Young jewellery designers in Reading, Berkshire just got an opportunity to showcase their work. Professional Jeweller, an online source for news and other information about the jewellery industry, announced that the Bishopsland Educational Trust, a provider of postgraduate course in jewellery design with a base of operations in South Oxfordshire, will hold a public-facing competition for its students on June 1.
The said competition will be followed by an exhibition of the designs, open to the public from June 2 to 22. The whole event is a collaborative effort of renowned Reading jeweller Jacobs the Jewellers and City of London livery company Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths. The winners will be decided through voting by public viewers.
The Significance of Design Competitions
Competitions like this present a good opportunity to aspiring jewellers from Reading, or any other place for that matter. Aside from accumulating knowledge from their studies, these fledgling artisans still need to expand their learnings and skills on the many other aspects of building a career out of jewellery design. After leaving design school, they have to enhance their portfolios to show to prospective employers or business partners. At the same time, they will also have to learn about the business side of jewellery making and designing.
Building up skills and proficiencies is only one part. A really good designer also has to increase his or her exposure in the industry. Entering competitions offers substantial opportunity to do this. Winning, of course, is desirable; however, even if a young designer doesn’t win the competition, just the act of joining is already a good way to form connections. Competitions like this are often attended by many important people in the industry, who pay close attention to all promising talents, not just the winner. Establishing a connection with them can be a designer’s first step towards making it big in the industry.
More for the Buyers
The benefits of competitions are not only for aspiring designers but also extend to people who buy jewellery, further creating opportunities for the designers of the future. Fashion trends change over time, and a diversity in design capabilities and fashion sense provides buyers with more choices. Custom jewellery design is also getting to be more and more in demand, taking a spot among the top categories in the jewellery industry. As such, competitions can contribute towards delivering more satisfaction to jewellery buyers in the future.
Sources:
(Jacobs the Jewellers opens young designer contest, Professional Jeweller, Apr. 23, 2015)