Key takeaways
• GIA Carlsbad graduate Catherine “Cathy” Aulick won the ninth and final Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation Award for Excellence in Jewelry Design on February 6, 2026.
• The winning hand-rendered design featured gold, Ethiopian opal, and peridot, and was selected from 12 global finalists.
• The 2026 competition marks the final year of the award, as GIA is currently planning a new design competition to be announced in the near future.
(CARLSBAD, CALIF)– GIA (Gemological Institute of America), together with the Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation, presented the ninth annual Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation Award for Excellence in Jewelry Design on February 6, 2026, to GIA Carlsbad graduate Catherine “Cathy” Aulick.
The award was presented at the annual GIA Alumni Collective “Night at the Museum” event at the University of Arizona Alfie Norville Gem & Mineral Museum in Tucson on the closing day of the American Gem Trade Association (AGTA) 2026 GemFair.
Cathy Aulick’s winning design, featuring gold, Ethiopian opal, and peridot, was selected from 12 finalists from the GIA Schools of Gemology and Jewelry Arts in Carlsbad, London, Mumbai, New York, and Taiwan. “I want to thank the Buccellati Foundation and GIA for the honor of this award. Hand rendering has given me a new and beautiful language for communicating my designs,” said Aulick, who will be traveling to Italy to meet with a representative from the Gianmaria Buccellati foundation.
This will be the last year for the Gianmaria Buccellati Award for Excellence in Design. The award was established in 2018 to recognize the exceptional jewelry design talent among GIA students. “It’s been a pleasure collaborating with the Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation and presenting this award each year – recognizing all the wonderful talent in design among GIA students globally,” said GIA Chief Learning Officer Cathryn Ramirez. “GIA is currently planning its new design competition, and details will be shared in the near future.”
The panel of judges for this year’s competition was Alishan Halebian, award-winning designer, goldsmith, and owner of Alishan Jewelry Studio; Andrew Connors, Director of Albuquerque Museum; Charles Lewton-Brain, master goldsmith, educator, and author; Nanz Aalund, award-winning jewelry designer, educator, and author; and Remy Rotenier, world-renowned jewelry artist and designer.
GIA’s Jewelry Design course teaches drafting, shading, design theory, and illustration using several media, among other topics. After the course, students have a hand-developed portfolio of their work and a digital copy. GIA also offers programs in Jewelry Design & Technology, Comprehensive CAD/CAM for Jewelry, and the Graduate Jeweler Program, our comprehensive bench jeweler program.
The winning design for the 2025 Gianmaria Buccellati Foundation Award for Excellence in Jewelry Design was hand-rendered by Catherine Aulick, a graduate of the GIA Jewelry Design Course in Carlsbad. The sketch features gold, Ethiopian opal, and peridot.
For press inquiries, please contact Carlee Carter at ccarter@gia.edu.
About GIA
An independent nonprofit organization, GIA (Gemological Institute of America), established in 1931, is recognized as the world’s foremost authority in gemology. GIA invented the famous 4Cs of Color, Clarity, Cut, and Carat Weight and, in 1953, created the International Diamond Grading System™, which is recognized around the world as the standard for diamond quality.
Through research, education, gemological laboratory services, and instrument development, the Institute is dedicated to ensuring public trust in gems and jewelry by upholding the highest standards of integrity, academic rigor, science, and professionalism. Visit GIA.edu.
