Buddy Bear, of Buddy Bear Jewelers in Merion, PA, is a local jewelry designer with over 35 years of jewelry design experience and is highly recognized in the national and international world of fashion for his award-winning designs. One of his more modern designs is a transformer, which is jewelry that can be taken apart and combined with other pieces to create an entirely different piece. For example, bar pins can come apart to become earrings, jackets, or pendants for pearl necklaces. Among his favorite gemstones are American freshwater pearls, opals, sapphires, and intarsia-patterned stones. Buddy is best known for his unique designs that promote and enhance the beauty of American pearls. His enthusiasm for his craft is demonstrated by his long list of award-winning designs:
1999--Vision Award American Pearl Design Competition
Excellent Marks Originality Category "Cornelian-copia of Pearls & Moonstones"
Excellent Marks Beauty Category "Paradise Found"
Excellent Marks Quality of Workmanship "Lavender Pond Earrings"
1998--Vision Award American Pearl Design Competition
Excellent Marks Originality Category "The Pearl Reef"
Excellent Marks Beauty Category "Coin Ear Swingles"
Excellent Marks Beauty Category "A Doozy of a Pearl Druzy"
Excellent Marks Originality Category "Who you gone a call Ghost Bracelet"
1998--Pennsylvania Jewelers Association's 3rd Annual Jewelry Design Competition:
2nd Place--14 karat yellow gold carved boulder opal necklace of a lady's head with diamonds and fresh-water, detachable pink pearls.
3rd Place and PJA Design Award--14 karat yellow gold and platinum piece that can be worn as a pin or as a pendant with five detachable strands of fresh water pearls. This piece features two carved boulder opal faces and a carved intense boulder opal is a sitting horse.
1997--Vision Award American Pearl Design Competition
Excellent Marks Creative Use of Pearl Category
Excellent Marks Originality Category
Excellent Marks Beauty Category
1996--Vision Award American Pearl Design Competition
Award of Excellence Inspiration Division
Excellent Marks Originality Category
Excellent Marks Beauty Category
Excellence Award, 2nd annual Vision Award, sponsored by the American Pearl Company
1995--1st place with his bracelet, "Roll out the Barrel", features an American blister pearl framed by amethysts and green onyx citrine and 25 channel-set diamonds
1994--Honorable Mention in the AGTA Spectrum Award Competition
