Tiffany x CFDA Expands Jewelry Designer Initiative With Addition of Scholarship

The luxury jeweler and the CFDA are broadening their emerging talent initiative for a second year, adding a new scholarship and internship program aimed at early-career jewelry design students.​The luxury jeweler and the CFDA are broadening their emerging talent initiative for a second year, adding a new scholarship and internship program aimed at early-career jewelry design students. 

Tiffany & Co. and the Council of Fashion Designers of America are expanding their joint jewelry designer initiative for its second year, broadening the program’s focus from emerging talent to include students at the very start of their careers with the Tiffany x CFDA Jewelry Design Scholar Award, a $25,000 scholarship and summer internship aimed at jewelry design students.

“We are excited to announce the second cycle of the Tiffany & Co. x CFDA Jewelry Designer Award, underscoring the House’s longstanding commitment to creativity, craft and championing the next generation of emerging talent,” said Nathalie Verdeille, senior vice president and chief artistic officer at Tiffany & Co.

This year’s finalists will receive funding to produce a three- to five-piece collection, along with one-on-one mentorship from Tiffany & Co.’s design team and a multiweek educational experience centered on craftsmanship and material exploration. Finalists will present their collections before a selection committee during a culminating award ceremony at The Landmark with one designer receiving a $50,000 grant and a one-year fellowship with the Tiffany design team.

The addition of a scholarship offers a secondary channel to incubate talent, building on the momentum of the inaugural program created to support the next generation of American jewelry talent through funding and mentorship. According to Tiffany, the newly introduced award further extends the partnership’s focus on long-term talent development.

The second cycle also marks a milestone moment for the program as Jameel Mohammed, founder of Khiry and the inaugural recipient of the award, joins the selection committee which spans the fashion, jewelry and culture worlds, including Gabrielle Union Wade, Bethann Hardison, Sotheby’s Frank Everett, Vogue Mexico and Latin America editorial director Karla Martinez de Salas, Rajni Jacques, Andrew Bolton of The Metropolitan Museum of Art and writer Lynn Yaeger.

The CFDA Scholarship Fund has previously supported more than 400 student designers and the new jewelry-focused scholarship brings that pipeline into the fine jewelry space through financial support and industry experience at Tiffany.

“The Tiffany & Co. x CFDA Jewelry Designer Award marks a meaningful expansion of what this program represents — not just for emerging designers, but for students at the very start of their creative journey,” said Steven Kolb, chief executive officer and president of the CFDA. “At the CFDA, we believe that creativity is the driving force behind American fashion, and this award is a testament to that shared belief.”

The application process for the 2026 Tiffany & Co. x CFDA Jewelry Designer Award program launches Monday and closes on June 1.