UK Jewellery Awards - Winners 2010

So after several months of judging and preparation the UK Jewellery Awards took place on Thursday at London's Grovesnor House Hotel. There was a rather star-studded line up at this year's awards, with familiar names and past winners including Shaun Leane, Stephen Webster, Astley Clarke and Alex Monroe, alongside new names and brands who've either had phenomenal years or have a promising future ahead...

Video from the 2009 Jewellery Awards, featuring Retail Jeweller's previous editor Sarah Carpin

So, here are the most interesting winners - some were certainly surprising, but nonetheless deserved.

Jewellery Etailer of the Year - Alex Monroe - www.alexmonroe.com

We all love Alex (even my Mum got treated to some lovely Hummingbird earrings a few months ago) so the award was deserved, despite being up against heavyweights including Astley Clarke and Steffans. The site has come on leaps and bounds this last year, their customer interaction is brilliant and the amount of product online is great. A little well done to the lovely Emma at Alex Monroe, and Alex himself who cycled Lands End - John O'Groats, arriving at JoG the night before the awards!

Alex... well you know where he is!

 

Alex Monroe's classic Bumblebee Necklace

Jewellery Brand of the Year - Ti Sento

The word 'brand' will always make me shudder unfortunately, so I don't have much to say on this one. Ti Sento's campaign this year has been ubiquitous, they've featured in pretty much ever issue of Retail Jeweller that's come through my letterbox. Stephen Webster not taking the prize home, as a British brand, is a shame but it's great that a new winner has taken centre stage. And hey, at least Pandora didn't win..!
 

Ti Sento. Images courtesy of tisento-milano.com

New Designer of the Year -Alexander Davis

A talented fine jewellery designer, Alexander Davis has some rather interesting rings, mixing up shapes and gemstones for an interesting effect. Unusual cuts are a big part of his work, and a background in science and engineering add to the fine lines and sculptural forms. The DNA-like ring, below, is real showstopper. Great to see some other up-and-coming designers in this category, including La Diosa, FSA and the dazzling Lauren Adriana.

Rings for Alexander Davis' 'Dendritic' Collection.
Images courtesy of alexanderdavisjewellery.com

Designer of the Year - Shaun Leane

Oh Shaun. Here you are again! He's becoming a British institution when it comes to the Jewellery Awards and really with Sarah Herriot, Alex Monroe and Bobby White all vying for the prize, it's surprising that a different name didn't take it home. Shaun's Cherry Blossom collection really sums up his style - pretty yet edgy - and has been highly coveted during 2010. I do look forward to seeing with what he comes up with next...

Ring and earrings from Shaun Leane's 'Cherry Blossom' collection.
Image courtesy of shaunleane.com

PS. The official photos haven't been released yet, but when they do I'll put some up

Alexis Bittar wins Accessory Designer of the Year

A quick post today, as the wonderful Alexis Bittar has won the CFDA award for Accessory Designer of the Year. I'm a bit of an Alexis fan, and although my budget mostly stretches to the more modest of his collections, I'm always in awe of what he does - and was especially pleased to find him in Maia Adam's wonderful Fashion Jewellery book which came out earlier this year.

Alexis with his award. Image courtesy of alexisbittar.com

Wearing a couple of my AB slim lucite bangles
(sorry for the posey pic, was for Adorn London!)

So, a big congrats to Alexis - take a peek at the Alexis Bittar blog for some of his own photos from what looks like a brilliant night.

Alexis and his Dad! Image courtesy of alexisbittar.com

Alexis' date was Iris Apfel. Image courtesy of alexisbittar.com

UK Jewellery Awards 2009: The Winners!

Well, it's finally come and gone! Thursday 16th of July saw the glitz and glamour of this year's UK Jewellery Awards at London's Grovesnor House Hotel.

The Awards - which are part-organised by Retail Jeweller magazine - were a close contest this year, with a high calibre of shortlisted entrants as blogged about here a few months back.

Model, part of the evening's catwalk entertainment, wearing Missoma. Image courtesy of ukjewelleryawards.co.uk

I have to say that although the Awards are tailored to the mainstream jewellery market, this year's winners are thoroughly deserving of their awards, especially Monica Vinader and Missoma, who have really gone from strength-to-strength during 2008-9.

So, the winners of the main categories are as follows...

Best Catwalk Jewels of the Year - Kirt Holmes

Kirt Holmes, holding her Award, with the host Nick Ede (left), and Nadja Swarovski (in skirt suit). Image courtesy of ukjewelleryawards.co.uk

Independent Retailer of the Year - Nicholas James, Hatton Garden

Jewellery Brand of the Year - Monica Vinader

Retail Employer of the Year - Beaverbrooks (various UK locations)

Young Designer of the Year - Bobby White

Jewellery Website of the Year - Missoma.com

and finally, the big one..!

Jewellery Designer of the Year - Shaun Leane (his hatrick!)

Shaun Leane (centre), with Nick Ede and Frances Murch of Retail Jeweller magazine (in purple). Image courtesy of ukjewelleryawards.co.uk

Congratulations to the other finalists, including Kabiri, Alex Monroe and Astley Clarke. The level of both design and branding of the entrants this year was so high, it was quite a tough one to call, with (for some I'm sure), some surprising winners. Nevertheless, the awards demonstrate how much talent there is in UK jewellery design and retail right now. Who knows, maybe next year they'll have to throw in a few more categories, for good measure!

UK Jewellery Awards 2009: Shortlist

So fast approaching is that time of year again... big names, high glamour but most importantly of all, fabulous jewellery.

The UK Jewellery Awards 2009 have released their shortlist, the categories of which include Independent Retailer of the Year, Retail Star of the Year and Young Designer of the Year. And with last year's winners including the likes of Alex Monroe, Stephen Webster and Astley Clarke (what a website!), this year's shortlist proves just as exciting.


So, let's see who's in the running...

First up, as a jewellery sales girl myself, I'm most intrigued by the Independent Retailer of the Year category. There's really quite a mix here: jewellery designer Kirsten Goss sits alongside the wholly contemporary Kabiri. Also shortlisted are Jeremy France Jewellers from Winchester, a family-founded business for a family market, selling classic diamond rings, pieces by Links of London and affordable silver for a younger crowd. Steffan's jewellers, with two shops in the midlands, are a well-marketed similarly family-oriented jewellers with a contemporary twist, selling the likes of Thomas Sabo, Monica Vinader and Shaun Leane (below).

In this category, I feel the right balance of brands may be an advantage, yet it also depends on what the clientele are looking for. London-based Nathalie Kabiri, for example, is always quick to snap-up young jewellery graduates (such as last year's Young Designer winner, Ana de Costa) for her stores, and continually pushes boundaries, attracting ever-more customers as she does. Steffan's, on the other hand, seem focused on twenty- and thirty-somethings with a bit of cash to spend on something quirky such as Stephen Webster's gargoyle cufflinks or murano glass Trollbeads (below).

Another exciting category is Best Catwalk Jewels of the Year, a chic array of all things bold and bejewelled, strutted up and down the runways at the various Fashion Weeks. Shortlisted designers include Collado Garcia, who created bodysuits studded with a myriad of Swarovski crystals. At 14kg per suit, they were likely no mean feat for the models to wear, but their futuristic beauty says it all. Anyone else fancy a Mexican sugar skull now!?

Also on the Best Catwalk Jewels shortlist is one of my favourite men's jewellery designers, Hannah Martin. At LFW she teamed up with menswear designer JW Anderson, adding chunky crucifixes to his Brideshead-meets-Velasquez clothing designs. Her rhodium-plated white gold spike ring caught my eye some time ago; it's turned typical jewellery design on its head by setting brilliant-cut rubies upside down, adding blood-red sparkling spikes to the mix. Devilish!

To check out the other nominees, take a look at the UK Jewellery Awards' website. And good luck to all those shortlisted.