Benchpeg Award Winner: Design for Commercial Sales

This category invited entries to the competition which had been designed specifically to have price points for commercial markets and be produced in batch production or mass manufacture.

Judges looked at the most economical way of manufacturing the submitted piece, and also considered the design aesthetic which best fitted into a current trend. The judges were also mindful of selecting the design that best represented a commercial impact in todays’ retail market.

Ching-I’s inspiration for her submitted piece came from snakes and gemstones. She says of her design, "Playing with the unique bullet cap semi-precious gemstone, pink opal, and using this against an 18k rose gold setting as the focal point in the design. The piece was has created using the CADCAM, where it mimicked the movement of snake. The manufacture of the piece combined the use of CADCAM with traditional craftsmanship perfectly."

About the Winner

Ching-I Chien is a graduate of the Birmingham School of Jewellery’s Design For Industry degree, 2015, for which she obtained a first class honours. She now works as a freelance jewellery designer, whilst also launching her own fine jewellery brand – Crystal Chien. Her eligibility for the competition was as a recent graduate.

www.crystalchien.com