Three talented Cabarrus County Schools students recently saw their original jewelry designs transformed into real pieces of fine jewelry through the Ellis Jewelers Annual Future Jewelry Designer Contest.

After receiving hundreds of student entries, Dan Levinson, owner of Ellis Jewelers, and his team carefully reviewed the submissions and selected finalists based on the contest’s judging criteria. The finalist designs were then shared on the Ellis Jewelers Facebook page, where the Greater Cabarrus County community was invited to vote for their favorites. After the voting period ended, the designs with the highest number of Facebook “Likes” and “Loves” were named this year’s winners.

This year’s winning student designers were:

• Clara S, a 4th grade student at Mount Pleasant Elementary School, who designed a playful Gumball Machine necklace.
• Aashna T, a 7th grade student at Harris Road Middle School, who designed elegant Dew Drop Earrings.
• Fallyn C, an 11th grade student at Cabarrus-Kannapolis Early College High School, who designed a beautiful Odette Ring.

Once the winners were selected, the Ellis Jewelers custom design team began the detailed process of bringing each student’s artwork to life. The team transformed the original sketches into precise Computer Aided Design drawings, then used those designs to create wax mold replicas before crafting the finished pieces.

“This is one of my favorite parts of the year, every year,” said Dan Levinson, owner of Ellis Jewelers. “Our local students never fail to amaze me with their talent and creativity. All of the designs we saw were incredible, and it’s always hard to narrow it down to just a few.”

Levinson added that the contest is a meaningful way to encourage young artists and celebrate their creativity. “These kids represent the next generation of jewelry designers, artists and creators,” Levinson said. “We’re honored to play a small role in supporting their creative growth. It’s always so heartwarming to watch the winners’ faces light up as we present them with their finished pieces.”

Cabarrus County Schools congratulates Clara, Aashna and Fallyn on their outstanding designs and thanks Ellis Jewelers for continuing to support and celebrate student creativity in our community.

For more information about the Future Jewelry Designer Contest or Ellis Jewelers’ custom designs, please visit the Ellis Jewelers website.