2010 brought the AJDC an enormously talented pool of applicants for its annual new talent contest. Gregore’ Morin of Gregore’ Joailliers stood out among the impressive pack with his originality, craftsmanship, innovation, marketability and cohesiveness of design – the key elements the American Jewelry Design Council looks for in the winner of its annual award.
| Black cat diamond, Geisha pin, Fantasticus frog |
Gregore’s designs manage to incorporate whimsy into what is known in the industry as ‘important jewelry’ – pieces of significant value owing to their extraordinary craftsmanship and very fine materials. His choice of stones is meticulous – he not only matches colors to reach the desired gradation, but requires them to flash in just the right manner. His pave is perfect, his stones are surreal, and his subject matter magical – a geisha pin with onyx tresses and a fan of colored sapphires, a black diamond cat named lucky with opal eyes and a pink coral nose, and a fantastic frog composed of opal cabochons with diamond studded webbed feet winking a pink sapphire eye are but a few of the amazing members of his menagerie.
Gregore’ has won a multitude of awards, including six Spectrum awards. Originally from Canada, Gregore’ worked as a jeweler’s apprentice before moving to Santa Barbara to work for Silverhorn Jewelers. There he studied under Christoph Krähenmann and Stephen Webster, learning traditional techniques and forming his own signature style.
Today his work can be found in museums and private collections alike, and has graced the cover of several books and magazines.
The AJDC is honored to present Gregore’s work to the trade at the JANY show, where he will be exhibiting for the first time ever. An awards ceremony to honor Gregore’ will take place Monday, July 26th at 3 pm at the New Designer Gallery inside the JANY show. Honorable Mentions go to the following jewelers who also display outstanding originality and craftsmanship in their work:
Chris Ploof : www.chrisploof.com
Danielle Miller-Gilliam: www.daniellemillerjewelery.net
Erik Stewart: www.erikstewartjewelry.com
Jennifer Rabe Morin : www.jenniferjaoilliers.com
Joshua Javaheri : www.joshuafinejewelry.com
Julia Behrends: www.juliabehrends.com
www.gregorejoailliers.com
Source: www.ajdc.org
