“I want to acknowledge all of the hard work, determination and perseverance it took each of our designers to get here tonight,” noted Gannon Brousseau, COUTURE Director and EVP, Emerald when he opened the show. “The submissions this year were absolutely amazing; you have outdone yourselves.” He then went on to thank the panel of judges who selected the finalists and winners, which included Alexandra Lipin from Elysse Walker, Amy Lane from Bergdorf Goodman, jewelry curator and journalist, Archana Thani, Tracey Ellison, The Diamonds Girl and designer Marco Bicego. The Editors’ Choice award was determined by attending media, with People’s Choice narrowed down to three contenders before the audience voted live from the theater to establish the winner.

The first award of the evening, Best in Bridal, was presented to Vanessa Fernandez of Vanessa Fernandez Studio, who made her COUTURE debut this year, “Wow thank you so much, I can’t believe it,” Vanessa enthused. “I just want to say thank you, I’m so grateful to my community, which has grown over the years. This makes all those late nights behind the bench worth it. That piece was made by hand, and I made it four or five times before I got it right so I’m just really grateful, thank you so much!”

Sorellina took home the award for Best in Innovative with an 18k gold cassette pendant featuring diamonds encased in white sapphires and accented with a pencil-shaped charm with which to “rewind” or “fast forward” the cassette, “Thank you so much; this piece was really really fun to make,” the designer, Nicole Carosella, said in an emotional speech. “I’m so grateful that I have a team and a sister that when I said, ‘I want to make a cassette tape with diamonds and a pencil that spins it and a button necklace’ they said, ‘go for it!’” She went on to thank her entire team by name, specifically calling out her sister and co-founder, “Kim, you are my rock, my angel and my best friend.”

The evening also paid tribute to Julie Von Bargen Thom from Von Bargen’s Jewelers, who was presented with the annual Cindy Edelstein Award. Julie was nominated by her team as well as several designers and brands from the COUTURE community who acknowledged the many ways in which she has carried on and enhanced her father’s legacy.

“I am so overwhelmed,” Julie said from the stage in an emotional acceptance speech, “I have an amazing team, I think that is why Von Bargen is an incredible place. I was given an amazing opportunity, my dad started a small business in the middle of nowhere in Vermont, and he believed in beautiful things, and he passed that on to me. And thank God for my husband because I would definitely not be here without him. He keeps the business running smoothly and lets me do all the things I want to do and avoid all the things I don’t want to do.”

A complete list of winners and finalists is listed below:

Best in Below $10K

1st: Ashaha

2nd: L’Atelier Nawbar

3rd: CAPOLAVORO

Best in Bridal

1st: Vanessa Fernandez Studio

2nd: Gumuchian

3rd: Jade Trau

Best in Colored Gems Below $40K

1st: RENNA

2nd: ANANYA

3rd: Alexander Laut

Best in Colored Gems Above $40K

1st: TABAYER

2nd: B P De Silva Jewellers

3rd: Chantecler Capri

Best in Diamonds Below $40K

1st: ONDYN

2nd: Roberto Demeglio

3rd: Studio Renn

Best in Diamonds Above $40K

1st: GISMONDI 1754

2nd: Busatti 1947

3rd: YEPREM

Best in Innovative

1st: Sorellina

2nd: Silvia Furmanovich

3^rd: S.T. Dupont

Best in Gold

1st: Rainbow K

2nd: Pamela Zamore

3rd: Hargreaves Stockholm

Best in Platinum

1st: Eva Fehren

2nd: Jade Ruzzo

3rd: Walters Faith

Best in Haute Couture

1st: Sevan Bicakci

2nd: Cicada

3rd: Francesca Villa

Best in Pearls

1st: AUTORE PEARLS

2nd: ARUNASHI

3rd: Leigh Maxwell Jewelry

Best in Debuting

1st: Francesca Villa

2nd: DEMEGLIO

3rd: JOYWITH JEWELRY

People’s Choice:

1^st: Richard Wu

2^nd: Chentecler Capri

3^rd: Rosmundo

Editors’ Choice

1^st: Silvia Furmanovich

2^nd: Luvor

2^nd: Rouvenat