💍 Jeweler Brings Student Creations to Life in Annual Designer Contest

Local students who love to draw, sketch, doodle, paint, draft, and design… Here’s your chance to bring one of your creations to life!

Ellis Jewelers of Concord is bringing back the Future Jewelry Designers Contest for the 12th year running! Design your dream ring or pendant necklace, and Ellis Jewelers of Concord will turn it into a real piece of custom jewelry!

Who can participate? Any Cabarrus County Schools student in grades 3-12 is eligible. A complete list of rules and criteria is available at each school. The team of jewelry designers at Ellis will select the top 5 designs from each age group (grades 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12) and then the top 5 designs will be shared on Facebook for the community to vote for their favorites!

• Then, you can get to work designing your jewelry! Feel free to start sketching your ideas on other sheets, just be sure to submit your final design on the official drawing sheet. You can use any creative tools at your disposal. Make sure that your design is clear, well-labeled, and, if need be, explained in neat handwriting.

These images show the actual student submission/drawing and then the finished piece from previous years. It is simply amazing what they have created.

How does the competition work? Students can submit their entries online, in person at Ellis Jewelers location in downtown Concord, or by mail no later than 5:00 PM EST Friday, April 7th in order to be entered for voting. The two most important factors in judging will be:

1. Originality: Be sure to submit designs that are completely your own. Do not copy ideas from other classmates or the Internet, and don’t submit anything that someone else drew for you. We want you to show off your own amazing imagination and creative talents!
2. Practicality: Be sure to submit designs our jewelers can realistically produce. We want to create jewelry that you can wear, so make sure you think carefully about how your design would look and function in real life.

On Tuesday, April 11th, Ellis Jewelers will post the top 5 designs selected from each age group to their Facebook page, where members of the community can vote for their favorite designs! Facebook likes/loves will be counted at 5:00 PM on Tuesday, April 20th to determine the winners.

The Ellis design team will get to work creating custom jewelry pieces based off the winning sketches, and winners will be invited to a special ceremony at Ellis Jewelers on Thursday, May 25th to receive their completed pieces. Winners can choose to keep their winning design for themselves or give it to somebody special.

• “The Ellis team and I always look forward to this contest every year,” says Dan Levinson, owner of Ellis Jewelers. “This contest was developed to spark the creative spirit in our community’s children, and every year, we’re amazed by the beautiful and creative pieces the students come up with. It’s always such a joy to unveil the custom designs to our winners. We can’t wait to see what you come up with!”

Every effort will be made to adhere to the winning student’s original design. However, Ellis Jewelers reserves the right to modify the design and select metals and gemstones at the discretion and suggestion of our jeweler. For further information, and to submit electronically, click here.

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