In June 2017, Shelanu visited the School of Jewellery degree show which showcased graduates’ work from BA (Hons) Jewellery Design and Related Products,  BA (Hons) Design for Industry and HND Jewellery and Silversmithing, amongst others.

This exhibition offered Shelanu the chance to see what emerging artists and designers are creating.

Following our visit to the different sections of the exhibition, everyone discussed what they had expected to see before coming and what they thought of the work on display. The group also had a conversation about the different reasons the jewellery had been designed: for industry, for selling in commercial places or art jewellery, to tell a story or raise awareness of an issue.

Yeelah came with an open mind, she didn’t know what to expect: “I liked Yayi Li’s work; the concept of relationships and the romance and figurative features of it. Yang Cai’s work was like grass growing through material, it was an interesting use of material. I thought the lotus flower was like a reminder to be positive.”

Rojin liked Kelsey Hong’s work. She thought that it seemed special, the mix of old and modern in the designs. The colour yellow was also a strong feature, which Rojin finds a positive colour.

Amy favoured the work of Linda Zelikovska, especially her ring, seeing it as simple yet wearable: “I’d describe the jewellery to be layered like a message, forming shapes. I like her simple process of creating 3D shapes; it’s interesting what can be done with jewellery, things I haven’t thought of before.”

Maram liked the use of colour and found materials in Chloe Mae’s work, as well as the idea of making jewellery from anything e.g. re-using materials and limiting waste. She also liked Fun Yan Tang’s work: “The natural rock looks, made it easy to understand from looking at it. I dislike complicated design, and prefer pieces I can understand from looking at it.”

Kiki liked many designers at the show: “I liked the use of fabric in Zhoulin Chen’s work. I also liked Tianyu Zhao’s work, but thought it would be too big to wear. Jinzi Yang’s work had an interesting concept of OCD. I liked how playful this jewellery was. And Xinying Wang’s work had a nice use of colour, but again, seemed to me too big to wear.”

Ruth thought that Linda Zelikovska’s jewellery was an unusual layered design concept and liked that the pieces were different. “I haven’t seen things like this before.”

At the end of the visit everyone was able to differentiate between the different sections of jewellery on display: designed for industry, commercial design and Jewellery Design and Related Products. For more information on the exhibition you can visit Jewellery Futures 2017.