Deaf models light up the runway for Taiwanese jewelry makers
The 4th TJDMA World's Jewelry & Metal Design Awards is a design competition sponsored by the Taiwan Jewelry Design & Metalsmithing Association (TJDMA, 珠寶金工創作協會), a group of well-known jewelry and metalworking masters in Taiwan. This international competition has become a grand event for the jewelry industry with participants from Canada, China, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, and the United States. More than 2,000 entries have been submitted since its first edition and more than 250 works have been awarded.
This year's awards ceremony and runway show were held on Feb. 22 at the Taipei Branch of the National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute (NTCRI) and the works of the 65 winners will be on display in the same venue from Feb. 21 through April 12.
For the runway event, TJDMA invited winners of the Miss & Mister Deaf World and Europe and Asia (MMDW) and Miss & Mister Deaf International in Taiwan to showcase the winning jewelry pieces. 2017 Mister Deaf Asia Lin Yu-chen (林祐臣), as well as Mister Deaf International 2018 Huang Can-hui (黃燦輝), and Miss Deaf International 2018 Wang Xiao-ping (王筱萍) of the Taiwan competition, shone on the catwalk this year.
Director of TJDMA Ammy Jiang (江秀玲) explained that the competition theme this year was "Vibrant/Radiant," and used gems provided by Shanghu International (尚虎公司). Competitors were encouraged to use their original creativity to design their interpretation of being "Vibrant/Radiant."
The top-winning work, "Silk Hearts (絲心)" by Jian Jai-hong (簡嘉宏), was an intricate design of four small spiders spinning away in the wind to start their own adventures. The delicate design was full of imagination and aims to bring a smile to the wearer.
Top winner for the student category was Hsu Rong-hsuan's (許容瑄) "Hesitate (猶疑)," which is an interactive ornate piece that is simple yet complex, reflecting the swaying moods of the wearer.
Since its establishment in 1999, TJDMA has brought in many outstanding talents in the field of jewelry and metalworking. Committed to promoting Taiwan's contemporary jewelry designs on the international stage, the association holds this annual competition to recruit new talents, enhance creativity, and boost cultural exchanges.
The exhibition is also expected to promote innovation in Taiwanese jewelry design, and encourage more talented craftspeople to participate in designing and creating jewelry and metal art.
‘4th TJDMA World’s Jewelry & Metal Design Awards’
Date: Feb. 21 – April 12, 2020
Venue: NTCRI, Taipei Branch
Address: No. 41 Nanhai Rd., Zhongzheng District, Taipei, Taiwan (ROC)
Hours: 9:30am – 5:30pm (Closed on Mondays)
Website: http://taipei.ntcri.gov.tw/
TJDMA: http://www.tjdma.org/