Perles de Tahiti Announces the 2005 Tahitian Pearl Trophy Winners For USA/Canada 4th Edition

First place winners to travel to Venice in 2006 for International Competition

(NEW YORK) December 2005 – Perles de Tahiti, the official promotional body of French Polynesia’s pearling industry, announces the North American winners of the fourth edition of its international design competition, the Tahitian Pearl Trophy.

To highlight the multitude of design possibilities that come from using the Tahitian Cultured Pearl, Perles De Tahiti scours the globe every two years to find the most innovative jewelry designs using Tahitian pearls. This year, participants were invited to create pieces based on their interpretation of the 2005 theme Fire Under Ice. Over 25 individual pieces from 16 different designers were entered into 9 different categories.

"The Tahitian Pearl Trophy is designed to bring Tahitian pearls to the international stage by showing the pearls' versatility and exotic beauty whether on its own or as part of a design," said Martin Coeroli, General Manager for Perles de Tahiti. "The Tahiti Cultured Pearl’s chameleon-like capability adds to a variety of styles, from fine jewelry to haute couture"

The 2005-2006 competition marks the fourth of its kind, with 2005 dedicated to the national contests and the resulting winners competing on the international level in 2006, in Venice, Italy. The international winning pieces will travel around the world for one year on display at various jewelry venues.

The judging panel was comprised of top jewelry and accessories magazine editors as well as a member of the Cultured Pearl Association of America. Judges were selected for their talents in understanding and interpreting women and men’s fashion and life style.