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Cutlery Design Challenge, Institute of Making and Worshipful Company of Cutlers

Earlier this year the Institute of Making and Worshipful Company of Cutlers launched a very exiting design challenge to design and make a new implement, tool or device for eating. The art, craft and science of what we eat and how we eat it has engaged civilisations across the ages. Rituals, routines, manners and methods have been developed to ensure that the way we eat and the tools we use to eat with perform a huge range of functions; from preventing us contaminating our food with unwashed hands, to marking us out as from a particular social class. in recent

LOEWE Launch 'LOEWE EN CASA' Series on Instagram Live

Founded in 1846, LOEWE may be one of the oldest luxury houses, but it never falls behind. In response to the Coronavirus outbreak, LOEWE have launched 'LOEWE EN CASA' (LOEWE at home) - a series of Intagram Live events and workshops to enjoy whilst we stay home.  The first series began last Friday, featuring a studio tour and weaving workshop with Idoia Cuesta, a studio tour with Goldsmith and LOEWE Craft Prize finalist Giovanni Corvaja, and an ikebana demonstration with Toru Watari.  The second phase of the lineup continues to celebrate craft and artisanship, exploring the words and the work [youtube

Call for Participants: Pass it Along Project

Call for Participants: Pass it Along Project New year; new inspiration? The applications to join in the 2018 edition of the Pass It Along Project / Challenge are now open - for any jewellery makers that are looking for a fresh challenge for the new year... The Pass it Along Project is an international collaboration challenge for jewellers - think of the kids games 'Pass the Parcel' or 'Chinese Whispers' but with jewellers instead. Designed as a personal creative challenge for those involved, each jeweller starts work on a piece of jewellery, but then passes it along to another jeweller

Ortwin Thyssen Unviels Competition Winner 2016

To celebrate his shop’s 10-year anniversary, King’s Mile jeweller, Ortwin Thyssen set his makers a challenge; to design and craft a piece of jewellery of their own inspiration using traditional artisan methods. The pieces were displayed during September and the public were invited to vote, alongside industry professionals, on their favourite piece. “What you see here is the result of a challenge that every artist faces, the challenge to make ‘what you feel is right’” explained Ortwin during his presentation speech at the competition awards evening, held in the intimate surroundings of the Lilford Gallery in Canterbury. After achieving the

Are you making the most out of social media for your business? You could earn twice as much on the average order through Pinterest, over Facebook, new study suggests

Marketing yourself and your business can be tricky, and time consuming. The truth is no one knows your audience like you. However, if you're looking for new ways to shake up your strategy, a new study by Nosto may shed some light on new avenues for success.  The study uncovers the true value of Pinterest and Instagram, showing that whilst they may not provide volume in term of traffic (compared to the liked of Facebook), they might encourage customers to spend more per order. While they drive relatively small amounts of traffic, Pinterest and Instagram deliver the highest average order values

Luxury Institute: The Three Skills Of Luxury Customer Experience In The Digital Age

In the Luxury Institite's second July white paper, they challenge luxury executives and brands to step up and lead advanced personalization in the digital age. To do so, they believe that it requires mastery of three critical skills: personal data expertise, AI expertise, and emotional intelligence expertise. Luxury executives and brands that fail to master this triad of critical skills will be marginalized, or worse. This is a challenge worthy of the luxury goods and services industry. Most brands in the luxury goods and services industry were late to the last decade’s digital transformation party. Others are resting easy because

Tradeshow Access Programme (TAP)

The Department for International Trade's Tradeshow Access Programme provides funding in the form of grants for eligible businesses to attend overseas trade shows. The Funding Helps Your Business Gain Market knowledge Experience in attending and getting the most from overseas trade shows Advice and support from trade experts How The Service Works The grants are based around the Tradeshow Access Programme Calendar of Supported Events 2016 to 2017 with an appropriate accredited Trade Challenge Partner leading the UK’s involvement at each event. Businesses usually take part as a group, led by the trade challenge partner for that trade show. What

Benchpeg Awards 2016

Benchpeg held its first Benchpeg Awards evening in partnership with the Goldsmiths Company Assay Office on the 1st November in association with their Make Your Mark event. It was a lovely evening where the winners of the Benchpeg Awards 2016 were revealed, after our panel of independent judges presided over the short list of 19 entries out of 147 submissions to the competition. Here we see a few of the Instagram pics taken on the night and at the event during the day. #benchpegawards  Photo credits: Intstagram #benchpegawards #benchpeg #makeyourmark #makeyourmarklondon #goldsmithshall #goldsmithscompany

Spun Glass Theatre Commission

The Baby Challenge: First Artist Commission  The Challenge We want to commission artists who have never made work for babies (0-18months) before from diverse arts practices. You could be a circus performer, lighting designer, poet, storyteller, designer, writer, sculptor, ballet dancer etc. We'd love to hear from any and all art forms! Who We Are Looking For We're looking for 6 South East/London based artists (who are free for 1 week in June/July) to create a workshop/installation/experience for new parents and babies. £650 per commission.  Why Now? 600,000 babies have been born in the UK since lockdown who have never

Pegs

We’ve been ‘supporting the work of the jeweller’ for over a fifteen years now. We love a benchpeg too, which is why we created the 'benchpeg selfie.' We absolutely love how each peg represents the individuality of the craftsperson who works upon it.  If you'd like to see your benchpeg featured here upload your pic to Instagram using #benchpegselfie. We will pick the best images every week and feature them on the website and newsletter. Please add a description of what it is you are working on.                           

Sustainability and the future of retailing absorb the industry finds INHORGENTA in survey

New online survey among 1,215 trade fair participants explores leading trends. Majority of retailers and manufacturers plan to focus on sustainable products. Future of retail is seen as a major challenge. Altered customer behavior, digitalization and sustainability will be the most important issues for the jewelry and timepiece industry in future years, according to the results of a representative INHORGENTA survey. A total of 1,215 industry professionals took part in the survey and provided a clear picture of the state of the sector. INHORGENTA MUNICH will present a wide range of program areas about the top issues in the industry

Preparing to Sell

Preparing to Sell  Craft Festival  MAKE South West in Bovey Tracey    Our popular, one day training and networking day, Preparing to Sell will be hosted at MAKE South West in Bovey Tracey on Wednesday January 25th. This lively and useful day, which is led by Sarah James, Director of Craft Festival, gives makers at all stages of their career, the best possible advice for selling directly to the public. The day includes presentations by Rosie Davies from PR Dispatch and Instagram Specialist, Lou Chudley, from Spark Social. Venue MAKE South West, Riverside Mill, Fore Street, Bovey Tracey, Devon, TQ13

Freelance Jeweller / Polisher

Freelance Jeweller / Polisher I have many years’ experience within the jewellery and silversmithing industry and now undertake work as a contractor undertaking mounting and polishing work, for a number of casting companies as well as offering bespoke pieces to my customers. I am based in Essex and am happy to work on one off pieces or batch production work. I currently post and can collect work on request. Please feel free to check out my Instagram page to see my previous work, and I happy to provide references from the companies I currently work with. I am available for

GOLDDUST 2022

GoldDust is a highly focused, personalised online masterclass - comprising of 6 live sessions over 6 weeks - led by jewellery expert Kate Baxter, and special guest speakers. Aimed at independent jewellery designers and jewellery entrepreneurs looking to grow a coveted and desirable collection that stands out in a highly saturated market, topics range from developing and owning your signature style, how to connect with your dream bespoke customer and grow a thriving engagement ring and bespoke collection, to how to take the ultimate shot for instagram. Each week Kate will lead you through an essential topic with a range

Footfall at Bradley’s Jewellers York Up 50% as Outdoor Floral Display Excels

Historic York boutique creates Instagram-worthy display that’s driving custom and increasing footfall despite challenging retail landscape.  Independent jewellery retail business, Bradley’s Jewellers York, has witnessed a 50% uptick in footfall since April 2021 thanks to a new approach to exterior store decoration and window displays. The business is reporting a doubling of footfall from April to September 2021 in comparison to the same period in 2019 due to investment in spring and autumn themed floral displays that surround its 500-year-old boutique on Low Petergate in the centre of York. Since installing its debut exterior decorations in April 2021, designed to

Preparing to Sell

Preparing to Sell  Craft Festival  MAKE South West in Bovey Tracey  Our popular, one day training and networking day,  Preparing to Sell  will be hosted at MAKE South West in Bovey Tracey on Wednesday January 25th. This lively and useful day, which is led by Sarah James, Director of Craft Festival, gives makers at all stages of their career, the best possible advice for selling directly to the public. The day includes presentations by Rosie Davies from PR Dispatch and Instagram Specialist, Lou Chudley, from Spark Social. Venue MAKE South West, Riverside Mill, Fore Street, Bovey Tracey, Devon, TQ13 9AF

This week we go cuckoo over Amy Mead...

In week four of our lockdown chats, Benchpeg chats to jewellery designer maker Amy Mead of www.amymead.co.uk .  Amy has been a designer maker for over 13 years, and we discuss the evolution of her brand and work, how its been in lockdown managing a house with three children, escape mechanisms and Instagram strategy.  [youtube url=http://youtu.be/aqpBAuc00vE] Amy came to jewellery after recovery from ME, and started her jewellery journey at City Lit and landed up with a workshop in Hatton Garden. She’s founded a micro jewellery start up, and placed it on hold whilst becoming a full time

Elements 2018

Call for Applications: Fifth Elements Festival 2020 Applications for the 2020 Elements Festival are now open. The sixth Elements Festival of Jewellery, Silver and Gold will be held 6th-8th November 2020 at the stunning Lyon & Turnbull auction rooms in the heart of Edinburgh. Applications close 2nd March 2020. Please visit our website www.elementsfestival.co.uk to find our new digital application and more information. Follow us at @incorporationofgoldsmiths on Instagram and Incorporation of Goldsmiths on Facebook to learn more. Stay tuned for more updates as we plan for the year ahead! The Fifth Elements Festival The fifth Elements Festival of Jewellery,

Insta hashtags prompt sales in lockdown

The artist Matthew Burrows set up an artist-led movement and network on 16th March 2020 to support artists struggling financially during Covid-19 using the social media platform Instagram – with a simple pledge. The pledge #artistsupportpledge created a much needed route to market in lockdown for artists and makers. He released a statement saying that within a month “…from making the first sales pledge I am a little awe struck yet completely delighted by the momentum and viral take up of this campaign. It is not just an important network and survival mechanism for artists: It has become a global Hear

Contemporary British Silversmiths launch skill share films

The Contemporary British Silversmiths have launched a skills share initiative where members will be sharing some of the skills that have been passed onto them by other craftspeople throughout their career. The Contemporary British Silversmiths has a long history of community and skills sharing - peer to peer learning is one of the organisation’s founding principles. The first skill share is from Rauni Higson, and shows master silversmith Tony Bedford demonstrating how to solder a wire rim onto a flared vase. Tony agreed to answer any questions on the CBS Instagram page on the video post when it was launched [youtube CBS

Digital Italian Oroarezzo event will launch manufacturing re-start

63 companies responded to Italian Exhibition Group’s invitation to take part in the contest entitled “Re-Start”. At 5 pm, live on Instagram, Beppe Angiolini will reveal the preferences of the expert jurors from the journalism, fashion and entertainment worlds. Only a few days to go to the evening that will see the crowning of the winning companies of the Premiere Digital Edition contest: Thursday, 30th July, at 5 pm, all eyes on the virtual podium of the format devised by Italian Exhibition Group (IEG) for OROAREZZO that awards the best Italian jewellery manufactures. 63 companies competing to tell their story

Made Makers – Made London Edition

Made Makers - Made London Edition Online Design And Craft Fair 5th – 8th November 2020 7pm Onward On Thursday How It Works The galleries go live at 7pm from Thursday 5th – Sunday 8th November. If you want first dibs on unique work, we recommend visiting early! If you’d like to order, click on the info button on the Makers gallery, or click through to their website to see their whole range. Watch our Instagram @tuttonandyoung, and Facebook for sneak peeks of makers’ creations and processes! MADE MAKERS online fair is Tutton & Young’s response to the recent closure

Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair - Online

Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair - Online GNCCF ONLINE 25 - 31 July 2020 An opportunity to buy outstanding contemporary craft & design  online  from 160 designer-makers and artists selected for their excellence; from jewellery and fashion accessories to functional and statement pieces for the home. GNCCF ONLINE will go live from 10am, Saturday 25th July until Friday 31st July. See us on Facebook and Instagram and buy work via the GNCCF website. Put the dates in your diary and join the conversation. In the meantime, take a sneak preview at this year’s makers below and follow us at #GNCCF

Digital Craft Festival 2020

Digital Craft Festival 2020 27th - 29th November 2020 Online 3 Day event, online. 150 of the finest maker are busy making new work to present to you over the weekend of November 27-29th at Digital Craft Festival. The programme will be announced next week where we reveal the full collection and all the activities to immerse yourself in craft and making.  You can follow our progress over on  Facebook  and  Instagram . Here is a preview of some of our makers from Digital Craft Festival  www.craftfestival.co.uk

Precious ?

Precious ? 28 members from over 10 countries will take part in the Precious Collective's Launch Exhibition in Plymouth, 16th to 28th April 2019 Born in November 2017 with a membership of over 120 members from 30 countries worldwide it is a very eclectic and diverse group of makers which now boasts over 4 thousand Instagram followers. Previously solely social media based; Ocean Studios will now host the physical launch of the collective. 28 selected members will present what promises to be a very exciting and possibly challenging Art-Jewellery exhibition. If precious means 'of high cost or worth: not to

Midsummer Festival of Making 2020

Midsummer Festival of Making 2020 Friday 19th – Sunday 21st June 2020 Online Cockpit Arts introduces the Midsummer Festival of Making – everyone is invited!  From London to the world, featuring 65 events with over 80 makers, the Festival of Making takes place online, on Instagram, Facebook and Zoom, over the midsummer weekend of Friday 19th – Sunday 21st June.  The packed programme features workshops, panel talks, live demonstrations and studio tours all led by some of London’s leading makers and designers – ceramicists, leatherworkers, weavers, printmakers, jewellers, glass engravers and more.  Many of the events have a midsummer flavour

News Edit: 27 January 2019

A round up of this week's international jewellery news...   My head, their hands — a jeweller’s extraordinary collaboration After being paralysed from the neck down, Romilly Saumarez Smith found a new way to make art. www.ft.com 4 Jewellery Trends To Embrace In 2019 With fashion changing every season and the constant pressure to turn out fresh looks for every event, keeping up to date with the trends can feel exhausting.  www.elle.com.au   "More And More Women Are Buying Jewellery For Themselves" - Maya Magal On The Changing Market A quick scroll through Instagram will tell you that semi-precious jewellery

Liberty Open Call 2018

Liberty Open Call 2018 Liberty London is on the lookout for the next big talent, offering artists, creators and designers a chance to have their own unique artwork immortalised in iconic Liberty Fabric, simply by uploading a photo to Instagram using the hashtag #LibertyOpenCall This year’s #LibertyOpenCall prize also puts the winners at the centre of the creative journey, including time spent developing the artwork alongside the Liberty London Design Team, as well as a trip to Liberty London’s fabric mill in Italy, where they will watch as the winning fabrics are printed. With a heritage of art and design

What's In A Face: Jewellery With A Personality

It's an unusual trend that's been circulating amongst fashion bloggers for some time now without any indication of slowing down. So the jewellery trend in question, becoming a permanent fixture upon our instagram feeds is the usual and obscure outline of faces. Discreet? No. Chic? Yes, yes, yes! It's hard not to be drawn to the artistic, abstract and boldly creative shapes and patterns of this trend. With oversized facial features, blurred uneven lines and imperfect placement of embellishment, the more obscure the design, the better! From earrings, rings to pendants, the fun face trend takes its inspiration from the

News Edit: 10 June 2018

A round up of this week's international jewellery news... Reed Krakoff on how he plans to revitalise Tiffany & Co for the Instagram generation The Telegraph: While many column inches are devoted to the frantic spinning of fashion’s creative-director carousel, the jewellery industry’s head honchos tend to stay out of ... www.telegraph.co.uk   Woman makes stunning jewellery out of fruits and vegetables Metro: It’s nice to have jewellery that you won’t see on anyone else. So perhaps it’s even more special to have bling so exclusive that it can only be worn for less than a week.  metro.co.uk   Markles'

Folli Follie Partner with Photoslurp

Leading visual commerce and marketing platform Photoslurp has announced a partnership with the FF Group to improve their customers’ online shopping experience. The partnership gives flagship jewellery and accessory brands Links of London and Folli Follie the ability to gather user-generated content, such as hash-tagged photos, improving the path to purchase for customers by making them ‘shoppable’. “Social proof has always played an important role in building trust with customers ever more so in today’s digital world. With brand presence growing rapidly on social networks like Instagram, Photoslurp will ensure we are maximising both our engagement levels and our visual

Queer + Metals Exhibition

LGBTQ+ artists challenge metalwork’s macho image in new exhibition Friday 25 March to Sunday 3 April 2022 Hereford Artists from Birmingham City University’s renowned School of Jewellery are among the contributors to a new exhibition of metalwork this month, inspired by the lives and experiences of members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and questioning (LGBTQ+) community. The  Queer + Metals  exhibition, which opens in Hereford this Friday 25 March is the first show of its kind to focus exclusively on the creations of LGBTQ+ metalwork artists. The free to attend exhibition forms part of the annual  Ferrous Festival

Jewellery Illustration Workshop with Elena Shkvarkina

  Jewellery Illustration Workshop with Elena Shkvarkina K2 Academy of Contemporary Jewellery 2-day Workshop 21-22 May 2022 This course is designed to challenge your creative thinking and enhance your jewellery practise with new artistic expression. About the course Palimpsest Ink Drawing is the art of superimposed ink layers.  Elena Shkvarkina developed this technique searching for an art practice that would allow experimentation beyond traditional art aesthetics, and encourage self-expression regardless of skills or prior painting experience.  Thanks to its experimental nature, Palimpsest Ink Drawing welcomes improvisation and miss-marking. The layered application creates a memoir of your drawing where you can

BeCraft exhibits at Eleven Steens

OBJECT SYNONYMS 24.02.2022 → 10.04.2022 The currents pass, evolve. Always, artists immerse themselves in what has been.  They reformulate, look differently, offer a "what seems" but which is no longer – or which is, different.  They rethink, recycle, divert, ennoble. This is where the power of contemporary applied arts lies.  Bathed in the – distant – roots of the functional, the artists free themselves from it or draw inspiration from it to perfect the world, to question it, to challenge it.  Through the diversity of materials, techniques, and the rich heritage of arts and crafts, it is a vast and constantly

Craft Focus - Hever Castle and Gardens

Craft in Focus at Hever Castle and Gardens 8 - 11 September 2022 Edenbridge A visit to Hever Castle and Gardens makes a perfect day out. The craft fair is held in marquees within the award-winning Hever Castle Gardens set in 125 acres of glorious grounds at Hever Castle. Highlights include the Italian Garden, the topiary chess set, the Tudor Garden and the 38 acre lake. The moated Castle dates back to the 13  century and was once the childhood home of Anne Boleyn. Children can enjoy the playground, while visitors of all ages enjoy the challenge of finding their way through the Water

Five Launches At Collect International Art Fair 2022

A brand-new collective, ‘FIVE’, will launch this year at the Collect International Art Fair 2022 with ‘Conversations in Silver & Metal’ supported by Goldsmiths’ Fair. FIVE comprises UK based silversmiths Angela Cork, Jessica Jue, Ane Christensen, Patrick Davison and Sheng Zhang. The group is a diverse mix of exciting emerging and mid-career makers that represent a cross-section of generations and backgrounds with a shared ethos of creativity evolving around precision and fine craftsmanship. Each maker applies contemporary ideas to traditional materials and techniques to challenge the preconceptions and expectations of tradition, value, and the use of silver and fine metalwork.

KnivesOut: Crafting a Safer Birmingham Launch Crowdfunding Campaign

This multi-disciplinary project seeks new and innovative routes to tackling the issue of knife-crime in local envronments, using a unique programme of social intervention. The project is a partnership between established community activists, a collaborative practice, brought together as “Knives Out” by Swords Into Ploughshares CIC working with experienced staff from Round Midnight Theatre, Street Doctors, TAS Mentoring and Birmingham City University’s School of Jewellery. At the core of the project is an innovative approach which uses participant-led craftivist practices to challenge thinking around ‘road life’, gang membership and, specifically, knife-crime. Working with schools in the Jewellery Quarter and Soho

Gone Astray – Jewellery and Utensils on the Fringe of Reason at Schmuck Museum

Gone Astray – Jewellery and Utensils on the Fringe of Reason Schmuck Museum, Pforzheim 6 October 2023 through 14 January 2024 Curated by Ellen Maurer Zilioli Where does usefulness end, and where does experimenting far beyond functionality begin? After all, it’s not a new thing anymore that some contemporary gold- and silversmiths question the classical canon of their respective genre, as well as their historical roots and traditions, creating wildly unusual things that violate taboos of their trade and bear witness to disobedience and to breaking rules. They unhinge golden rules and challenge or satirise aesthetic norms, transmuting jewellery, utensils and

Electroforming Jewellery Workshop @ K2 Academy of Contemporary Jewellery

Caroline Broadhead: Questions of Jewellery 20 -23 July 2020 K2 Academy of Contemporary Jewellery Masterclass - Questions Of Jewellery Jewellery encompasses a wide range of issues and meanings, most often about what is valued and what is rated as important in our lives. The way ideas are expressed range from light hearted to hard-hitting, playful to political and everything in between. This workshop is aimed at those with an interest in the expanded field of contemporary jewellery i.e. body-related objects, clothing, performance and image-based ideas.   Starting with rapid response briefs designed to challenge received preconceptions, we will find out what questions are the

Royal Mint Opportunity

Call for Applications: Royal Mint Folio Design Team Who we are We are the sole manufacturer of UK coinage and export to an average of 60 other countries. We are wholly owned by Her Majesty’s Treasury. The challenge To translate significant points in history and culture onto the smallest of canvases. The opportunity To be part of a select portfolio of freelance artists providing designs for coins and medals. How does it work? Our external artists are offered opportunities to enter paid competitions based on their suitability to the theme. We provide full support throughout the design process. How to

ILJM’s Hephaistos Jewelry Program 2020

Call for Applications: ILJM’s Hephaistos Jewelry Program 2020 The Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum (ILJM) is now accepting applications for its Hephaistos Jewelry Program 2020. This unique accredited program on the History of Western Jewelry is offered through the ILJMuseum’s Education Center in collaboration with esteemed Greek and International academics, archaeologists and jewelry experts. The ILJM will challenge students to discover the fascinating world of Ancient Greece and the history of Western Jewelry through its most spectacular artifacts. For more information, inquiries, and applications, search for the Summer School site at www.jss.gr . Classes The history and archaeology of Ancient Greek

New Designers 2019 sparkles with a strong focus on Jewellery

Last week, New Designers kicked off its celebration of new design talent; connecting fresh graduates with industry professionals across a plethora of creative fields. On a glorious sunny Wednesday, Benchpeg attended the Business Design Centre in London to get a sneak-peak at the fresh talent; and was extremely pleased to see such a strong jewellery presence at the event.  New Designers prides itself on its progressive nature, stating “Great design never stands still, and should challenge the status quo. We champion new thinking, and new approaches to solving today’s problems through design. As society changes, so do New Designers.”  This

A new verge for Westminster Abbey

Ottewill Silversmiths and Jewellers Ltd proudly watched as the new verge manufactured for Westminster Abbey was used for the first time on Tuesday by the Dean’s Verger, Martin Castledine. The special service, to celebrate the 750 th  Anniversary of the re-building of the Abbey, was attended by Her Majesty The Queen. The commission by Westminster Abbey following a tender process overseen by The Goldsmiths’ Company, stipulated that the piece had to be made by an apprentice. Our 5 year apprentice, 21 year old William Sullivan, relished the challenge and it was hand made to an exceptional standard in our Ashford

Carmarthen School of Art Virtual Graduate Show 2020

Carmarthen School of Art Graduate Show Friday 26 June 2020 - all summer Carmarthen School of Art @ Coleg Sir Gar create the UK’s largest bespoke and hand built Virtual Reality (VR) gallery to showcase student art and design work Despite the unprecedented challenges of a global pandemic, staff at Carmarthen School of Art in Wales have created a virtual showcase to celebrate the achievements, creativity and innovation of final year students from all of their Art & Design courses. Students have had a real challenge on their hands to adapt to what has been an unexpected end to their courses

Head of David Fowkes Jewellery Climbs New Heights

Dr Rona Mackenzie, Chief Operating Officer of jewellery designer, David Fowkes, is to embark upon the challenge of a lifetime in order to support UK innovators in business. Rona has pledged to climb the highest points in each of the seven continents of the world, starting with Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, last month. All funds raised by Rona will support a new charity, D3, launched to help support businessmen and women in getting creative, innovative and dynamic projects off the ground. David Fowkes is generously supporting D3 through the creation of a unique, handmade piece of jewellery

NY NOW 2019

Call for Applications: NY NOW Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City 3 - 6 February 2019 Apply to exhibit and sell your work at the Handmade Designer Maker section of NY NOW, an international trade fair in February 2019. NY NOW is a four-day wholesale/ trade event held twice annually in New York. In February 2019, Craft Scotland will be participating in the show, taking a group of UK-based makers to New York to exhibit and sell their work to international trade buyers. Craft Scotland is now an accredited Trade Challenge Partner (TCP) of the Department for

Brighton MA Graduate creates jewellery collection from landfill

Harriet Laurence, a recent graduate of the MA Craft degree at the University of Brighton will present her range of recycled polymer jewellery in a first-time partnership exhibition with Hove Museum and Art gallery, which will run from the 15th September - 6th November 2018.  Created in collaboration with Weez & Merl Ltd, a local polymer recycling studio, Harriet’s three statement necklaces are handcrafted from 3.9kgs of waste plastic diverted from landfill. The range explores how jewellery design can play an active role in responsible, sustainable material use and challenge the perceived hierarchy of materials. www.harrietfrench.co.uk www.weezandmerl.com Author:  Published: 

Elisavet Messi- Essential Jewellery focusing on Sustainability

Elisavet Messi, an award-winning jewellery designer, celebrates sustainability with her new ‘fragments’ collection. Despite the fact that her jewellery is defined by simple lines, they carry sculptural values that focus on the material’s properties.  With a minimalistic approach and belief in the purification of craft through good design; She tries to base her work on efficient essentialism; by embracing the truth of the materials used when possible. This approach results in minimal pieces with sculptural values. "It is quite a challenge to create based on simplicity; however it is also quite rewarding, when people focus on the material itself. You

Gemfields launches ‘Every Piece Unique’ global campaign to highlight responsibly sourced coloured gemstones

Gemfields launches ‘Every Piece Unique’ global campaign to highlight responsibly sourced coloured gemstones Gemfields, the world’s leading supplier of responsibly sourced coloured gemstones, has launched a global advertising campaign with Gutenberg Global and adam&eveDDB in order to raise awareness of responsible sourcing in the coloured gemstone industry and promote Zambian emeralds and Mozambican rubies. Gemfields believes that coloured gemstones should be mined and marketed by championing three key values [youtube url=http://youtu.be/gOuvHIlYlVo] – transparency, integrity and legitimacy – and seeks to challenge itself and the sector by setting new benchmarks for responsible sourcing. The campaign was designed to bring

Make Your Mark Awards 2017

Applications are now open for the second Goldsmiths’ Company Assay Office’s Make Your Mark Awards, which invites students and young designers to design a piece of jewellery or silverware that celebrates the London hallmark, the iconic Leopard’s Head. There are two Award categories to enter – Jewellery and Silversmithing – and the competition is open to current students, apprentices and recently graduated designers (within the last five years) of precious metal-related jewellery and silversmithing courses.  The aim of the Awards To challenge today’s students working in precious metal both technically and artistically  To educate today’s students on UK hallmarking and

The November Sisters: Citrine & Topaz

The penultimate month of the year and an exciting one at that, those born in November will not only have various parties and cocktail events to choose from but they'll also have two beautiful birthstones to choose between: topaz and citrine. With these two gorgeous gems giving you countless options of chic and classic styles to opulent and dramatic style, the challenge lies in picking which one to plump for! With Citrine known for its charming warmth of yellow and orange hues and Topaz occurring in a wide spectrum of  far beyond yellow, here's an overview of each birthstone to help guide

The Nature of Silver exhibition at Goldsmiths' Fair

The Nature of Silver exhibition at Goldsmiths' Fair Exhibition of silver treasures from the Goldsmiths’ Company Collection puts the spotlight on innovative historic and contemporary silver inspired by nature. The annual Goldsmith’s Fair is the premier selling exhibition for the latest in fine jewellery and contemporary silver from the best goldsmiths and silversmiths across the UK. This year, Dora Thornton, Curator of the Goldsmiths’ Company Collection, has delved into the collection to create a fascinating special exhibition of rarely seen historic and contemporary silver inspired by nature.  These unique treasures (not for sale) share organic and natural origins and challenge

Jose Marin : Primavera

Jose Marin : Primavera When anodized, Titanium is the most jewel-like metal with it's glowing spectrum of colors shifting playfully in the light. It is also one of the most challenging materials to smith, but Jose Marin makes the challenge look effortless. Inspired by plant and marine life Marin sets precious and semi-precious stones in the Titanium. These new works dance with sophisticated and playful color at every movement.  "When I choose a material, it is always with the idea of transforming it into a magical object. At this time I have opted for Titanium, a unique metal. Its hardness

Ortwin Thyssen Master Jewellery Makers to celebrate the business’ 10-Year Anniversary

Autumn leaves, secret keepers, archaic forms and Princess Cuts… these are just a few clues to the very special jewellery pieces, crafted by the makers at Ortwin Thyssen Master Jewellery Makers to celebrate the business’ 10-Year Anniversary. Local business owner and passionate artisan jewellery maker Ortwin Thyssen is asking the public to participate in the judging of these pieces. “This competition was designed to encourage each team member to challenge themselves in their own jewellery design and making skills. The pieces are very different and showcase our range of traditional ‘at-the-bench’ jewellery making skills and the artistic creativity that we

Call for Applications: Make Your Mark Awards

The Goldsmiths’ Company Assay Office has launched its design competition to encourage creativity in the use of the Hallmark Applications are now open for the The Goldsmiths’ Company Assay Office inaugural Make Your Mark Awards , a new design competition that aims to challenge today’s students working in precious metal. The Awards will be presented at a special event on Tuesday 1 November 2016, during Make Your Mark . This year’s benchpeg Awards will also be on display, with winners announced on the night. “Anyone who sells precious metal jewellery or silverware in the UK is required by law to

Arabel Lebrusan Shortlisted for E-Tailer of the Year Award

Award winning Arabel Lebrusan has been shortlisted for the E-Tailer category in The National Association of Jewellers Awards 2016. The winners will be announced as part of the Benevolent Society ball which will take place on 1st December. Lebrusan has been committed to designing and making beautiful ethical jewellery for the last decade. Using her Spanish roots as a starting point, she started using the ancient technique of filigree to create stunning contemporary designs. Lebrusan really thrives on the challenge of combining the old with the new, driven by her interest in a sustainable approach to life. Lebrusan started creating contemporary

Make Your Mark Competition

Call for Applications: Make Your Mark design competition *Applications are now closed* Students are invited to Make Their Mark on the Industry - The Goldsmiths’ Company Assay Office launches design competition to encourage creativity in the use of the Hallmark The Goldsmiths’ Company Assay Office is launching the Make Your Mark Awards , a new design competition that aims to challenge today’s students working in precious metal. The Awards, which will open in September, will be presented at a special event on Tuesday 1 November 2016, during Make Your Mark . This year’s benchpeg Awards will also be on display, with

The Dark Side of Goldsmiths’ Fair

Goldsmiths’ Fair is delighted to present  Silver: The Dark Side , a trailblazing exhibition that showcases silver in a dramatic new light.  This special display of new and recent work from some of the UK’s most exciting silversmiths and jewellers features striking pieces with black oxidised silver surfaces, plating and non-precious metals that challenge traditional perceptions of silver. Although primarily a showcase of objects d’art, three of the featured works are darkened jewellery. Typically, silver is perceived as difficult to clean and therefore often considered old-fashioned or d é mod é . Here blackened objects, several of which combine precious and non-precious metal, are

News Edit: 7 July 2024

A round up of this week's national and international jewellery news... House of the Dragon gems help small business shine BBC: Binge-worthy TV and Hollywood films are bringing extra sparkle to the tills of independent London jewellers. www.bbc.co.uk The story behind Taylor Swift's cat ring Jewellery Editor: The perfect Instagram storm: Gigi Hadid commissions London fine jeweller Cece to create a bespoke ring for Taylor Swift. www.thejewelleryeditor.com Dua Lipa's staggering six-figure jewellery on show at Glastonbury Mirror: Dua Lipa played Glastonbury Festival's star-studded televised headline set on Friday night at the main Pyramid Stage on Worthy Farm. www.mirror.co.uk Queensmith unveils

International Women's Day and the Jewellery Industry

As the United Nations mark International Women's Day 2024, the theme this year was ' Invest in women: Accelerate progress'. "Achieving gender equality and women’s well-being in all aspects of life is more crucial than ever if we want to create prosperous economies and a healthy planet. However, we are facing a key challenge: the alarming $360 billion annual deficit in gender-equality measures by 2030.  Join us on March 8, 2024, for  International Women’s Day under the theme 'Invest in women: Accelerate progress '" - United Nations Celebrating International Women’s Day provides the opportunity to delve into the fugures relating

International Women's Day 2017

IWD 2017 #BeBoldForChange For International Women's Day 2017, we're asking you to  #BeBoldForChange . Call on the masses or call on yourself to help forge a better working world - a more gender inclusive world. Submit your  #BeBoldForChange  action via the IWD website. International Women's Day Last year, organizations and individuals around the world supported the  #PledgeForParity campaign  and committed to help women and girls achieve their ambitions; challenge conscious and unconscious bias; call for gender-balanced leadership; value women and men's contributions equally; and create inclusive flexible cultures. From awareness raising to concrete action, organizations  rallied their people to pledge