The winners of the 2024 Australian Opal Awards unveiled a James Bond-themed gala event held in Lightning Ridge.
Attended by over 250 guests, the awards celebrate jewelry design and carving featuring Australian Opal, with entrants from across the world entering for a chance to win a share of $35,000AUD of cash and prizes.
“The Open Prestige Jewellery category is open to all shapes of Australian opal including cabochon, freeform and undulating opal, with the category receiving significant support from the Australian opal industry, funding the $15,000AUD first prize,” according to Kavitha Barron, President.
The top prize was taken out by Artisans Bespoke Jewellers in Brisbane with their piece ‘Khroma’.
Crafted from 18ct yellow and white gold, with a white crystal opal, surrounded by sapphires, spinels, garnets and diamonds, the ring was noted for its brilliance in craftsmanship, with the intricate details of the sizing of the accent stones and the setting of them around the feature stone.
The ‘Freeform Jewellery Award’ was won by Blennerhassett Fine Jewellers (WA) for their piece, Once Upon A Time:
Blennerhassett Fine Jewellers were awarded a prize of $7,500 for their brooch set in 18ct white gold with a 21.57ct carved Lightning Ridge black opal, surrounded by natural sapphires and RBC diamonds.
The Masterpiece Opal Carving award was won by Katharina Zimmer won for Ridge Rose:
This carving category saw some wonderful pieces with intricate and unique designs, and pieces had to have a mirror finish. In the Freestyle Opal Carving category, Joe Belicka secured this category with Crystal Blossom:
This category allows entrants to use any Australian opal to create a unique piece that has no scratches and a waxy finish.
Designer Wear for Men: Dean Walker Designs from Tasmania won the prize for Designer Wear for Men:
This category showcased a variety of styles and designs specifically designed for men. Judges were asked to judge on wearability, creativity and practicality.
Corey Gibson Jewellery won the ‘Digital Jewellery’ category for ‘Spinner’:
The Digital Jewellery category was a new addition to the awards this year. Entrants were asked to provide a 15-30 second video of a manufactured piece of jewellery, showcasing its unique elements and technicalities. The full video can be found on the homepage of Corey Gibson’s website.
The Jewellery Hand Sketches Award: Won by Hung-lin Jenia for Golgotha
This year’s Jewellery Hand Sketches saw over 60 entries, with judges deliberating over each entrant to determine its suitability to the criteria for the category.
The People’s Choice award was won by Jia Ling Li from Otto Jewellery for FireBird.
This piece was crafted from 18ct white, rose and yellow gold, centering around 17 freeform boulder opals, along with brilliant cut diamonds, tsavorite garnets, round rubies, blue sapphires, aquamarines and orange-pink sapphires. The Fire Bird was designed as a tribute to the brilliance of nature and a symbol of discovery and connection between the land and the people of Australia.
