Winner of Harriet Kelsall and University for Creative Arts competition announced

The Cambridge and Herfordshire based business, which ran the competition in conjunction with the University for the Creative Arts in Kent, awarded the prize to second year Goldsmithing, Silversmithing and Jewellery student Lindy Neave.

Neave impressed the judging panel, which comprised Kelsall, senior designers at Harriet Kelsall Alice Rochester and Rebecca Howarth and Andy Putland, Jennifer Kidd and Robert Birch from the university, with her Darling Buds design, which was a 9ct gold ring set in the rub-over style with three pink-red ruby cabochons and also features three small leaves of gold.

“Proper clean-sheet bespoke jewellery design is at the heart of everything we do at Harriet Kelsall Bespoke Jewellery and I want to make sure this skill isn’t lost,” said Kelsall. “An important element of the competition was that students presented hand-drawn sketches, which made me aware that there is a real need to remind students that hand drawing is a key skill.”

As part of the prize Neave’s design will be made by craftsmen at Kelsall’s workshop and she has also been invited to embark on an internship at Kelsall’s company.

“It’s been an amazing competition to take part in and great for Harriet Kelsall to come and give us such a huge opportunity,” said Neave.

In order to enter the competition, designers had to access a clip of an actress on YouTube talking to camera as if giving a designer a brief for her engagement ring design. She gave a budget of £1,000 and provided design clues such as her love of nature and her likes and dislikes in terms of shapes, colours and metals.

40 students entered the competition, and those entrants were shortlisted to six.
Bola Lyon won second prize for her designs and special mentions were also given to Sophie Naylor and Adam McLaren.

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