Prix Golay 2002: “13 Pearls for a Smile!”

Created in 1985, the Prix Golay is an annual contest for young goldsmiths in their 4th and final year of professional education in Switzerland. Its purpose is to promote the goldsmith's craft, by encouraging young talents to express their imagination and professional competence. This year's theme asked the participants to create with 13 cultured pearls - 6 Keshi of Tahiti and 7 freshwater pearls - an ornament that triggers a smile.

The participants enter the contest by submitting drawings of their project and then proceed to produce the pieces of jewellery by their own hands and skill. That means that they have to qualify in all the disciplines of jewellery creation, as proof of a complete and sound professional education.

The members of the jury are experts in jewellery, design and fashion. A notary assures that each participant remains anonymous. The criteria of appreciation are defined in the regulations. Within this framework, the jury uses the competence and subjectivity of its members to designate the creations that merit a particular distinction.

The prizes and awards of the Prix Golay 2002 are sponsored by GIE Perles de Tahiti, official institution of marketing and promotion of French Polynesia's legendary pearls.

Grand Prize, awarded with 6'000 Swiss Francs
Creation by Fanny Kohler
Ecole d'Art des Montagnes neuchâteloises, La Chaux-de-Fonds

The Grand Prize was attributed to a truly surprising combination: the 13 pearls mounted on a scoring board within a table-shaped bangle! The innovation is further emphasized by a powerfully clean design.

The jury's comment:
It looks like a table, it is in reality a bracelet. It looks like a scoring board, it is in reality ... a scoring board. It looks like an art object, it is in reality an art object and a piece of jewellery. This is a sound product of innovation: it is both, surprising in variety and stunningly simple!

Conceptual Prize, awarded with 2'000 Swiss Francs
Creation by Seraina Lea Sonderegger
Schmuckdesign JÜrg Brunner, Olten, and Goldschmiedeschule Pforzheim

A collection of 13 candies with silver, porcelain, cubic zirconia and pearls as ingredients obtained the Conceptual Prize. A bayonet link makes the candies interchangeable on a ring, to match the lady's wardrobe.

The jury's comment:
Every piece has been crafted with loving care. As goldsmiths, we were particularly intrigued to see that the “sugar frosting” has been made of Colorit, a porcelain material that is often used in dental techniques. The 13 different pearls mark the top
of each candy. The concept is consistently applied through everything, from the idea to the gorgeous boxes, marked “le sourir d'or” (the golden smile). Choosing the right candy for the right mood is sheer pleasure.

Technical Prize, awarded with 2'000 Swiss Francs
Creation by Marisa Hollenstein
Goldschmiede Wipf, Wil, and Gewerbliche Berufsschule St.Gallen

The Technical Prize went to a ring that closes like a squid or opens like a flower, depending on its position. The convex “eye” of the flower reflects the smile on our face with an amusing distortion.

The jury's comment:
The proportions of the piece are beautifully balanced. The jury was particularly impressed by the mechanical parts: they are discretely hidden, perfectly designed and masterfully crafted. It must be difficult to look at this ring with an unhappy face!

Special Prize of the Jury, awarded with 2'000 Swiss Francs
Creation by Paul Murith
Ecole des Arts DÉcoratifs, Geneva

This is a merry necklace of 13 little people, each one different in shape and size, with movable arms, legs and pearl head.

The jury's comment:
Each one of the 13 pearls makes the head of a particular character. Depending on their variable positions and our imagination, we can see a family, a bunch of kids, a dance group, or any other kind of community. This necklace is just a joy to look at, and this is what we want to express with the Special Prize of the Jury.

The Jury:


From left to right:
Christoph Brack Brack & Gut AG, Winterthur
Urs Bischof Gold-Art, Zug
Andreas Kobler TÜrler Uhren und Juwelen, ZÜrich
Isabelle Thomas A World of Dreams, Genève
Marcus Marienfeld Goldschmied, Brig
RÉgis Vaillant Audemars Piguet, Le Brassus
Tony Marchese CIFOM, La Chaux-de-Fonds
Susan Sagherian Concept Design, Herrliberg

The winners:


The four Prix Golay 2002 winners, from left to right: Fanny Kohler, Grand Prize; Paul Murith, Special Prize of the Jury; Seraina Lea Sonderegger, Conceptual Prize; Marisa Hollenstein, Technical Prize.

Source: Golay Press release
April 2002