WJA calls for 2007 Student Scholarship entries

New York—The Women's Jewelry Association (WJA) has announced its 23rd Annual Student Scholarship Awards, available to female students who are enrolled in jewelry- and watch-design courses in the United States.

"Every year, more women find opportunities to build successful careers and flourish in this vital and very exciting industry," WJA National Scholarship Chair Lisa Slovis Mandel said in a statement. "For the past 23 years, WJA has been committed to encouraging talented students and helping their studies in fine-jewelry and watch design. Last year, the organization presented $22,000 in scholarships to nine students."

Funds for the scholarships are raised from the WJA Silent Auction, held during its annual Awards for Excellence dinner in New York City in July. Corporate and individual donations also contribute to the scholarship fund. Current supporters include: Bell Group/Rio Grande, Billie Sutter, David B. Rosenberg, Finlay Fine Jewelry, Helene Fortunoff, Gumuchian Fils, I.B. Goodman, Kaiser Time, M. Markman-Suberi Bros., Phyllis and Ira Bergman, Samuel Aaron Co. and the June Herman Memorial Fund.

Scholarships start at $500 with a top prize of $5,000 for the June Herman Scholarship. Students must be enrolled in jewelry- and watch-design courses between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31 to qualify. Recipients will be chosen by a panel of judges from the jewelry and watch industries, and will be announced in late June or early July.

Candidates must submit an application, which is available at the WJA Web site, Womensjewelry.org, a short essay and three slides of recent work, ranked. Deadline for applications and required materials is May 1.

For more information on the awards, contact the WJA at (856) 423-3156.