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ICA announces winners of 3rd International Poster Competition New York, April 18, 2005 -- The International Colored Gemstone Association (ICA) is pleased to announce that it has awarded first prize in its third annual International Poster Competition to Faizah Bhatti, director of the graphics department at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). The ICA, which is the only international organization dedicated to the promotion of precious colored gemstones among jewelry retailers and consumers, awarded the prize during its biennial congress in Bangkok in February. The winning design depicts an ocean and sky at sunset, highlighted with colorful gemstones and bearing the slogan, “Color is the Passion of Life.” In accepting the award, Bhatti made it a point to acknowledge the support of her manager Duncan Pay, GIA’s director of course development; Alice Keller, editor-in-chief of Gems & Gemology; and GIA President Bill Boyajian. She also gave credit to the GIA graphic arts team that worked with her, especially Peter Johnston, GIA’s senior illustrator, who Bhatti said had guided her through the years. “Winning didn’t matter to me. As a designer, I love working with nature, beauty and colors,” she said. Second prize in the world’s only design contest dedicated to colored gemstones went to Robert Weldon, the renowned gemstone editor of Professional Jeweler magazine and a leading international gemstone photographer. Weldon designed his poster together with his wife Orasa. “It really was a family project. The hands shown in the poster are of our daughter Nathalie and the poster’s concept and design are very much Orasa’s work. I was behind camera. So we’re all happy that our joint work gained such recognition,” Weldon told the ICA Gazette. Third prize went to Rashmi Agrawal of India. Agrawal is a Jaipur-based jewelry designer in her mid twenties. She first heard about the competition during a lecture given in Jaipur by Yehuda Kassif, the contest’s founder and chief coordinator in October 2004. “Agrawal is a member of a new generation of jewelry designers. She is a graduate of Jaipur’s school of Jewelry and Design. However, contrary to most students, she has no family ties to the gem or jewelry trade and therefore can define her own path and set her own pace. That is not an easy task and I am therefore delighted that she was awarded third price. I believe that she has a bright future ahead of her,” Kassif noted. |
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As has become the tradition at ICA congresses, the winners of the competition were announced at the Gala Dinner, which was held this time in the ballrooms of Bangkok’s Shangri-La Hotel. Altogether, 63 entries were accepted from countries as diverse as Brazil, Denmark, India, Israel, Portugal, Thailand and the United States. About a third of the entries accepted came from Portugal. “Our ICA Ambassador to Portugal, Rui Galopim de Carvalho, has done a tremendous job in promoting the competition in his country. His work exemplifies what can be achieved with personal efforts like his. He did a great job,” said ICA President Joseph Menzie. “The poster competition is one of those great vehicles that allow us to offer new ideas as to how to promote colored gemstones. Every competition brings these new ideas out into the open in a very beautiful and colorful way,” he added. All the entries were put on display at the entrance to the main assembly room for the four days of the congress. On the final day, delegates and attendees were asked to vote for three posters. Kassif said that the ICA Poster Competition organizing committee was impressed by the high level of creativity and professionalism all the entrants displayed. The concept of an international poster competition dedicated solely to colored gemstones was the brainchild of Kassif, who is the managing director of the Israel Precious Stones and Diamonds Exchange in Israel. This ever more popular competition was held for the first time at the ICA Congress in Sydney, Australia in 2001, and for the second time in 2003 in Jaipur, India. "I wanted people from different countries and cultures to express their ideas and views about colored gemstones," Kassif said. "Obviously, the love for colored gemstone crosses borders and cultural boundaries. The love for color in jewelry is really catching on, as we can see in almost every consumer magazine and newspaper,” he said. All posters entered in the contest are displayed on the ICA website, www.gemstone.org. |
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Photo Captions: Patricia Syvrud of the Gemological Institute of America (third from left) accepts first prize at the ICA’s Third International Poster Competition on behalf of the GIA’s Faizah Bhatti. The ceremony took place at the Gala Dinner of the recent ICA Congress, in the ballrooms of Bangkok’s Shangri-La Hotel. Standing with Syvrud are, from left: ICA Director Constantin Wild of Germany; Jacqui Grande, ICA Secretary; Robert Weldon of Professional Jeweler magazine, who won second prize in the competition; and Yehuda Kassif of Israel. Grande, Kassif and Wild constitute the permanent ICA Poster Competition Committee. |
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