Photo courtesy of Stefan Elie

FROM THE ELIE JEWELRY PRESS RELEASE
Yelm Jeweler Margarette Elie has won three national awards with all of her three new designs in the current "Tahitian Pearl Trophy" contest for 2007-08. This is her second consecutive year winning a National Design Award .

Every other year the Cultured Pearl Association of America, and the Pearl Association of Tahiti sponsors the prestigious worldwide “Tahitian Pearl Trophy” design contest. This 2007-08 event was themed “Song of the Stars”. Margarette Elie was a national winner in the US with all three of her designs.

The first award was 2nd Place in the Parure (set of three) category. This design is a choker, earring and bracelet set inspired by the beauty and elegance of the written music “Ode to Joy” by Beethoven. Margarette was practicing her piano lesson and felt moved by the placement of the notes on the page. Where there were notes, she saw pearls, and the design was created. The pieces are made of white gold. The choker displays the actual note placement of ‘Ode to Joy’ and meets in a clef clasp with a cascade of white gold chain dangles with Pearls and Pave Diamond Stars to the front. The earrings are in the same clef design along with the matching bracelet.

Her next entry was an exquisite Brooch based on the Van Gogh painting ‘Starry Night’. This is a yellow and white gold piece with enamel inlay and pearls. Impressed by the impassioned movement of the painting, Elie saw Pearls where there were stars. This elegant creation, titled “Pearl of the Night”, was awarded 3rd place in the Brooch category.

The third design was “the Ballade” in the Accessory category. It was awarded 3rd place. This is a stunning yellow gold belt in musical stanza. Where there are black notes, Margarette saw black pearls. This belt plays the key of C with an elegant treble clef clasp meeting in a cascade of Pave Diamond Stars and Pearl dangles. This exquisite creation is in congruous theme to the ‘Ode to Joy’ Parure.

Margarette Elie’s first award was First Place for the US in the international 2005-06 Tahitian Pearl Trophy contest for her “Ice and Spice” creation. To see her winning piece from 2006 visit, click here.

Margarette Elie is an inspired jewelry designer who has been creating jewelry in the City of Yelm since 1992
She can be visited in her Jewelry store & Design Center at
210 E Yelm Ave in Yelm, Wa. 98597.
Tel: 360-358-5758