Local ‘Mine’ takes all honors at convention

By Johnny Appleby



Occasionally someone from the county earns an award or another honor in his or her profession and even the youth participate on teams that win state competitions and sometimes compete nationally in sports and academic endeavors.

However, it is rare for an individual or a business to sweep top honors in all four categories at a state convention. That is just what the design entries from Faye’s Diamond Mine did just two weeks ago at the Arkansas Jewelers Association Annual Convention in Little Rock.

Three pieces, a bracelet and two pendants, were designed by Faye Rodgers and Lori Blagg for entry in the Creative Achievement Recognizing Arkansas Talent (CARAT) design contest. Even 12 year-old Logan Blagg helped her mom with the design of one of the pieces for this year’s design competition.

Each piece was entered into one of three categories (based on retail values) and judged by various non-jeweler professionals on design aesthetics alone.

In the first division, Lori designed a filigree sterling silver bracelet that was selected as the division winner. She said that she was delighted when it was announced at the awards dinner last Saturday night.

Faye’s entry was announced next as the second category winner. Her diamond pendant design was given additional depth with some advice from Diamond Mine Jeweler Lyn Edwards of Beebe.

Faye said that Lyn’s help with the three dimensional shaping of the pendant really made the piece stand up and made it more distinguished and elegant and to that point, she also acknowledged his effort by naming him as a co-designer on the entry.

The third piece was another diamond pendant featuring Lori’s 25th anniversary diamond that she received from her husband, Ralph.

She said that the piece was more special since her daughter, Logan, helped with design.

It is not very common today for children to follow their parents in jewelry design throughout the nation. It is a rare event when three generations of jewelry designers are in the same shop like Faye’s Diamond Mine.

Both daughter and mother were completely stunned when it was announced that they had won the CARAT award for the third division.

Thinking that their awards were over for the evening, the girls from Clinton were in for another surprise when the convention choice (chosen by all of the jewelers from around the state who attended the convention) was announced.

Yes, Faye’s diamond pendant was chosen by her peers as the best in the show and to represent Arkansas’ jewelry design talent at the national jewelers convention in New York City.

“It was unbelievable that we won all four awards that night,” said Faye.

She also explained that she felt it was a huge honor to be selected to compete at the national level over many of the best designers in the state who have won that honor in the past.

It is important to note at this time that many of the state’s leading jewelry stores had entered multiple pieces and that one store from Clinton with one entry in each division outclassed them all this year.

It just goes to show that quality doesn’t have to come from somewhere else and is available at home.