BCU student wins jewellery design competition…
Stephanie Holt, a mature student studying for an HND in Jewellery and Silversmithing at the School of Jewellery at Birmingham City University, has won a prestigious annual design competition organised by Weston Beamor one of the UK’s most long established producers of bespoke jewellery and jewellery components.
Stephanie’s elegant and unusual design for a matching wedding ring and engagement ring set scooped her a cash prize of £500 and a week’s work experience with Weston Beamor which is based in the City’s Jewellery Quarter and utilizes extremely high-tech manufacturing methods including 3D printing and lost-wax casting.
Stephanie’s design entitled simply ‘ONE’ has a strong, minimalist and highly contemporary feel and joins together the wedding ring and an engagement ring in an unusual and highly distinctive way whilst still allowing for the two pieces to be worn separately.
Jewellery design is a complete career change for Stephanie who comes from Warwick. A linguist, who speaks both French and Spanish, she initially worked for the World Rally Championship and travelled widely before becoming a teacher. “Despite doing other jobs I was always making and designing things in my spare time and I am absolutely loving having the chance to do it full time,” she says.
BCU course tutor Jo Pond has nothing but praise for Stephanie’s design: “Stephanie employed simple modernist forms and engaged in a thorough design process to achieve her unique, pure and balanced award-winning ring set. She is a worthy winner,” she commented.
Andrew Morton, Managing Director of WB The Creative Jewellery Group (of which Weston Beamor is a part) said that the competition, which is now in its 11th year, has become harder and harder to judge: “All the designs entered were of a high standard and the winning pieces are very commercial and would not look out of place in any retailer’s window. All those who entered, not simply the winners, are to be congratulated they have real talent and are the future of the UK jewellery industry,” he said.
Go to the main page
Tags: Andrew Morton, BCU School of Jewellery, birmingham business news, Birmingham City University, Birmingham Events, Birmingham News, Business How to guides, Business Information Portal, graduate recruitment, jewellery, Jo Pond, National, Stephanie Holt, The BIP, WB The Creative Jewellery Group, West Midlands Business News, West Midlands News, Weston Beamor
