Close of London Jewellery Exports to hit young designers

Rising jewellery talent in the UK has been dealt a blow as London Jewellery Exports prepares to close down its operations. Funding for the project will run out at the end of March forcing the organisation to end its projects, which include part-funding young designers to exhibit at international trade fairs.

The project was initially given funding for two years but it was granted an extra six months of support from financial backers City Fringe Partnership and the London Development Agency. London Jewellery Export has been in talks with organisations about future funding, but all discussions so far have fallen through. The London Jewellery Exports website, londonjewelleryexports.com which is an export tool for the industry, will be kept running despite the end of the funding.

Industry consultant Aldyth Crowther, who has been working on the project, said: “With the end of the financial year and the Olympics coming, public funding has been cut. We always knew there was only enough money for two years and we feel lucky to have got that extra six months.

“Jewellery is frequently in danger of being overlooked. It’s not seen as important as fashion or film or music, but it should be. All of us in the industry are striving to promote it.”

London Jewellery Exports is taking six young designers, including Retail Jeweller’s Rising Stars William Cheshire (see November’s issue) and Tomasz Donocik (coming soon in the March issue) to trade show LivingRoom in Tokyo next month. Also in February, it is supporting ten London-based jewellers, including Square Circles and Anthony Roussel, to exhibit at Inhorgenta in Munich.

Crowther said: “The reason that the British Jewellers’ Association champions London Jewellery Exports is that export is the one area that if new designers are given a little bit of support in at the beginning then they realise they can do it themselves. Once they’ve had a bit of hand holding, they’re off and running.”

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