The Jewellery Cut Live opens call for emerging designers to win bursary place at the LFW show

The Jewellery Cut Live, a two-day showcase of independent jewellery designers and jewellery talks organised by The Jewellery Cut, will continue its altruistic tradition of gifting one promising, emerging jewellery designer with a free place at the popular London Fashion Week Show, which will take place on the 16 th & 17 th of February, 2020 at The Royal Institution on Albermarle Street in London’s Mayfair.

This will be the third time The Jewellery Cut has supported a designer, but it is the first time it has opened up the bursary to applications. Previously, the winner was selected privately by the team, with Kelly Seymour from Cult of Youth winning the debut bursary in February 2019, followed by Ama Dhami (pictured) in September 2019. Now, any UK-based designer with an established brand, who has been in business for less than three years, can apply.

Also new this year is a wider support package that will add to The Jewellery Cut bursary. As well as receiving a place at the show and mentoring support from founders Rachael Taylor and Andrew Martyniuk, the winner will also receive a package of benefits from generous bodies in the industry including De Beers, Retail Jeweller, WB The Creative Jewellery Group, Gemvision, The National Association of Jewellers, Goldsmiths’ Fair, Push PR and The Goldsmiths’ Company Assay Office (see below for full breakdown of benefits). In total, the package for the winner is worth more than £7,000.

To be considered for The Jewellery Cut Live bursary, jewellers must send an application to hello@jewellerycut.com with the following information:

• Full information on themselves and their brand, with links to website and social media pages
• A selection of images of their work, as well as any lookbooks or biographies, if they have them
• A pitch about who they are, why they should be considered for the bursary and what they feel they would bring to the show (this can be submitted in any format –written, video, etc)
• All applicants must already have a fully launched brand that is selling jewellery and have been in business for less than two years, be in a position to have enough stock to take part in the show in February, and be based in the UK. Jewellers who have already been part of The Jewellery Cut Live in the past cannot apply.

The deadline for entries is December 20th, 2020. At this point, they will be reviewed by The Jewellery Cut team and a winner will be announced in the new year. More information on The Jewellery Cut Live, including a listing of designers taking part and details on tickets, can be found here. Last season, in September 2019, 28 designers took part in the event and more than 1,000 visitors attended the show.

“Supporting emerging or undiscovered jewellery talent has always been at the heart of everything we do at The Jewellery Cut, so we are so proud to be offering another bursary place and delighted that the industry has responded so generously to our call for support,” said The Jewellery Cut co-founder Rachael Taylor. “We have been very focused in who we wanted to reward in previous seasons. Kelly Seymour of Cult of Youth, for her dogged determination to raise a brand and a child single handed while also managing to whip up an enormous social media following around everything she does. Ama Dhami, for her meticulous attention to detail and her commitment to luxury craftsmanship and blending traditional Indian aesthetics with contemporary styles to create a fresh style.

“Opening up the applications for the first time is hugely exciting as we don’t know who we’ll be bringing to the show in February, but with the huge amount of jewellery design talent there is in the UK right now, we know we’ll get the right calibre.”

Breakdown of the benefits included in The Jewellery Cut Live Bursary

• A stand at The Jewellery Cut Live February 2020
• Mentoring support from The Jewellery Cut founders Rachael Taylor and Andrew Martyniuk
• Access to online Diamond Foundation Course created by The De Beers Diamond Institute
• De Beers Group Institute of Diamonds Grading Report for a diamond of 0.5ct to 1ct, submitted to the Maidenhead lab
• A year’s subscription to Retail Jeweller magazine
• A day at WB The Creative Jewellery Group that will include sessions spent with the design and marketing teams as well as a mentoring session with Domino Jewellery and Weston Beamor creative director Naomi Newton-Sherlock
• A 90-day subscription to Gemvision’s MatrixGold CAD software courtesy of GVUK
• A year’s membership of the National Association of Jewellers
• A VIP ticket to Goldsmiths’ Fair 2020
• A laser and punch hallmarking package courtesy of The Goldsmiths’ Company Assay
  Office
• Two-hour communications consultation at Push PR
• A stand at a #PushCONNECT shopping event courtesy of Push PR

Courtesy: Retail Jeweller India News Service