As part of the BAJ’s ongoing efforts to provide our students with future-facing industry experience, we are proud to announce the conclusion of our collaborative jewellery-making contest with engagement ring specialist Lewis Malka and the London Diamond Bourse.
BAJ Jewellery Design and Manufacturing Diploma students were challenged to design and make a ring inspired by the concept of cultural identity. The pieces were wax carved and cast in silver, with many featuring set stones.
Four students were awarded prizes for their innovative engagement ring designs and skilled execution of manufacturing techniques. Lewis Malka presented the awards to four students, Daniela Nanii, Inti Yeung, Kate Bell, and Thea Taylor, at a recent event and pop-up exhibition in London.
The four winners were awarded the ‘Lewis Malka Award for Engagement Ring Excellence’ and received a copy of Lewis Malka’s book ‘The Engagement Ring’. The winners will also receive one-on-one sessions with the jeweller himself at the London Diamond Bourse, where their work will also be exhibited.
“It was a pleasure to be involved in this wonderful project,” said jeweller Lewis Malka. “The work the BAJ does is fabulous. There are some truly inspirational and talented people applying themselves to jewellery making at the moment. As someone who came through as an apprentice some thirty years ago, specialising in handmade engagement rings, it was a no brainer to be involved in the Engagement Ring project. It wasn’t easy to pick the winners. There were some incredible rings, and I’m delighted to have been asked to get involved”.
BAJ’s Jewellery Design and Manufacturing Diploma involves numerous projects with leaders in the jewellery industry like Lewis Malka as well as a strong focus on jewellery manufacturing in the workshop. Find out more about the course here. BAJ also runs a BA (Hons) in Jewellery Design and Production and Jewellery Fundamentals diploma among other jewellery making and theory-based courses.