Weaver's final design for the ring

Junior Fine Arts major Carson Weaver was recently announced as the winner of the Diamond Cellar’s Jewelry Design Contest. Weaver will be given $1,000 to assist in creating the ring she designed and also the opportunity to offer her piece for sale at the Diamond Cellar’s 2012 Designer’s Gala in December.

This is the second year for the competition, which was created as a result of a longstanding relationship between CCAD and the Diamond Cellar.

Thirteen students from instructor Kelly Nye’s jewelry design course submitted ring designs to be judged by Diamond Cellar staff as well as internationally known jewelry designers Michael Bondanza, Steven Lagos, Charles Krypell and Christopher Slowinski.

Weaver discussing her ring with Hill

Before sending their designs off to the judges, students were able to consult with Christine Cooper Hill (CCAD 1987) during a class visit. Hill has been designing and handcrafting fine jewelry for more than 22 years and has had her own business, Christine Cooper Hill Jewelry/Cooper Hill Studio since 2007.

Hill looked over the student’s ring designs, offering advice on marketability, stone use, costs, and overall appeal.

Weaver’s ring will be fabricated using a wax casting process. The setting of the ring will be made of platinum, and the design includes Tahitian pearls and two single-cut round melee diamonds.

The Diamond Cellar will display Weaver’s final drawings at the 2012 CCAD Senior Fashion Show. They will also display work by the judges and Hill.

Diamond Cellar is one of several community clients that CCAD has recently provided significant creative services for, including Scott’s Miracle-Gro, Central Ohio Transit Authority, the Ohio Governor’s office, and Nationwide Insurance.

Jewelry Designer Christine Cooper Hill reviews student work for Diamond Cellar competition.

Alumna Christine Cooper Hill (CCAD ’87) and Columbus-based jewelry-giant Diamond Cellar are partnering together to offer CCAD students the opportunity to have one of their designs sold by the company.

The 14 students in Kelly Malec-Kosak’s jewelry design course were given one week to sketch their designs before they were reviewed on Nov. 23 by Cooper Hill.

“Because she’s an alumna, she’s able to be critical but kind, which means the students had an easier time asking her questions,” said Malec-Kosak.

As a jewelry designer for Diamond Cellar and Christine Cooper Hill Jewelry, Cooper Hill offered advice and suggestions to the students. They now have the opportunity to make changes to their design before the final jury by Diamond Cellar’s visiting artists.

The jury will select one winning design. The student with the winning design will receive $1,000 to produce the piece, which will be promoted in the company’s stores December 2011.

Cooper Hill has been designing and handcrafting fine jewelry for more than 22 years, launching her own company  in 2007. She is a two-time award winner in The Ohio Jewelers Association Design Competition.

The Diamond Cellar is one of the largest independent jewelry stores in the United States and represents some of the world’s finest brands, including award-winning designers David Yurman and Stephen Webster.

The Diamond Cellar recently brought both Yurman and Webster to CCAD’s campus, where they offered career advice to students and critiqued their designs. Read more about Yurman’s visit in IMAGE magazine, and Webster’s on CCAD’s News Blog.

Check back with the CCAD News Blog in December to find out who won the competition.