CASE Awards Crown 2026 Necklace With 200-Carat Tourmalines, Custom Design Shines

A 14K yellow gold necklace set with 201.64 carats of cabochon tourmalines in pink, green and bi-color stones took retail Best in Show, a reminder that personalized jewelry is leaning harder into color, scale and one-off craftsmanship. Designed by Trisha Kennedy-Thompson for Kennedy’s Jewelers in Blue Springs, Missouri, the $56,150 piece paired the tourmalines with 6.63 carats of accent diamonds, creating the kind of saturated statement necklace that reads less like a trend sample and more like a custom commission built around a client’s own palette.

The winning look offers a clear template for shoppers who want bespoke jewelry without drifting into museum-piece territory. Cabochon cuts flatten the sparkle and put the body color front and center, which makes pink, green and bi-color tourmalines feel painterly rather than delicate. Set in yellow gold, the stones gain warmth and contrast, while the diamond accents keep the necklace from feeling too heavy. For a consumer commission, that mix of bold cabochons, warm metal and scattered diamond light could translate into a pendant, collar or smaller station necklace at a lower price point without losing the original idea.

Jewelers of America announced the 2026 CASE Awards on May 7, after a submission period that opened February 9 and was extended from March 20 to April 3. The competition drew more than 120 entries across eight categories, split by retail price point and by retailer versus supplier membership, and two pieces were named Best in Show, one retail and one supplier. The supplier winner was Renisis, designed by Sardwell in New York, New York, a $68,000 double bullet diamond ring that pushed a different kind of custom drama, sharper and more architectural than the necklace’s opulent color story. The CASE Awards are sponsored by Synchrony.

The judging panel included Amanda Gizzi, Brecken Branstrator of GemGuide, Tanya Dukes, Deirdre Featherstone of Featherstone Design, Natalie Francisco of National Jeweler, Adrianne Sanogo, a GIA Graduate Gemologist, and Amina Sorel of Amina Sorel Fine Jewelry. Judges weighed overall design, marketability, originality and quality of manufacturing, the exact mix that separates a showpiece from a piece that can actually sell. Gizzi said, “The CASE Awards are one of the most meaningful ways we celebrate the artistry and design excellence coming from within our membership.” Jewelers of America says the competition has celebrated custom design craftsmanship for more than 35 years, and with MJSA members newly invited after the organizations’ unification, the field widened this year. The real takeaway sits with the necklace: personalized jewelry now favors visible color, sculptural settings and distinctive stone cuts that make a piece feel unmistakably owned.