With the sun setting over the Bosphorus and the silhouette of minarets meeting the sky, the 19th edition of the HRD Design Awards unfolded with symbolic grandeur. For the first time in its nearly 40-year history, the final ceremony was held outside of Europe, an intentional and poetic gesture that positioned Istanbul as both a meeting point and a metaphor. Organized by HRD Antwerp, the event brought together cultures, aesthetics, and histories under one roof. Designers, professionals, and judges from across continents gathered at the Mandarin Oriental Bosphorus to celebrate jewelry. Since 1985, the HRD Design Awards have offered a global platform to emerging and established talents in jewelry. The 2025 edition embraced the theme “A Thousand and One Nights”, inviting designers to explore narrative, tradition, and transformation through jewelry.
The competition was structured into three categories: Diamond Jewelry – Gemstone or Pearl Jewelry – Accessories
Submissions drew from diverse sources such as myth, architecture, literature, and heritage, making this year’s entries particularly rich in both concept and craftsmanship. The judges were faced with a profound challenge: how to evaluate pieces that were not only technically flawless but also emotionally layered and culturally resonant. The jury was composed of distinguished international experts: Avedis Kendir (Chairman), Preeta Agarwal, Laura Astrologo Porché, Tuncay Çaltekin, Stella Flame, Agata Jankowiak, Tomoko Kodera, Garima Maheshwari, Krishna Raj, Adrianne Sanogo, Sonia Esther Soltani, Melanie Van Anderlecht, and Nur Bilen Yavuzer.
Through a series of anonymous rounds, the jury evaluated submissions on originality, execution, and narrative clarity, and identified the winning designers:
Global Winner: Audrey Leconte, France. This design was brought to life by Sabine Jewellers India and the name of this necklace is “The Last Grain”.
“The last Grain”, Audrey Leconte
Diamond Category Winner: Thiago Moisés Pereira Aleixo de Araújo, Brazil
Design name: “Dunes”, manufactured by Trius Design.
“Dunes”, Thiago Moisés Pereira Aleixo de Araújo
Sabine Jewellers brothers with Audrey Leconte and Laura Astrologo Porché
Diamond Category Runner-up: Erjian Xu, China, “The Power of Love”
“The power of love”, Erjian Xu
Pratiksha Tambe, India, “Noor-E-Chand”
“Noor-e-Chand”, Pratiksha Tambe
Gemstone Category Winner: Audrey Leconte, France
Gemstone Category Runner-up: Huang Suling, China. Name of the design: “Night voyage in the starry sea”.
“Night voyage in the starry sea”, Huang Suling
Chamal Jayaratna, Sri Lanka, design “The Gloom Nights”, manufactured by Kabir Jewels.
“The Gloom Nights”, Chamal Jayaratna
Accessories Category Winner: Afrooz Iravani, Iran, “Celestial Orbit”
“Celestial Orbit”, Afrooz Iravani
Accessory Category Runner-up: Maha Salameh and Sumayah Al Jaede, Dubai
These winners not only reflected global talent but also demonstrated how jewelry can transcend its decorative function to become a mode of cultural expression. The evening concluded with remarks from Ellen Joncheere, CEO of HRD Antwerp: “2025 is the year of connection, and who better to lead this charge than our creative talented designers? We look forward to seeing how they will bring hope and beauty to the jewellery world. This competition was not only exciting, but also very symbolic for the future of our company. Istanbul has always had a special place in our heart. Our return to the city with a diamond lab speaks volumes on how important Türkiye has become in the diamond and jewellery world. As I said with the re-opening of our local operations almost more than 1 year ago: we are here to stay. We kept that promise and we even expanded on it. Istanbul will be a driving force in connecting the world of diamonds and jewellery and we are happy to play our role in that beautiful story.” What distinguished this edition was not only its location or theme, but its tone: one of openness, experimentation, and depth. For the judges, the event was a reminder of how jewelry remains one of the most personal and universal art forms. The Gala was beautifully organized with the participation of many authorities such as the Consul General of Belgium in Istanbul, Tim Van Anderlecht.
A heartfelt congratulations to all the HRD Antwerp teams: Elleen Joncheere, CEO of HRD Antwerp; Tom Neys, Global Director Sales, Marketing & Education; Ramakant Miktar, Managing Director HRD Antwerp India; Arzu Özer, Head of Public Affairs, HRD Antwerp Turkey’s Labs; Vidhyaa Majumdar, and Shikha Jain. The competition reminded us that jewelry is no longer merely the art of metal and stone. It is a language of storytelling, identity, and cultural continuity. In Istanbul, these stories came alive. The city offered not just a setting but a soul, a place where, perhaps, East and West are not in opposition, but in dialogue.
Article edited by Laura Astrologo Porché
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By mb@admin
