The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has presented Eleanor Yeh with its eighth annual Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation Award for excellence in jewelry design.
Yeh, a 2024 graduate of the GIA’s London campus, received the honor during the annual GIA alumni collective celebration in Tucson, Arizona, on February 7, the institute said last week. Her winning entry features detailed goldwork, pearls and vibrant gems. The judges selected her out of 14 finalists from GIA schools in Bangkok, Thailand; Carlsbad, California; Hong Kong; London; Mumbai; New York; Shenzhen, China; and Taiwan.
“On behalf of the Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation, I want to congratulate Yeh, this year’s winner, plus all the other finalists whose work so enriched this competition,” said Larry French, chief officer for North American strategies at the Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation. “Our founder, Gianmaria Buccellati, believed that designing jewelry was an art, and like all art, needed to be studied and practiced in order to grow into a master designer.”
The judges for this year’s competition were Alishan Halebian, award-winning jewelry designer and goldsmith of Alishan Jewelry; Charles Lewton-Brain, jewelry artist, goldsmith and cofounder of the Ganoksin Project; Nanz Aalund, award-winning jewelry designer, goldsmith and educator; Remy Rotenier, fine jewelry designer and design teacher; and Victoria Gomelsky, JCK editor in chief.
The award originated in 2018 as a partnership between the GIA and the Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation in honor of the foundation’s founder, Rosa Maria Buccellati. The prize credits outstanding talent in design among GIA students globally. The 2025 competition has commenced and is open to eligible students in the GIA Jewelry Design course.
Image: The winning design by Eleanor Yeh. (The Gemological Institute of America)
