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 LaNell Melancon of Melancon Jewelers won
First Place in her category for Custom Jewelry Design for 2008 at this
year convention of Jewelers of Louisiana.
“I am Blessed” says LaNell Melancon of
Melancon Jewelers. LaNell loves to make original design jewelry. She
had picked up some unusual shaped golden & chocolate Keishi pearls
to design a necklace & bracelet set. While working with the pearls
she noticed one golden pearl looked to her like a fish, so she kept it
on the side. A couple of weeks later she & Richard were discussing
an upcoming jewelry design competition. “ I was busy with other things
and really didn't have time to carve or mold anything but I remembered
that pearl. It made me smile.” So with that in mind, she began her
first place winning design appropriately called “Splash of Fun”. She
wanted to keep it as natural as possible by adding another pearl as the
backdrop and 14kt gold as the waves with diamonds as the splashes to
make a beautiful broach. “I am Blessed to be able to enjoy such
beautiful things and it makes me so happy when others enjoy them too.”
LaNell, Richard and Kenneth Hardy have worked together at Melancon
Jewelers for almost 25 years, they are a team. As she said “I couldn't
do it without them.”  Photo 1: Kenneth Hardy, Oscar Borda, President of Jewelers of Louisiana and
LaNell Melancon being awarded First Place for Custom Jewelry Design Photo 2: “Splash of Fun” custom First Place Design winner by LaNell Melancon
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LANELL MELANCON,
FIRST PLACE IN CUSTOM JEWELRY DESIGN WITH "LAURA"
The
talent of Melancon Jewelers has again been shown with “Laura.” A very
unique shield shaped 2.06ct Sphene stone is the center of this modern
design ringwhich won First Place in the Louisiana Jewelers Design
Contest.
This beautiful white & yellow gold ring has a very
high polish finish which gives a mirror ffect. It is accented with a
.045ct diamond and has a squared shank to fit the contour of the
finger. “Laura” was inspired by the beautiful rainbow of colors brought
out in the sphene stone which is light green but has a higher
dispersion rate than a diamond. It has a rather unusual ability to take
a beam of light and break it into all of the spectral colors.
LaNell Melancon hand picked the special cut sphene because it reminded her of her late sister, Laura.
“Laura would have loved a stone like this because of it’s color &
unique qualities. She was one of a kind just like this ring,” says
LaNell.
Melancon Jewelers is now celebrating their 25th year in business and
for Richard Melancon his 31st year as a jeweler. In that time period,
the team of designers and craftsmen at Melancon Jewelers has won more Awards for Custom Design Jewelry than any jeweler in the state, something they are very proud of.
Custom designing is a team effort and award winning designers LaNell
& Richard Melancon have collaborated on numerous designs over the
years. This team effort is also visible when it comes to the
craftsmanship of Kenneth Hardy, Melancon Jeweler’s Master Jeweler. They
are truly a winning combination.
 Jewelers
of Louisiana was formed in 1940 and is affiliated nationally with
Jewelers of America (JA), headquartered in New York City. It is the
national association forprofessional retail jewelers. JA inspires and
strengthens members’ professionalism and high social, ethical and
environmental standards with the vision to advance the profession. JA
represents more than 11,000 jewelry stores nationwide and is the
indisputable leader for the jewelry industry providing high quality
educational programs and services, public and industry affairs
leadership, certification, networking, and other resources.
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RICHARD MELANCON,
FIRST PLACE IN CUSTOM JEWELRY DESIGN
 “Opal
Blossom” is a 2006 First Place Winner for designer Richard Melancon.
With his expertise, eye for design and versatility Richard designed a
stunning broach that can also be worn as a pendant or pearl enhancer.
From
conception to the final custom design piece “Opal Blossom” took 80
hours to complete. First a number of designs were drawn out on
paper. Then after selecting the best design a temporary wax design
was to cut out to simulate the final design. After approving the
concept the hand fabrication started. This design is completely built
from scratch around a 9.36 carat hand carved Australian opal which is
hand carved into the shape of a stemmed flower. In order to accomplish
the perfect setting with a leaf design motif, a number of strips on 18
karat yellow gold had to be hand cut to a specific design. These
strips were then laser wielded together. Centered in the design is a
very unusual 0.37 carat “Flower Cut Diamond” to accent the very center
of the opal flower. At the stem or bottom of the piece Richard
incorporated another unusual diamond, a 0.11 carat Fancy Brown Color
Marquise Cut Diamond. This beautiful Fancy Brown Diamond is flanked by
a row of 11 Brilliant Cut White Diamonds weighing 0.13-carat total
weight. Whether this beautiful broach is worn as a pearl enhancer,
pendant or a broach it will make a distinctive statement.
 Melancon
Jewelers is celebrating their 25th year in business and for Richard
Melancon personally his 31st year as a jeweler. In that time period,
this team of designers and craftsmen have won more First Place Awards
for Custom Design than any jeweler in the state, something they are
very proud of. Also as an award-winning designer, LaNell Melancon has
collaborated on many designs, as custom designing is a team effort in
many ways. This team effort is also evident when it comes to the
craftsmanship of Kenneth Hardy, Melancon Jeweler’s Master Jeweler.
This is truly a winning combination of talented individuals.
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