will offer up to 100 designers and retailers who create in-house custom designs a chance to share up to $1 million in prizes.

“PAI is the world’s first organization dedicated to promoting palladium as a luxurious and distinctive jewelry metal,” said John Stark, Chairman of the Palladium Alliance. “A contest that encourages creation of more palladium jewelry is a natural fit for the organization.”

The competition is open to designers and retailers located in the United States and the District of Columbia. All entries must feature only genuine gemstones (if gemstones are included) and 95% palladium alloy as the only precious metal design element. A panel of industry experts will score the entries based on how well each design highlights the key qualities of palladium: its natural whiteness, durability and light weight.

Up to 100 winners will receive a refund check equal to the cost of the 950 palladium alloy used in their winning piece, up to five ounces—a virtually unheard of action in design competitions—along with a professional photo of their winning design; inclusion in a major stylist showroom throughout 2013 for possible use in celebrity dressings at major events such as the Golden Globes, Emmy Awards and Oscars; and other prizes. The three top designs will have the winners’ names and pieces featured in PAI print ads in top fashion magazines, such asInStyle, W, Elle, Marie Claire and Cosmopolitan. In addition, the Grand Prize winner will receive a contract to create a line of palladium jewelry with PAI supplying up to thirty ounces of 950 palladium alloy to facilitate manufacturing of the line. Total value of the available prizes: up to $1 million in cash and promotional consideration.

Interested designers and retailers are encouraged to review the complete contest rules at luxurypalladium.com/DesignContest. In brief, to compete, they must fill out an Official Entry form available on the website and submit a high resolution digital photo, a detailed drawing or a CAD rendering of the design they wish to be considered. Each participant may enter up to ten designs. If selected as one of the finalists (up to 100), they will then be asked to complete and submit the finished piece for final review of its overall design, craftsmanship, practicality/wearability and marketability. Pass the final review, and the entrant is declared an official winner.

The competition begins on May 29, 2012, with photos/drawings/CAD-rendered concepts due from entrants on Friday, September 21, 2012. Up to 100 finalists will be notified on Friday, October 5, 2012 to begin work on their finished pieces, which will be due for final evaluation no later than Monday, December 17, 2012. Palladium Alliance International will announce the official winners, up to 100, on Monday, January 14, 2013, along with the winners of the third, second and Grand prize. Checks reimbursing winners for the cost of the 950 palladium alloy used in their pieces will be issued February 28, 2013.

“This is an exciting opportunity for designers, retailers and PAI,” John Stark, Chairman of the Palladium Alliance, concluded. “Palladium is coming into its own as a distinctive luxury metal in jewelry design—and entrants in this extraordinary contest are about to prove just how stunning it can be.”

Palladium is a rare and lustrous silvery-white metal that, together with platinum, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium and osmium, form the group of elements known as the platinum group of metals. It is lightweight, durable, naturally white, pure, and sensitive to the skin. It is becoming the luxury metal of choice for a growing number of fashion-forward jewelry designers and savvy consumers.

Formed in March 2006, Palladium Alliance International (PAI) is the world’s first organization dedicated to promoting palladium as a luxurious and distinctive jewelry metal which is backed by industry-leading education, marketing, public relations and technical support. To learn more, visit www.luxurypalladium.com. To learn more about the contest, visit www.luxurypalladium.com/DesignContest.

Fresh Spring Jewels from Vivienne Westwood!

I can't wait to see this one on the Red Carpet -
Oak Leaf tiara worn with a Westwood Gown in Eggplant  

It is that time of year - new jewelry collections are being promoted, but none as dramatic as the new line of jewelry that brings together three heavy hitters!!!


The Palladium Alliance International and world renown fashion designer Vivienne Westwood have teamed up for the Westwood designed "Get a Life" palladium jewelry collection...and Christina Hendricks of Mad Men fame has been announced as the "face" of the campaign!

Oak Tree Tiara - details

An EXCLUSIVE for People Magazine's "Style Watch" quotes the Designer (and her hubby) and the actress:

 “I admire that Vivienne uses her designs to inspire change,” Hendricks, a lifelong Westwood fan, says of the line, which features symbols of hope including trees, acorns and hearts. “As Palladium is a naturally white metal, the pieces really sparkle under the lights,” she continues. “I cannot wait to wear them on the red carpet!” 
And the feeling is mutual, with Westwood proffering, “Christina is the embodiment of beauty and we were delighted to have been able to involve her with this new jewelry collection.” 
Westwood’s husband and collaborator, Andreas Kronthaler, agrees. “She’s got something, this American sweetheart beauty … you’d do anything to go out with her,” he told PEOPLE at the line’s recent launch party in London. “She’s magnificent — a bit like Marilyn Monroe. In front of the camera there’s something very sensual.” 

The wide neckline of this Teal Westwood Frock provides
the ideal spot for this Pagan Heart to nestle...

According to the Style 360 Blog by Jennifer Heebner at JCK Magazine:

The bespoke pieces, which include a tiara, include elements inspired by the need to “act, affect, preserve and allow our environment to flourish,” according to press materials. Designs from the collection are inspired by nature (think acorns) and symbols of paganism like the oak tree, which represent “strength, power and hope for change to make the environment better for the future,” as well as Gaia or Mother Earth.

The collection will be available in Vivienne Westwood boutiques in London and L.A. in March 2011. Prices for the retail collection range from $445 to $900; the couture collection is made to order and prices are available upon request.

Detail of Pagan Heart:   

The heart pendant represents hope, as in “hope that it is not too late to affect the future of our environment for the sake of generations to come,” according to Westwood.