Ananda Khalsa Jewelry Wins 2006 Halstead Bead Business Grant Contacts: Hilary Halstead Scott Marketing Director Halstead Bead, Inc. 6650 Intercal Way Prescott, AZ 86301 Ph: 928-778-6776 hilary@halsteadbead.com www.halsteadbead.com Ananda Khalsa Owner Ananda Khalsa Jewelry 57 Duncan Ave Providence, RI 02906 Ph: 303-817-2291 ananda@anandakhalsa.com www.anandakhalsa.com Prescott, AZ - July 21, 2006 - Halstead Bead, Inc. is proud to announce the winner of the company's first annual business grant competition for bridge jewelry designers: Ananda Khalsa Jewelry of Providence, RI. Ananda Khalsa designs incorporate tiny original paintings into sterling silver jewelry. Her work is inspired by Asian art and natural forms. Each piece is designed to communicate a quiet grace as well as rich cultural symbolism. The jewelry features clean lines and simple elegance, while maintaining evidence of the human hand. Her work can be found at www.anandakhalsa.com. "I am so thrilled and honored...this could not come at a better time," said Khalsa. She will receive $6,000 in cash and merchandise as part of the grant prize package. She intends to use these funds to expand her business by hiring production assistants and exhibiting in national wholesale shows. Khalsa has always been an artist, but only began making jewelry in 2002 when she took a metalsmithing class in Boulder, CO. She was instantly hooked and enrolled in more classes while setting up her own studio. In 2004, she began focusing on her jewelry as a business and promoting her designs to galleries and stores around the country. "We were looking for a fresh designer that had the complete package of design talent and business acumen," said Halstead Bead Marketing Director Hilary Scott. "Ananda brings a new style to the jewelry market and she has the business mind to take her label to the national level and be very successful." Halstead Bead began offering the grant this year as an annual prize to a bridge jewelry designer who launched their businesses within the last three years. The award differs from most competitions in the trade because judging is equally based on both jewelry design acumen and the artists' business skills & strategies. "We have seen many talented artists come and go in this industry because they focused only on their product lines without sufficiently nurturing their business strategies and operations," said Scott. Therefore, the firm developed the prize to recognize well-rounded jewelry designers and to encourage all members of the trade to hone their finance and marketing skills along with their casting and wire-working skills. Applicants from all over the United States vied for the grant. Over 100 designers submitted extensive application packets that included a design portfolio, resume, essay questions and business plans. The candidates' styles ranged across many distinct types of bridge jewelry and the business strategies showed a multitude of creative approaches to brand development. "We were extremely pleased with the response to our first competition and the extraordinary pool of applicants who participated," said Scott. The Halstead Bead Business Grant for Bridge Jewelry Designers is an annual competition. Details on the award and all of this year's top 10 finalists can be found at www.halsteadbead.com/grant. The deadline for next year's competition will be in June 2007. Halstead Bead, Inc. is one of North America's leading jewelry supply importers and distributors. The firm was established in 1973 and now supplies thousands of component resellers and jewelry designers around the globe. Halstead Bead, Inc. is wholesale only and sells beads and findings for the bridge jewelry segment in sterling silver, gold-filled, copper, pearl, shell, glass and crystal. The firm also distributes branded component lines such as Swarovski and Beadalon. **Press kits and more digital images of Ananda Khalsa and her jewelry are available on request. Interviews are also possible on request. Please notify the above parties with the publication dates of any coverage.
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