t was a sparkling celebration of outstanding creations and their creators from the international jewelry, watch and gemstone industries - the Inhorgenta Award ceremony. Well-known jurors presented the coveted trophy to the winners of ten categories. Traditionally, the gala evening is the glamorous highlight of Inhorgenta Munich.
“The Inhorgenta Award is our way of providing a great stage for exceptional creations from the jewelry, watch and gemstone industries - from a piece of jewelry by a young newcomer, a special watch by an established brand to a newly conceived retail concept,” explains Stefan Rummel, Managing Director of Messe München. “We are particularly pleased with the strong international participation: 80 of 137 submissions came from 37 foreign countries.”
Timeless jewelry, elegant and of lasting value - these were the hallmarks of the “Fine Jewelry” category, with jewelry pieces starting at a retail price of EUR 2,000. The award winner is BINDER Jewellery with “Perception Collection”.
The new category “High Jewelry of the Year” featured jewelry in a class of its own with a retail price of EUR 30,000 and up. The award winner is Pavit Gujral with “Crab Earrings”.
In contrast, the “Fashion Jewelry” category addressed jewelry as accessories for current fashion trends with a retail price of up to EUR 2,000. The award winner is BOLTENSTERN with “FABNORA Mix and Match” earrings.
The “Designer of the Year” accomplished extraordinary work in design, innovation and craftsmanship. The award winner is Theodora D. with „Flamenco“ ring.
Young talents competed as “Design Newcomer” with self-manufactured jewelry or watches. The award winner is Margret Hipp from Pforzheim Goldsmith School with the “PISCIS” earrings.
The category “Watch Design” demanded an innovative concept and independent design with a high recognition value. The award winner is Uhrenfabrik Junghans with “Junghans 1972 Competition”.
This year for the first time, the “Gemstone Design of the Year” category honored special-colored gemstones, diamonds and gemstone objects. The award winner is Gerhard Hahn with “bi-color Saphir”.
A trendsetting retail concept were honored in the “Best Jeweler of the Year” category. The award winner is Sebastian Frost with his store in the small fishing village of Listed on the east coast of Bornholm in Denmark. The white purpose-built building on the harbor has been the setting for his production of exclusive, handmade jewelry since 1999 - today expanded as the “Smykke Concept Store” with a café and bar.
This year, the nominees in the two Retailers Choice categories were also selected by the jury. The specialist audience voted on these online prior to the trade show as well as on site on the first day of the show. The winner of the “Retailers Choice Awards - Best Pieces of Jewelry” is egf Manufaktur with “Precious Heritage”. The winner of the “Retailers Choice Awards - Best Watch” is Casio Europe with “G-SHOCK GM-B2100GD5AER”.
Renowned personalities testify to the Inhorgenta Award’s quality: watch expert Gisbert L. Brunner, jewelry designer Leo Eberlin, Sarah Fabergé (Director of Special Projects Fabergé), Anja Heiden (Member of WEMPE’s Executive Board), Martin Julier (Head of Gemlab Bucherer), Giorgia Mondani (watch expert and digital entrepreneur), designer Patrik Muff, founder and editor-in-chief Katerina Perez, blogger and fashion label owner Nina Schwichtenberg, Christoph Stelzer (Dfrost, retail specialist) and Dr. Christianne Weber-Stöber (Managing Director of the Gesellschaft für Goldschmiedekunst e.V. (German Association of Goldsmith’s Art).
