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Bright Young Gems

Now running for eight years, the Bright Young Gems initiative is well-known within the industry for unveiling future industry stars. It provides the designers with a unique commercial platform as they begin to establish their reputations for producing outstanding contemporary jewellery.

This year we are taking the initiative country wide and selecting our BYG's from Colleges across the UK in London, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Sheffield.

The initiative offers these exciting new jewellery designers the opportunity to showcase their work at IJL on a group stand in the Design Gallery and, in doing so, a chance to break into the commercial world and meet key retailers.

These rising stars have stunning pieces and collections, and are nominated by a prestigious panel of leading editors and industry gurus. The panel for 2013 includes Hilary Alexander (pictured) of The Daily Telegraph, Vivienne Becker of the FT’s How To Spend It, Julia Yule of Glamour magazine, Jessica Diamond from Wallpaper* Magazine and Bec Clarke from Astley Clarke.

Panellist Hilary Alexander, commented “Bright Young Gems is a unique and important platform for aspiring jewellery designers. It exposes their work in an international showcase along established brands, lets them see the competition and understand why some brands are more successful than others, and puts their work before potential buyers.”

View the 2012 Bright Young Gem's below.

  • Katie Jamieson

    Katie Jamieson is a London based jewellery designer and graduate of the prestigious Central Saint Martins.  She makes fine hand made jewellery with exceptional attention to detail and the careful craftsmanship of the traditional jewellery maker. Using only gold, silver and precious gemstones, Katie believes jewellery should be worn boldly and playfully but should last a lifetime. She describes herself as ready and eager to launch her debut collection to the world.

  • Neil Marlow, Nilplug

    Neil Marlow's first collection for his own brand Nilplug is influenced by a hotchpotch of wonderfully colourful and energetic sources including comic book art, jet engines, space rockets and 1950’s America; a time of dreams, expectation and ambition. It’s an accumulation of thoughts and ideas, developed over a diverse career in the creative arts. Neil studied Graphic Design, Illustration and typography at Art College before gaining a degree in Landscape architecture at the University of Greenwich. With a passion for sculpture, experience as a landscape architect and a role as a jewellery maker’s apprentice under his belt, a career in jewellery design was born.

  • Stephanie Bila

    Stephanie Bila has just graduated from Central Saint Martins and was awarded a Swarovski scholarship in the final year of her degree. Her degree collection is an exploration of the ability of jewellery to enhance our perception of the human form. Linear sculptures extend, encase, rest upon and surround the body creating a new human architecture through design. Veins of Swarovski Elements run through the pieces accentuating their organic form and adding a sense of vibrancy to the structures, bringing them to life. The materials used are beech Bendywood and Swarovski crystals. The statement is about the large scale wooden structures and the inspiration carries on through to smaller scale ready to wear jewellery pieces.

  • Sophie E Ellis

    Sophie E Ellis has blasphemously deconstructed and ironically rebuilt the luxury wristwatch in a collection of enigmatic timepieces, intended to hint at a modern and realistic attitude of time. She has just graduated from Central Saint Martins with a BA Hons in Jewellery Design. Prior to graduating, Sophie worked on projects with companies ranging from Diane Von Furstenberg to Folli Follie Designs.

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