This week, our students progressed to the next stage in our ‘Adaptability, Versatility, Longevity’ project. The live industry brief is a collaboration between BAJ and  iconic London-based jewellery brand Alex Monroe to raise awareness about sustainability in the jewellery industry and challenges BAJ students to design and make an original wearable jewellery piece, enabling them to gain experience responding to a real industry brief. Each piece will incorporate a 5mm sapphire generously donated by the Alex Monroe brand.

Founder Alex Monroe joined groups of our students on Zoom to give them detailed feedback on the jewellery designs they have been working on for the project. Alex, who has over 30 years’ experience in the industry, reviewed each student’s design presentation and gave them tailored advice on how to take their work to the next level. 

Alex also gave students tips on how to best annotate their orthographic drawings and designs to present their vision to a professional standard. Students left the feedback sessions with a concrete plan to take their designs forward, some by focusing on the technical workings of the mechanisms they will use, others by making paper or wax models to check the size and fit of their designs.

“I was pretty pleased with my feedback, I was encouraged to push my designs to a bigger, more extravagant piece and was also asked to make some of the designs clearer in terms of how they actually function,” said Jewellery Fundamentals student Tabitha.

“The feedback I got was really positive which was a big comfort and boost, as I wasn’t quite sure what they would think of my work,” said student Lisa. “They seemed to really like my ideas so that was great and let me know I was on the right track.”

Alex encouraged our students to “turn up their confidence dial to ten” to complete their jewellery designs and begin manufacturing. Alex was particularly impressed by their innovative transformable jewellery designs in line with the project theme and creative ways of presenting their ideas and inspiration. 

Students will work in the BAJ workshop at their respective campuses to create their piece of jewellery and will be able to use the repurposed sapphires generously donated by Alex Monroe for the project. Alex Monroe will choose winners who will receive work experience at the Alex Monroe brand, supporting our commitment to preparing BAJ students to succeed in the jewellery industry.