The winners of the Bright Young Gems 2021 mentoring scheme for graduating and recently graduated jewellery designers in the UK have been announced.
The talented line-up comprises Imogen Burch, Amber Doughty, Hannah Gower, Capucine Huguet and Andrea Jose Castro, all of whom will unveil their winning pieces as part of the National Association of Jewellers’ (NAJ) showcase at the one-day UK Jewellery Festival, The Brewery, London, on September 1, 2021.
Amber Doughty
The winners will benefit from dedicated mentoring from the NAJ jewellery experts before the event to ensure that they make the most of the experience. The designers will also have a zoom session with each of the judges to discuss their work, as well as receiving a special Bursary of £300 donated by the Benevolent Society to help towards travel and exhibition costs.
Now in its 16th year, The Bright Young Gems project has evolved to become the foremost industry-recognised platform for new talent with many previous winners going on to carve out successful award winning careers. To date the programme, set up by International Jewellery London (IJL), has enabled 68 BYG designers to showcase their work to the industry, retailers and opinion formers.
This year for the first time there are two judging categories. ‘Show Off – Statement Pieces’ – designs and/or finished pieces showing creative flair with innovative use of materials and which demonstrate potential commercial viability; and ‘Responsible Thinking – Sustainable Eco-Heroes’ – designs and/or finished pieces made with ethically sourced or sustainable materials and which demonstrate potential commercial viability.
Capucine Huguet
