Tue, 22 Nov 1994

Diamond setters urged to join contest

JAKARTA (JP): The Diamond Information Center is inviting as many local diamond jewelry designers as possible to join the Asia-Pacific diamond competition in Hong Kong next February.

Nani Budiman, a representative of the information center, said over the weekend that the Asia-Pacific competition, to be held on Feb. 16 and 17, is part of the biennial Diamonds International Awards in 1996.

"During the competition in Hong Kong, 100 designers will be chosen to represent the region," she said, adding that 100 designers will also be selected from America and another 100 from Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Judges in the diamond competition will consist of the renowned Batik designer, Indonesia's Iwan Tirta, Japanese fashion journalist Ruriko Horie and Philippine fashion "czar" Pitoy Moreno.

Submitted designs will be judged on originality, creative use of diamonds and appropriateness to today's tastes, she said.

She said the final board of judges will name the 30 best designers in January, 1996.

Nani said that in a bid to promote the event among local designers, art students and diamond traders, the Diamond Information Center held a workshop at the Grand Hyatt on Saturday.

Hendra Dharmawan, a winner of Diamond International Award held by the Diamond Imported Association recently, said that the workshop was an attempt to improve public interest in diamond jewelry as most jewelry buyers in Indonesia still consider diamonds merely an investments and not art.

The participants of Saturday's workshop, which featured Clara Arifin, graduate of the Gemonological Institute of America, ranged from professional designers, jewelry students from design schools in Singapore and England to interested amateurs.

Nani said that Indonesia, which has an abundance of raw materials, lags behind Singapore, Hong Kong and Thailand as the main diamond jewelry design centers. (22)