Shine 2016 new jewellery and metalwork stars revealed

Ana is a London based Colombian born jewellery designer with a background in Industrial Design and an MA in Jewellery Design from Sir John Cass. Her work explores the intersection of design and science, blending her interest in new technologies and production processes with her fascination for revealing the hidden beauty and wonders discovered in the unseen world. She mainly works with silver and semi-precious stones and she uses cutting edge techniques like additive manufacturing and 3D design. Looking to develop her brand, she chose to join Getting Started in 2014 and to hone her business skills as part of Setting Out 2016.

Chino Ridge has over ten years of experience working as a Senior Costume Jewellery Designer at Erickson Beamon and Vicki Sarge. Graduating with degrees in Silversmithing and Metalwork and Enamelling, Chino is a conceptual artists who works with brass, crystals and various other materials in order to achieved the desired concepts. Having collaborated with major brands, her pieces have been worn by celebrities at red carpet events such as royal weddings. She is fascinated by cultural pluralism and her work has evolved a conceptual element resulting in decorative sculptural pieces. Part of Setting Out 2016.

Vicky is a fine jewellery designer-maker who graduated from Central St Martins, where received a scholarship to train at Cartier. Vicky took part in Getting Started 2015 before building her brand as a participant on the Goldsmiths’ Centre’s Setting Out course. Recently debuting her collections, FLIGHT and PLUME, at the prestigious Goldsmiths ‘Fair, her pieces are influenced by traditional Eastern sensibilities and Western design concepts. They deliver strong narratives and intricate interplays between organic shapes and geometric forms.

Emily Bedford Jewellery aims to add a sense of artistry to the everyday through its beautifully designed fine jewellery collections. Pieces are individually produced using cutting edge technology and a team of London based master craftsmen culminating in wearable pieces which convey stylish elegance.

Sarah Phillips Jewellery manufactures engagement, wedding and bridal fine jewellery featuring beautiful designs inspired by texture, pattern and hidden detail. Offering a personal service with expert guidance, they make purchasing jewellery for key moments in people's lives extra special.

Yeena Yoon Studio designs and produces unique contemporary jewellery which is experienced through an innovative concept. Each set of jewellery is presented as a single sculptural piece from which the individual jewellery elements can be removed and worn.

Silvia Weidenbach produces innovative award winning luxury jewellery. Fusing digital technologies with traditional goldsmithing techniques and combining precious metal and stones with more unusual material, results in unique and visually stunning jewellery.

Silversmith Jessica was raised in Vienna and is of Chinese heritage and her multicultural background greatly influences her work. A graduate student from Edinburgh College of Art with a BA (Hons) degree in Jewellery and Silversmithing, her unique pieces, which explore movement and rhythm, are drawing awards and attention. In 2016 she received The Goldsmiths’ Company Silver Bullion Prize and showcased in Craft Central’s Talent 2016 exhibition. Her pieces are often inspired by organic themes such as carnivorous plants, where she explores the cury and playful shapes.

Katy is a jeweller and CAD jewellery designer with a degree in Design for Industry, as well as a HND in Jewellery and Silversmithing from the Birmingham School of Jewellery, Birmingham City University. She transforms her highly detailed and flowing sketches into decorative yet simplistic designs. She has received multiple awards and exhibited at New Designers as part of Bright Young Gems 2016.

Coline Assade is a recent BA (hons) graduate from Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London. Coline was recently awarded the 2016 Winterson Prize for the Best Use of Pearls for her collection titled ‘Unconventional Femininity’ an exploration of identity and self-expression. 

Ruth is a talented graduate from The Glasgow School of Art with a BA in Silversmithing and Jewellery Design. Her work explores illusion and perception, through investigations into distorted or fragmented reflection and space. She takes inspiration from repeated linear structures found within architecture and contrasts these controlled forms with intangible, disordered and fleeting images produced by reflective surfaces, prevalent in the modern urban environment. Her striking collections have been recognised through The Glasgow School of Art’s Incorporation of Hammermen Prize and The Goldsmiths’ Company’s Precious Metal Bursary.

Chen Cheng believes that contemporary jewellery is interactive because it demands a response, which can be either physical or emotional. Through kinetic movement and visual interaction, every element of her work is movable, and this quality enhances the physical movement of the wearer. Combining her own aesthetic and working style, Chen has taken inspiration from shapes and moving modes found in the human body, which are also expressed through modern and traditional ballet dancing. A graduate from Birmingham School of Jewellery, Birmingham City University, with a BA in Jewellery Design and Related Product, she was recognised for her inspirational work through the New Designers Goldsmiths’ Company Award for Jewellery.

Dublin based silversmith, Annemarie is a recent BA (hons) graduate from the National College of Art and Design in Metal and Jewellery Design. Annemarie’s inspiration is drawn from the natural world, of which she enjoys the fluidity and constant flux, such as decay and growth. She captures the changes in nature using metal, prized for its durable qualities. She received numerous awards in 2016 including the Graduate Membership Award Contemporary British Silversmith, the Newbridge Silverware Design Competition as well the Future Maker Award.

Rebecca aspires to make elegant, timeless jewellery designs inspired by nature with strong visual impact. Original Marlborough, Wiltshire, Rebecca fell in love with jewellery making at school in Oxford and went on to complete a BA in Design for Industry: Jewellery and Related Products at Birmingham School of Jewellery. Now living in Birmingham, this driven designer-maker playfully challenges new technologies and incorporates them into her jewellery to create vibrant and eye-catching floral collections.

Julie is a contemporary silversmith and metalworker whose objects and jewellery focus on sustainability and connections to places. Through placing value on contemplation and simplicity, Julie celebrates traditional hand skills and takes inspiration from metalwork artists such as Peter Bauhuis, Holger Lonze and Edmund de Waal. Her pieces are not to just be put on display, but should activate the senses – be touched, looked at and even heard. She honed her unique skills on the Jewellery and Metalwork Design (Bdes) course at Duncan of Jordanstone, Dundee in 2015.

South African born designer SImeï creates illustrations, fine fashion and precious jewellery, combining an unconventional and natural approach to her designs. Taking inspiration from nature, she blends organic, simple and innate forms with rich abundance and noble refinements to create a truly self-fashioning aesthetic. SImeï received a BA in Jewellery Design from Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, and has seen her pieces exhibited at Museum Arnhem, Netherlands, the Barbican and British Museum in London.

Based in London, Katrina explores form and volume through her contemporary jewellery brand Burnish and Black. Working preferentially in silver, her latest collection ‘Construct’ is based upon the Russian Constructivist artists Aleksandr Rodchenko and Luibov Popova. Prior to starting her company, she received a BA in Jewellery Design from Middlesex University in 2012 and exhibited for the first time at International Jewellery London (IJL) in 2016.

Hong Kong and London based Swedish silversmith and jewellery brand and designer, Malin has exhibited her work in Europe and across Asia. Having trained both in Sweden and the UK, Malin is a master craftsman whose work ranges from statement object d’art through to conceptual yet wearable jewellery. Malin received a BA in Silversmithing, Metalwork and Jewellery from Buckinghamshire New University in 2011.

Beth is a contemporary silversmith based in Scotland who takes her inspiration from remote rural landscapes and everyday conundrums. Having graduated this year with a BA in Jewellery and Metal Design from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, her passion drives her to continually develop her skills through observation, conservation and creation evolving the traditional methods of silversmithing. Her current work focuses on the invisible forces, taking inspiration from Scotland’s famous winds.

Hannah takes her inspiration from the permanent to the fleeting – from tattoos, clocks, 15th to 17th century Memento Mori to nature. Her jewellery is created to remind its wearer to make the most of every moment and effectively live each day like it is their last. She uses her design as a metaphor for time and its passage, drawing inspiration from the clock’s inner workings that slowly measure out time. Hannah now works from her small workshop in the Surrey Hills having completed her BA degree in Silversmithing, Goldsmithing and Jewellery in 2013 from University of Creative Arts Rochester.

Suzanne is silversmith and a recent graduate from University of the Creative Arts Rochester with a BA Hons in Silversmithing, Goldsmithing and Jewellery. Based in Norfolk, Suzanne has received numerous awards including the Goldsmiths’ Silver Bullion Grant. This year she exhibited at major international contemporary craft events including Handmade in Britain at Kew and Desire Fair at Chelsea Old Town Hall. Deconstructing, reconstructing and folding are key in her practice as she manipulates flat sheets of metal, using various traditional and contemporary processes, into 3D silver forms.

Rachel is a ceramic jeweller working in porcelain and takes her inspiration from classical poetry. Classical narratives by British poets, such as Keats, and fairy tales are weaved into her tactile ceramics, thus connecting to the wearer and drawing them into the story and focus. She uses her porcelain work and its ornate detail to draw the wearer into a fantasy world filled with beauty. With a BA in Ceramics from Cardiff Metropolitan University, School of Art and Design, she hand carves her pieces firing them at high temperatures creating contemporary works of art.

Maisie Welch creates fashion-led, bold statement jewellery. Imbued with textures and colours, each piece experiments with different materials from resin, snowcrete to wood. Recently graduated from Edinburgh College of Art studying Jewellery and Silversmithing BA Hons, she was spotted as new talent by The Goldsmiths’ Centre and The Goldsmiths’ Company at New Designers and was nominated for the Accessories Award sponsored by Mulberry at Graduate Fashion Week 2015. 

Sophie is a graduate jeweller from the Glasgow School of Art in Silversmithing and Jewellery (BA). She finds her inspiration for her hand carved and enamelled jewellery in colour and pattern. Enthused by the coast, her pieces are defined by light and translucent shades of blues, building up layers of textures, colour and patterns. Sophie’s interest in colour influences her use of enamel, to create striking textures and colours on top.

Humaira is a designer-maker who graduated from Sheffield Hallam University with a BA degree in Jewellery and Metalwork. Her collections investigate the possibilities of balance and tension with the human body. The pieces are simple in form inspired by instruments of measurement with contrasting canonical and fluid forms to mimic graceful pieces that need your full attention. By focusing on the notion that nothing should function as it should, the pieces are open to interpretation.

Jewellery designer-maker Vanessa designs and makes jewellery inspired by nature, childhood memories and the world around her from her workshop in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter. Her love of nature stems from memories of trips to the countryside, holidays abroad and the garden of her family home. Since graduating from the Birmingham School of Jewellery, Birmingham City University in 2016, she has exhibited her silver work embellished with gold accents at British Craft Trade Fair in London and at Artfull Expression Gallery in the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter.

Helena is a silversmith whose designs experiment with the movement of pieces, creating satisfying noises and connections between objects, which lock and slide together. Injecting a sense of satisfaction or humour into her work, she is influenced by varying the movement, the shape and the style of the container. Having studied for her BA Hons in Jewellery and Metalwork in 2016, her excitement comes from seeing the user react to her tactile work and its movement.

Joanna was always interested in different art forms and followed her passion for jewellery completing a BA in Design for the Jewellery Industry form Birmingham School of Jewellery, Birmingham City University. Joanna is passionate about evolving herself with new challenges, technologies and methods, which allows her to improve her skills further. In 2015 The Goldsmiths’ Craft and Design Council awarded her the Gold Award and Gem-A Scholarship.

Evgeniia focuses her work on the exploration of repetition, movement and manipulation of grids in combination with reiteration of geometrical form. By exploring the repetitive features found in stationary, computer hardware, architecture and interior office layouts, she forms grid-like elements which are morphed and distorted into organic shapes representing the organised chaotic nature of a typical office environment. Evgeniia honed her making techniques, from traditional metalworking techniques to the use of rapid prototyping and heavy machinery, through her Silversmithing and Jewellery (BA) from The Glasgow School of Art.

Sheng is an award-winning silversmith of contemporary jewellery and objects. A recent graduate with a MFA in Jewellery from Edinburgh College of Art, the University of Edinburgh, Zhang won numerous awards in 2016, including the New Designers Goldsmiths’ Company Silversmithing Award and the Regent Silversmiths’ Award. Zhang creates minimalist silver designs that play with the relationship between presence and non-presence.

Jewellery designer-maker, Stephanie Holt imagines and hand-crafts beautiful and highly individual jewellery and silversmithing pieces. She is passionate about material exploration, manipulating precious metals to create contemporary pieces that are both beautiful and meaningful. In 2016 she graduated from the Birmingham School of Jewellery, Birmingham City University, with a degree in Jewellery and Silversmithing (HND) and has been acknowledge with multiple awards for her work, including First Prize in Weston Beamor Engagement and Wedding Ring Design competition as well Grand First Prize in the British Art Medal Society’s Student Art Medal completion.

Tessa is a CAD jewellery designer whose passion is building beautiful 3D objects. In 2011, she completed her BA degree in 3D Design from Havering College and has since been developing her computer skills in CAD design using Matrix. Over the years she has explored a large range of materials and subjects from ceramics, glass to product design, enabling her to explore her passion for pattern design and use it as inspiration in her jewellery work.

Farrah is a British art jeweller whose work has been exhibited internationally from Sieraad Art Jewellery Fair, Amsterdam to the Beijing International Jewellery Exhibition, China. Awarded the prestigious European Prize for Applied Arts in 2012, her jewellery designs are organic and playful using hybrid forms. Farrah studied a BA in Jewellery and Silversmithing at the School of Jewellery, Birmingham City University, and completed an MA in Jewellery, Silversmithing and Related Products in 2010.

Since graduating from the University of St Andrews, Charlotte has conceived her unique pieces drawing on her background spent living in the singular beauty of northern Denmark. Her brand, CF Concept, is characterised by effortless clean lines and striking silhouettes. From iconic furniture to exquisite lighting pieces, Charlotte is a passionate advocate for Danish design and works to incorporate this ethos and discipline throughout her jewellery.

Crystal is an independent jewellery designer maker who creates bold, high quality, luxury jewellery. Seeking inspiration from nature and gemstones, she plays with different shapes and colours in precious stones to create new patterns into every piece. In 2016 she was nominated amongst the final four in EC One’s Unsigned Award competition, won the Jewellery Design Bronze Award in the Goldsmiths’ Craft and Design Council competition and in 2015 was nominated as one of International Jewellery London’s (IJL’s) Bright Young Gems.

Rachel has established her fine-jewellery brand Rachel Balfour Jewellery creating with the belief that jewellery is more than an accessory. The individual pieces we choose to wear always have meaning and significance and are often an expression of love, loyalty and inner strength. Having trained in Silversmithing and Jewellery Design at Kensington and Chelsea College London, she was selected under the top ten in E C One’s Unsigned Awards. Each of her designs is meticulously hand crafted made to last forever, embued with meaning and eventually to be handed down.