University News Last updated 28 February 2019
Staff, students and graduates from Birmingham City University’s School of Jewellery are celebrating after picking up 16 accolades at the Goldsmiths’ Craft & Design Council Awards 2019.
The prestigious awards, described as the Oscars for jewellery, are designed to promote the pursuit of excellence in craftsmanship and design in silversmithing, goldsmithing, jewellery and the allied crafts.
By addressing the current and future craftsmanship needs of the profession, the competition has become diverse and wide-ranging, embracing every aspect of craft and design activity currently being practised in the industry. All submissions entered into the competition are judged by skilled and experienced practitioners drawn from their specialist fields of expertise within the profession.
Birmingham City University’s School of Jewellery received the prestigious College Trophy for the third year running, which is bestowed upon the institution with the most awarded entrants.
Students, staff, and graduates received awards from across the design spectrum. In the jewellery pin design our HND Jewellery and Silversmithing students took a clean sweep of Gold, Silver and Bronze awards.
Sponsored by The National Association of Jewellers (NAJ), the brief asked students to create an innovative unisex Chair’s Pin entitled ‘Past & Future’, for wearing at daytime and evening events when representing the NAJ. The pin also needed to incorporate a facility to hang the jewel by a ribbon as a pendent or necklet.
The winning designer, Bethan Cubbin, will now liaise with NAJ to oversee the production of her design as well as receiving a cash prize.
Our BA (Hons) Jewellery and Silversmithing – Design for Industry course was well represented throughout the evening, including two winners in the CAD Presentation section and graduate Daisy Grice awarded Gold in the Production Jewellery award.
The Production Jewellery prize was awarded by Vipa Designs Ltd, seeking to encourage, identify and reward good design that can be successfully manufactured using production techniques. Daisy’s winning complimentary pendants received a cash prize after the judges appreciated her design innovation and commercial viability.
All prize winning entries have the opportunity to be exhibited in the ceremony, attended by some of the biggest names of the jewellery industry.
Head of the School of Jewellery at Birmingham City University, Professor Stephen Bottomley, said: “This achievement demonstrates our commitment to providing an exceptional learning environment.