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Alice Rochester
6th March 2012 10:02

Design Competition with UCA

 

Last year Harriet, Rebecca and I went to Rochester to the University of Creative Arts to run a design competition with the students there. We gave them a link to a YouTube clip with a 'customer' talking about themselves and what they are looking for in an engagement ring and asked the students to come up with some ideas for what the 'customer' might like. We weren't disappointed!! On Thursday, we went back to UCA to see what the students had come up with and we were completely blown away by their ideas, and we're still buzzing with what we saw!

We spent some time looking through every single entry and made sure that we gave feedback on all of them so that even the students who didn't actually win would get a lot out of having taken part. We then narrowed the search down to a selection of eleven that we felt best answered the brief and then down to six and then a final three… which was really tough! We had to look at the designs from a really objective perspective of 'what the customer would like' without being swayed by the designs that we would particularly like to wear ourselves! Luckily we had the help of the other judges (Andy Putland, Silversmith; Jennifer Kidd, Sessional Design Tutor; and Robert Birch, Subject Leader) and between us we decided on which did this best.

Whilst all the designs that we had shortlisted were really well thought through and answered the brief brilliantly, the one we felt best expressed what the customer was asking but also what was unsaid - what clothes she was wearing, how she spoke about what she loved as well as her colouring and sense of style. And the winner was… Lindy Neave. Her selection of ideas were all lovely, but her 'Darling Buds' design really stood out as elegant but quirky, easy to wear with its smooth, flowing lines, and modern but not something that is going to date. We were all so excited and can't wait to see it actually made! As part of her prize, Lindy's design will be handmade by our goldsmiths for her to keep, but we will be seeing more of her too, as she the other part of her prize is an internship with us.

Lindy Neave Jewellery Design Competition Winner

Lindy Neave - Jewellery Design Competition Winner

Bola Lyon came second in the competition, and there were special mentions for Sophie Naylor and Adam McLaren whose work was also beautiful. What was particularly exciting was that the designs in the last six were all stunning but also practical - there are lots of student designers out there who can design stunning things for museums and catwalks but not so many that can actually design something that can be worn everyday and enjoyed. We can't wait to see what these fabulous people go on to do!

HKJD Jewellery Design Competition Top 6

Top 6

Alice

Alice Rochester
 

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  • Harriet Kelsall Jewellery Design, North Barn, Fairclough Hall Farm, Halls Green, Weston, Hertfordshire, SG4 7DP, England
    Phone: +44 (0)1462 790565 Fax: +44 (0)1462 790140 enquiries@hkjewellery.co.uk
  • Harriet Kelsall Jewellery Design, 6/7 Green Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB2 3JU, England.
    Phone: +44 (0)1223 461333 Fax: +44 (0)1223 365269 cambridge@hkjewellery.co.uk

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