Three Jewelry Designers Win Centurion Emerging Designer Competition

Babette Shennan’s Sterling silver and 14k yellow gold, “Gingko” hinged cuff has antiqued silk finish accented with tsavorite garnets (6.8 ctw.).

Babette Shennan, Stanislav Drokin, and Rhyme & Reason were named the winners of the Centurion 2014 Emerging Designer Competition. All three were awarded with their U.S. tradeshow debut at the Centurion Jewelry Show, which was held Feb. 1 -4 in Scottsdale, Ariz.

The Centurion Emerging Designer competition, now in its sixth year, drew a record of 90 entries from luxury jewelry designers around the world. The first round of judging was conducted by three industry design experts: celebrity stylist and TV commentator Michael O’Connor; GIA’s global jewelry manufacturing arts director Mark Mann; and Stuller’s executive director of product development, Gary Baines. They were tasked with narrowing down to 12 finalists, and the Centurion Board of Retail Advisors then voted to select the winners. Each of the three winners received free exhibition space at the luxury jewelry tradeshow.

Babette Shennan’s 18k white and yellow gold convertible “Gingko” earrings, featuring lens cut aquamarines (54.76 ctw), are two earrings in one. 

The work of Babette Shennan is closely linked to her travels and memories. During her graduate gemology program at GIA, she won The Silver Trend Project design competition sponsored by HSN and her winning bracelet was manufactured and sold on air. More recently, she won second place “Best In Show” at the Women’s Jewelry Association’s Designer By The Bay Event in Northern California. She divides her time between San Francisco and New York City.

Stanislav Drokin's 18k yellow and blackened gold ring with fire opal center and diamond and sapphire accents. 

Stanislav Drokin was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine. After school, he was hired as apprentice engraver at an industrial factory, carving stamps for marking technical details. After seven years, he became a master engraver. He also studied jewelry from 1992 to 1994 and eventually found work creating master models for jewelry companies.

Stanislav Drokin's Phoenix earrings in 18k white gold with tourmaline and pink and purple sapphire.

In 1994 he founded his own jewelry atelier (“S.D.”). In 1998, Stanislav became a member of the Designers Union of Ukraine and an international association, the Society of Designers. That year, he also went for further study in the gemological centers of Kiev, Ukraine; Idar-Oberstein, Germany; and Warsaw, Poland. In Germany, Drokin met world-famous jeweler André Enskat, who had a significant impact on his design philosophy. Today, he is the winner of competitions in Ukraine and Russia, and earned a master’s degree in design in 2011. He also organized the Ukrainian festival of design "YuvelirArtProm," in Kharkiv Art Museum, in 2004.

Rhyme & Reason Sacred Story bridal group in 18k white gold with diamonds and sapphire. 

Rhyme & Reason, based in Boston, is the collaboration of Vahé Ghazarian, Esin Guler, and Mihran Guler. Vahé The three joined forces and formed G&G Creations—recently renamed Rhyme & Reason—and in 2014 were chosen as the winner of the “Future of Design” business incubator competition sponsored by designer jewelry and business experts Cindy Edelstein and Andrea Hill. As the winner, along with other prizes Rhyme & Reason was awarded one of Centurion’s Emerging Designer exhibition spaces.

Rhyme & Reason "Love" family of hearts in oxidized silver with 24k gold inlay, rubies, full-cut white, black and blue diamonds, and yellow and orange sapphires.

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