Gold council acts again amid worldwide economic imbalances

World Gold Council Selects the Lucky Winners
of Pan-Arab Gold Jewellery Design Contest

From AMEInfo, Dubai
Sunday, July 9, 2006

http://www.ameinfo.com/90941.html

The World Gold Council conducted a second judging
session of this year's Pan-Arab Gold Jewellery Design
contest where final winners were selected from the 30
finalists, reaffirming the rich and undeniable talent
of the Arab designers in the world.

An index to this being, the contest's unprecedented
response with over 7,000 entries that poured in from
across the Arab World, from both amateur and
professional Arab designers. The final round of
judging, which took place on June 26, 2006, saw
experts pick nine lucky winners out of the 30 final
jewellery designs, which were manufactured by L'Azurde
factory in Saudi Arabia. These winners, who are from
the UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Syria, and Lebanon, will be
awarded in a grand finale that will take place in
November of this year, in the presence of Arab
celebrities, fashion experts, designers, and jewelers.

In the first round of judging, which took place
earlier this year, 30 finalists were chosen from the
thousands of designs received. The judging committee
comprised of jewellery experts from the World Gold
Council and L'Azurde. The 30 finalists were from all
over the Arab World like UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait,
Qatar, Oman, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Egypt, Lybia,
Morroco, and Tunis.

'Tagged as "Al Ibda'a Al Hur," the Pan-Arab Gold
Jewellery Design Contest, now on its fourth edition,
is one of the most successful initiatives to unearth
the undeniable design talent of both the amateurs and
professionals. It is one of the much awaited jewellery
contests in the region, and judging from its response
this year, its popularity has increased tremendously.
This was evident from the fact that this edition of
the contest saw the submission date for entries being
extended by popular demand. This year's designs saw
stiff competition for originality and innovation, both
of which are vital and key factors to success in
jewellery designing.

"We congratulate all the winners and as well as the
participants, who, I am sure, have discovered one of
the most interesting venues for their talent," said
Mr. Moaz Barakat, managing director for the World Gold
Council in the Middle East, Turkey, and Pakistan.

"Due to the fact that this year's final entries have
all been designed creatively, we have decided to give
special award on each category, therefore choosing
nine winners instead of six as we previously did. The
extra award from each category will be given a
Creativity Award in addition to the first place award
and second place award," Mr. Barakat added.

The Pan-Arab Gold Jewellery Design Contest was first
launched in Saudi Arabia, then in the U.A.E., and
targets jewellery lovers and artists with that special
vision to capture the innate beauty and rich depth of
the Arab culture. This time too the World Gold Council
has teamed up with L'Azurde, the largest jewellery
manufacturer in the Arab world, and has given Future
TV the exclusive rights to cover the event. On the
print side, Zahrat Al Khaleej is the official magazine
for the event, and will cover it with a special
report.

This year, entries to the contest were accepted under
the following categories:

Bridal Wear Jewellery: Features jewellery designs for
engagement and wedding occasions.

Young and Cool: Modern-day jewellery featuring
jewellery designs for creative fashion youth wear.

Arabian Essence: Inspiring jewellery for the Arabian
women, captivating jewellery designs inspired by
traditionally worn jewellery designs inspired by
traditionally worn jewellery with a modern twist.

The Pan-Arab Gold Jewellery Design Contest requires
participants to submit designs that are original,
artistic, modern and show-stopping.