International Jewellery London has announced the participants of the 2010 KickStarters, an initiative supported by the BJA, which launched last year as a bursary scheme for fledging jewellery designers.
The line-up of promising BJA members who will feature this year as KickStarters is as follows:
Daisy Knights - launched as a Bright Young Gem at IJL 2009, Central Saint Martins graduate Daisy Knights is a Cotswolds-based jewellery designer who at 22 years old has already received much acclaim. Daisy creates timeless, wearable jewellery, inspired by nature, and combines her designs with an infusion of punk and rock 'n' roll. Every piece is handcrafted in her studio in the Cotswolds or in her workshop using silver and gold vermeil. She also loves doing bespoke commissions in platinum, diamonds and gold. Daisy is passionate about ethically sourced materials and uses 100% recycled silver as well as ethically mined gold and diamonds in her fine jewellery collection.
NicoleAkong - used to sit at her desk in her high-flying City job, dreaming of one day doing something creative with her time. Then, in 2008, she took her first jewellery-making course and unlocked a remarkable hidden talent. The resulting designs attracted so much attention that she decided to take a leap of faith and launched her own jewellery label, Akong London, at the start of 2010. Nicole designs jewellery not simply as accessories but as fashion statements and status symbols in their own right. Each piece embodies the spirit of haute couture, using high-quality materials, constructed with extreme attention to detail using time-consuming, hand-executed techniques. Her work features everything from semi-precious gemstones, glass and crystal, to feathers, fur, velvet and lashings of gold and silver chains.
Saretta - is statement jewellery; unique and unashamedly bold designs that are made to be noticed. Saretta’s Creative Director, Sarah Bond - a trained anthropologist - founded the company with a vision to make wearable couture-style jewellery using ethically sourced precious metals and gemstones. Sarah has wide-ranging experiences working with local communities in Africa, Asia and South America and focuses her attentions as a jeweller on promoting Fairtrade responsible mining for gemstones and bullion. Sarah uses a wide range of techniques including the lost-wax method, recycling metals and re-forming, along with her own methods she has developed to give a unique finish to pieces. Saretta jewellery is created in silver, gold and platinum, and is handmade in the London studio.
Jessica de Lotz – a Central St Martins graduate (2008), Jessica de Lotz creates jewellery collections which are narrative-based tributes reflecting on the ‘social lives’ of objects and the history of their owners. Largely inspired by her father, a self employed military book seller with an ethos of ‘Make do and Mend,’ Jessica believes that all the objects one needs are available already, so it’s just a matter of sourcing them. Guided by an overriding appreciation of age and history, Jessica’s jewellery embodies the concepts of time, concealment and heritage. Largely working in silver, Jessica also specialises in hand carved mock ivory.
Christopher Anderson Design – works with CAD and his latest designs use an interlocking two part component in contrasting metal colours. When discussing the inspirations for his jewellery, Christopher identifies his passions as the allure of gemstones, geometric and architectural forms, and the lustre of precious metals, as well as the contrast of colour. In terms of materials, he works with silver, 18ct yellow and white gold and an array of coloured stones including sapphires, aquamarines, peridot, emerald, ruby, topaz, garnet and diamond.
Daisy Choi – is a jewellery artist designer-maker. Her company, 'DAY C', has its studio in Clerkenwell, London. Daisy's background in 2D and 3D design is reflected in her work, combining the two to create playful yet meaningful and functional jewellery. Her design ideas are inspired by everyday objects, and blend artistic expression with wearability. Daisy’s current collection is based on the concept of ‘Wearing a Thought’. The new collections are ‘Diamond Temptation’ and ‘Best Before’. These collections make imaginative use of precious materials such as18ct gold, silver, gems and non-precious materials such as rubber and porcelain.
Momocreatura - has been founded by Momoko Tamura who initially studied fine arts and jewellery making in Japan and graduated in MA Jewellery Design at Central St. Martins in 2009. Her jewellery explores the boundaries between reality and fantasy through the depiction of fairy-tale inspired images. Influenced by European antique jewellery of the 16th-19th century and post-war Japanese sub culture, she combines her references to create figurative macabre objects. They are more like 3D illustration or wearable miniature sculptures rather than what is so-called jewellery. The hallmarked silver and gold pieces are finely handcrafted assemblages of child-like imagination, suggestive of ambiguous, twisted humour.
Poly Philippou - is an independent jewellery designer and maker who lives and works in East London. Since setting up her business three years ago, she has sold increasingly by word of mouth and recommendation and has also been stocked at gallery shops in London and Brighton. Whilst doing all her production in the UK, she has succeeded in keeping the pieces high quality and her pricing competitive. Poly specialises in contemporary silver jewellery which is designed to be accessible - versatile, easy to wear and affordable, and which looks just as good worn with a suit, evening wear or more casually. Many ranges suit both men and women. She draws inspiration from the natural world to create the simple clean shapes that are her signature pieces. Poly also adapts pieces for individual customers and undertakes commission work.
Sian Bostwick Jewellery – Launched in late 2009 in Rochester, Sian Bostwick Jewellery is unique and handmade. Its fantasy, fairytale dreamscape style brings a timeless essence and grown up playfulness to brighten every day. Three major collections are currently being produced - Titanium Butterflies, Titanium Flowers and Wonderland, alongside other individual and bespoke pieces. The titanium collections combine silver and anodised titanium, which produces a range of bright blues and rich purples that, in contrast with the silk finished silver, achieve an individual and elegant look which brings a pretty spring-summer feel to any outfit. The Wonderland collection features three-dimensional silver heart necklaces.
Hannah Bedford - Hannah Bedford’s jewellery designs explore texture and form using the traditional processes of granulation, reticulation and Keum-boo (fine gold fusing). Working in golds and silver, Hannah creates a range of women’s jewellery, from bespoke neckpieces through to delicate earrings and rings. Collections are inspired by organic growth patterns in the natural world. Hannah uses gold fusing and granulation to create raised, textured surfaces that entwine each piece and takes great care to work on the underside of a piece. The work is often led by these technical explorations, using them to play with scale, form and contrasting precious metals to create aesthetically beautiful forms.
Visitors at IJL this September (5th-8th) can meet the designers and view their work, on stand E49.
