'Jewellery Oscars' Announced: Goldsmiths’ Crafts & Design Awards 2017

This important annual Awards Ceremony - known in the trade as the Jewellery Oscars - was hosted by international jewellery expert, Joanna Hardy, and welcomed over 300 guests, including world renowned jewellery houses, notable sponsors, industry associations, leading designers and the UK jewellery press.

This unique annual competition rewards excellence in technical skills and creative design in precious metals and related materials. The Goldsmiths’ Craft & Design Council, which operates the competition, actively encourages craftsmen and designers in the industry, apprentices and students to enter their work in these highly-respected awards. 

Entries are invited and actively encouraged in all aspects of the trade, from new entrants to skilled craftsmen, apprentices and from education. The competition accommodates all craft and design activities in the profession, including specialist sections such as diamond mounting, setting, silversmithing, chasing, enamelling, 2D design - including CAD, jewellery, smallwork, technology and many more.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Each year the Goldsmiths Crafts & Design Council honours a member of the UK industry with the Lifetime Achievement Award. This year it was presented to Caroline Broadhead in recognition of her outstanding contribution and commitment to the industry over the last 40 years, as a jeweller, artist and programme leader of the Jewellery Design degree at Central Saint Martins. Caroline was presented with the LAA silver medal by Gregg Fattorini, the sponsors of this award.

Award Highlights

• A total of 124 winners were honoured across 24 categories with 31 Gold, 39 Silver and 54 Bronze Awards given.
• There were over 550 single entries to the competition, which increased to 1,000 when multiple entries were added in.
• The winner of the prestigious Cartier Award was Paul Jones from Sole London, for his revolving dial clock. This was the second time Paul has been honoured with the Cartier Award. The last time was in 1996, 21 years ago.
• Tom Rucker won the Goldsmiths Company and Boodles Awards for his platinum and diamond brooch.
• James Kydd won the Baird & Co Award for his Leopards’ Head Silver Sword. James particularly impressed the judges as he is an apprentice. 
• The College Trophy, awarded annually to the college or university that has achieved the highest total of points accumulated from any gold, silver and bronze prizes in the competition, was awarded to Birmingham City University, representing the first time they have won this trophy.
• There were over 70 industry supporters in 2017.
• Over 100 industry judges, experts in their respective fields assessed the entries.
• This year there were over 20 Patron and Special Awards available.

Sponsors, Patrons and Contributors

As with previous years, the headline sponsors for 2017 included the Goldsmiths’ Company as its Founding and Lead Patron and Cartier as Principal Patron. International Jewellery London (IJL), The Goldsmiths’ Centre, Brown & Newirth, Boodles and Baird & Co were all Special Patrons for 2017 and HRH Princess Michael of Kent as the Council’s Royal Patron.   

The Goldsmiths Crafts & Design Council Chairman, Jos Skeates, said of this year's awards, “Congratulations to all of this year’s Award winners, who have again impressed the Council and our judges with fine examples ofcraft and design skills across many specialist sections. Our expert industry judges frequently commented on the exceptionally high standard of entries this year, and we are pleased with the number of entries that met Council’s benchmark for Gold Awards in 2017. The Goldsmiths’ Craft & Design Council Awards mark a positive start to the year for our junior and senior entrants and the Council was pleased to celebrate and enjoy their success on Monday night through these great awards”.

An exhibition of highlights from the 2017 Awards will be open to the public at Goldsmiths’ Hall from 28th February to 3rd March.

www.craftanddesigncouncil.org.uk