This year, the exhibition will be making stops at Montreal’s Musee des Maitres Artisans du Quebec 
(on now until Oct. 16) and Toronto’s 18Karat Studio and Gallery (Nov. 1 to Dec. 17). The latter also organizes the competition.

The response to the call for entry saw artists from across Canada submit 22 designs for consideration by a blind jury. All based in Toronto, the judging panel comprised writer Laura Beeston, jewellery designer Shelly Purdy, and artist Richard Ahnert.

“Jewellery is an expression of an artist’s creativity, but unlike other art forms, it possesses an unparalleled intimacy that connects the maker to the wearer,” said Vanessa Laurin, the exhibition’s curator. “It is created by one’s hands to be worn on another’s skin. It is passed down to us by our ancestors and handed 
down to our loved ones as tokens and mementos—memories of who we were. Jewellery tells the story 
of who we are.”

As a full-time teacher of jewellery arts, Audette says she’s never participated in a design competition before. Still, she understands their importance in providing artists with an outlet for designing a piece outside their signature style.