Bridge jewelry refers to jewelry that is sort of in between. It's not considered fine jewelry, like a gold diamond ring would be, but it's not considered costume jewelry, like one of those fun and funky pins you buy during the holiday at the drug store that lights up and plays a tune. Bridge jewelry allows the use of real materials, such as gemstones and sterling silver, but at prices more of us can afford, and because of the quality of the materials, they will be around a lot longer than that weird pin you bought for 99 cents last season.

Jewelry supplier, Halstead Beads Inc. started sponsoring a bridge jewelry award last year, and this year they have announced their winner for this now second annual award:

Belle Brooke Barer, principal designer and entrepreneur, will receive $6,000 in cash and merchandise as part of the grant prize package. She intends to use these funds to invest in a fashion marketing campaign including both print and web materials. "I think that is going to be a big help for me in taking the next step and really expanding my business," said an exuberant Barer. Her work is already sold in stores around the country as well as through several online retailers.

Barer creates jewelry that is inspired by the natural symmetry inherent in the organic world. Her primary material is sterling silver, though she also designs some pieces in gold. The style is an artistic rendering of the concept of cells and their multitudinous manifestations. Her work is unmistakably original and features circular patterns compressed within shaped frames and offset by natural gemstones. You can see her current Metropolis and Night Sky collections at bellebrooke.net.

She really has created her own signature jewelry style, which is probably one of many reasons she won this year.