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DesignNewswire · COMO, Italy ·

Yi Xiong Receives the Silver A' Design Award for Heart in Bloom Ring in Jewelry Design

Yi Xiong recognized for jewelry design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 25, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ Heart in Bloom Ring by Yi Xiong, designed for Aris Fine Studio, has been granted the Silver A' Design Award in the Jewelry Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The recognition forms part of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

What the Silver A' Design Award Means

The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.

More About Heart in Bloom Ring

Heart in Bloom is a ring made of 18K gold and set with a 1.1 carat heart shaped peach toned sapphire. The open and asymmetrical structure accommodates a range of finger sizes and stays stable through balanced weight distribution. The sapphire is not treated as a fixed focal point, but emerges within branching forms that partially enclose the stone. Sculptural branches extend outward and form layered relationships that create a sense of lightness. As the viewing angle shifts, the spatial relationships between the branches and the stone change.

About Yi Xiong

Aris Xiong (Yi Xiong) is the founder and creative director of Aris Fine Studio, established in New York. She began designing jewelry for local clients during her university years. Her work is grounded in sustained observation of nature and a sensitivity to memory, translating elements such as plants, light, shadow, and temporal change into a contemporary jewelry language. Characterized by nuanced color relationships and sculptural structures, her designs balance organic forms with rational composition. She adopts a restrained approach to emotional expression, allowing jewelry to function as a vessel for memory and personal experience.

Award Record

With this recognition, Yi Xiong is a winner of 2 A' Design Awards. The awards were granted in the 2025 - 2026 edition of the A' Design Award & Competition.

About the A' Jewelry Design Award

The A' Jewelry Design Award is an international jewelry design competition recognizing good jewelry designs by best jewelry designers worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to jewelry designers, jewelry brands, jewelers and goldsmiths from all countries. Typical entries include rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, brooches and pendants. The awarded jewelry designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/jewelry

About A' Design Award & Competition

Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Media Contact

Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953

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Fact Sheet

The Work

Project
Heart in Bloom Ring
Function
Ring
Category
Jewelry Design
Discipline
Fashion Design
Industry
Luxury and Fashion
Colors
Tan, Dark Salmon, Peru, Light Pink and Indian Red
Images
5
Client
Aris Fine Studio

The Recognition

Laureate
Yi Xiong
Country
United States of America
Recognition
Silver A' Design Award
Edition
2025 - 2026
Design ID
#183402

Credits

Image Credits
Aris Xiong (Yi Xiong)

Design Details

Unique Properties
The open structure accommodates a range of finger sizes while maintaining stability through controlled balance. The heart shaped peach toned sapphire is not treated as a fixed focal point but emerges within the branching structure, partially enclosed through layered relationships. As the viewing angle shifts, spatial relationships evolve, creating a dynamic visual effect. The asymmetrical composition disrupts a singular viewing path, allowing the act of wearing to become part of the experience.
Inspiration
From a center based composition to structural generation, this ring translates organic growth into a wearable system of spatial relationships. Within a non centralized framework, directional flow defines the composition. The heart shaped peach toned sapphire, echoing the peach of longevity, is not a focal point but emerges within layered branches. The piece unfolds continuously, transforming jewelry into an expression of growth, renewal, and spatial relationships.
Research
This design translates the principle of organic growth into a non centralized structural system. Through open and asymmetrical construction, directional flow and spatial hierarchy define the composition, allowing elements to balance within the whole. The gemstone is not a visual center but a structural node, shifting from a center dependent hierarchy to a multi-generative structure. Spatial relationships and layering translate natural rhythms into a structural expression.
Challenge
The core challenge lies in achieving stability and visual lightness within an open, asymmetrical form. The heart shaped peach toned sapphire is not a focal point but a structural node, partially enclosed by branching elements serving as both extension and support. Through adjustments of metal thickness, connections, and placement, the structure remains stable. Controlling weight and density ensures a balance between sculptural presence and everyday wearability.
Realization and Technology
Materials: 18K gold, 1.1 ct heart shaped peach toned sapphire Craftsmanship: This design reinterprets botanical jewelry through structural abstraction. Controlled asymmetry maintains balance, with weight distributed across an open form to create a subtle sense of suspension. Sculptural metal integrates with precise setting, where the heart-shaped gemstone is not a focal point but is partially enclosed within the branching structure. Color functions as a structural element rather than decoration.
Operation and Interaction
The open structure accommodates a range of finger sizes while maintaining stability through the distribution of structural weight. As the wearer moves, the spatial relationships between branches and the gemstone continuously evolve, creating a state of visual transformation. The asymmetrical composition disrupts a singular viewing path, allowing the act of wearing to become a dynamic experience. By controlling structural complexity and weight, the piece maintains spatial layering and sculptural presence while balancing everyday wearability.
Project Duration and Location
The project started in March 2025 in New York and was completed in June 2025 in New York.
Specifications
Ring size: US 6.25 (inner diameter approx. 16.7 mm) Center stone: 1.1 ct peach toned sapphire Material: 18K gold, total weight approx. 6 g Custom sizing available upon request
Keywords
Organic Growth, Symbiotic Relationship, Asymmetrical Structure, Open Construction, Spatial Hierarchy, Fluidity, Sense of Suspension, Branching Forms, Sculptural Metal, Contemporary Femininity

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