A group of 2026 jewellery graduates will be showcasing their wares at a unique event coming to North Yorkshire in September.
The six ambitious artisans have been brought together by Roo Nicholson, who has just graduated from Edinburgh College of Art. She explained how she’s scoured the country for the best talent emerging this year through a major design exhibition in London.
Her final list of exhibitors heading to Ampleforth Abbey includes graduates from art courses in Glasgow, Dundee and Birmingham who use a wide variety of styles, materials and processes.
She said: “Everyone is so excited and it feels very special to be part of this. I think we’ll be colleagues for our entire career after doing this – we appreciate it’s valuable to hone these sorts of relationships early on in our careers.”
The jewellers on display during the Acquire @ Ampleforth event on 18-20 September include:
- Aurora Stevens (left) who uses jewellery to explore the relationship between foods and plants and is showing pieces which focus on the lifecycle of a tomato plant. She graduated from Dundee.
- Canadian Sara Wilkinson (centre), who moved to Birmingham to study and is now setting up in the city, says her Solstice collection is inspired by Neolithic carvings used to track and record solar and lunar cycles.
- Sophie Izard (right) will be showing off her stacking candlestick and vase – made of brass, nickel and sterling silver, all hand fabricated from sheet metal. Sophie graduated from Glasgow.
Roo’s own work is inspired by the idea of a slow lifestyle, encouraging the viewer to find beauty in the small moments in our day people usually might take for granted. Through the medium of silversmithing in miniature, she has created a tea set collection of miniature wearable objects designed to be worn as charms on the cord provided, or as an addition to the silver brooch pins.
She first got involved in jewellery making after meeting Acquire founder Joanne Gowan through schoolmates.
She says: “Joanne was my first glimpse into the possibility of a career in jewellery. I have always known I would have an artistic career. Growing up with dyslexia and ADHD, observing and creating was the only thing that would keep me still. I love the jewellery medium because it combines my love for collecting and adorning while occupying my hands and brain with an exciting and rewarding challenge.”
The creative sector the graduates are seeking to forge careers in is certainly a challenging one. While the UK jewellery, silver and allied crafts industry currently employs over 58,100 people and contributes approximately £9.44 billion in revenue to the economy, young people entering craft-based roles face significant economic barriers.
Rising material costs driven by gold prices rising 199% and high overhead costs can limit independent workshops’ ability to take on entry-level staff or fund traditional apprenticeships.
But this group are taking matters into their own hands and will be offering wearable and usable pieces for sale within the wider event from £50 to £1,000.
