The Leibniz Ring Hannover 2018 was awarded for the 21st time by the Presseclub Hannover. This year, the expert jury for Germany's most prestigious competition for jewelry designers was under the patronage of Dr. Sabine Schormann, General Director of documenta in Kassel.
This year's winners of the Leibniz-Ring Hannover competition come from J. Fischer & Sohn KG. Alena Jakunina Uthe and Nico Starke beat 21 competitors from all over Germany with their piece of jewelry made of midnight black carbon and palladium and were awarded 3,500 euros in prize money and much praise by Press Club boss Jürgen Köster last Tuesday evening (20.11.2018).
The award-winning ring:
A ring that carries history within it - made to immortalize memories and honour the wearer and the person who gave the ring its name.
The history of the division of Germany, which Klaus Meine experienced as an artist and helped to shape through his song, known around the world as the "Hymn of Reunification", was taken up in the interior of the ring. The revolving motif symbolizes the totalitarian system of socialism between imprisonment and the displayed brotherhood of the allies and, on the other hand, the idea of peace and freedom of East and West Germany. J. F. Kennedy had already expressed this in 1963 with his famous words "Ich bin ein Berliner" and he is also part of this pictorial history.
Hard shell, soft core
The 950/- palladium ring, encased in a carbon shell, is full of symbolic power. While the carbon itself stands for indestructibility, adventure and the discovery of new things, the deep black expresses masculinity and rock. The robust carbon protectively surrounds the star from the album cover "Wind of Change", whereby the star in turn is a signpost and symbol of protection and, in combination with the set diamond, symbolizes eternity.
The special feature: the ring can be rotated thanks to an integrated ball bearing. This gimmick is reminiscent of an endless chain and is in keeping with one of the initiatives developed by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz - the endless chain for extracting ore in mining.
The outer ring is wrapped in carbon fiber, which in turn surrounds a star in 585/- apricot gold with a brilliant-cut diamond (0.023 ct. G/Si). The inner lettering is laser-cut all the way around and filled with a ceramic-based composite material in rich midnight black. Small applications are highlighted in color.
21st award ceremony of the Leibniz Ring Hannover
On December 5, 2018, the 21st award ceremony for the Leibniz Ring Hannover will take place at the Hannover Congress Center (HCC), where the ring will be presented to this year's winner Klaus Meine (lead singer of the rock band Scorpions). With 500 invited guests, the interest is greater than ever before. The Board of Trustees of the Leibniz Ring Hannover, chaired by Liz Mohn, member of the Supervisory Board of Bertelsmann SE, includes: Lutz Marmor, Director of Norddeutscher Rundfunk, Jan Hofer, Chief Anchorman of ARD Tagesschau and, this year, Dr. Wilhelm Krull, Secretary General of the Volkswagen Foundation.
The Board of Trustees justified its decision as follows: "Klaus Meine is a composer, songwriter and singer. Rolling Stones, Beatles and The Who were his role models. As frontman of the Scorpions - with over 100 million records sold and almost 50 years of stage presence - he has written music history. He used his international popularity and acceptance to build bridges of cultural diversity not only across national borders, but also across ideological boundaries. In doing so, he has succeeded in inspiring people worldwide for tolerance and peaceful coexistence. With the song "Wind of Change", which went down in history as the "anthem of reunification" and the most successful single from a German production.
and the most successful single produced in Germany, he composed and wrote the lyrics for a timeless anthem of peace. Friend and foe listen to his songs and feel connected through his music. The international star Klaus Meine is a bridge builder and an ambassador for peace. He has been intensively involved in foundations and charitable organizations for over 25 years. He is a founding member of the Nordoff/Robbins Foundation, patron of the Lower Saxony Cancer Foundation and ambassador for the German José Carreras Leukemia Foundation. He
is committed to the International Neurobionics Foundation and UNICEF.
Wolfgang Fischer, Managing Director of J. Fischer & Sohn KG: "We at Fischer are very proud of our two goldsmiths, Alena Jakunia Uthe and Nico Starke, and are delighted to be able to offer our employees such fertile ground for their creativity."
Jury Goldsmiths' Competition Leibniz Ring Hanover 2018:
In addition to Dr. Sabine Schormann, Andreas Bitter (Goldschmiede Bitter), Michael Lohmann (Hannover Concerts), Beate Nock (Chopard Boutique Hannover), Dr. Reinhard Spieler (Spengler Museum) and Dr. Sabine Wipl (Hanover Chamber of Crafts) came together.
About the Leibniz-Ring Hannover competition:
The LeibnizRingHannover is awarded to personalities or institutions who have attracted attention through outstanding achievements or who have made a special mark through their life's work. The award commemorates the universal scholar Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716), who came to Hanover in 1676 and worked here as a mathematician, politician and diplomat until his death. In 2017, the ring was awarded to the entrepreneur Prof. Dr. Hans-Georg Näder.
