Lafayette, LA (June 4, 2015) – A platinum and diamond cage pendant by Stuller’s Travis Withers won best in show at this year’s JCK Platinum Innovations Awards, a contest hosted during the most inclusive jewelry gathering in the country.
The competition, in its sixth year, invites jewelry designers exhibiting at the JCK Las Vegas trade show to submit their most innovative platinum pieces. A panel of industry experts judged over 130 pieces, in three different categories, before naming Withers’ piece as the top prize.
Withers, a University of Louisiana at Lafayette graduate, has been with Stuller’s virtual design team since 2011. Withers says his interest in dome architecture is what inspired him to create his first award winning piece as a jewelry design professional.
“While creating the domed structure, I found myself exploring the patterns that emerged when the two domes were positioned opposite of one another, and after much experimentation, what I had finally achieved was a perfect vault formed by a delicate almost lace-like shell,” says Withers.
This is Stuller’s second time winning Best in Show at JCK’s Platinum Innovation Awards, hosted by Platinum Guild International. In 2011, Stuller’s Michael Bartlett brought home the top honor with a modern engagement ring design.
In 1970, Matthew Stuller founded Stuller, Inc. Headquartered in Lafayette, Louisiana; the prime manufacturer provides a wide range of goods and services for jewelry professionals worldwide. Stuller’s core product categories include: bridal jewelry, wedding bands, fine jewelry, mountings, diamonds, gemstones, findings, metals, tools, packaging, and digital solutions.