New Designers 2024

We are proud to present our latest New Designers Exhibition. Our favourite annual exhibition showcasing the talented works by Graduate jewellery designers from across the UK.

This captivating exhibition presents a diverse array of pieces that push the boundaries of traditional jewellery, blending cutting-edge techniques with bold imaginative design. From intricate metalwork to contemporary mixed-media pieces, each creation reflects the unique vision and craftmanship of these emerging artists. Scroll through for more details about the each designer featuring in the exhibition and the inspiration behind their collection.

Angel Strachan

My work distinguishes itself by the sense of nostalgia, the memories we make, and the connections to our past, which centres on preserving a special memory. I am greatly inspired by the connection that jewellery has to the wearer through a special place or moment. 

Within this collection of work, I have incorporated textures from a location that holds many special memories for my family and I.

I enjoy working with the organic textures of nature and its surroundings and I find they are a constant source of inspiration to me. I capture special moments in time with the use of wax imprints of stone textures and sand from the shores which allows me to encapsulate the beauty of the individual texture in my work. I create unique and beautiful jewellery using a variety of techniques in my work including the ancient process of lost wax casting, and a Korean technique called Keum-boo. I use recycled silver in my work where I like to experiment with the use of oxidisation as this can emphasise the depth and details of the organic textures allowing each piece to be unique and individual to the wearer.

I see my work as a form of storytelling that creates an emotional connection to the wearer and holds a sentimental meaning that can be held and cherished close to the heart and will become a future heirloom for generations to come. 

 

Imogen Moran

My work explores the fragile nature of memory. So much of what we experience is lost as some memories fade, change or are forgotten completely. However, it is the delicate and intricate nature of memories that makes them so precious.

Through a sensitive approach to the materials and process I strive to capture a sense of vulnerability. By carefully heating fine silver wire to it’s melting point, just moments before complete collapse I take the material to it’s most fragile state. The notion of strong, solid material falling away into such a delicate form reflects the mind as it unravels and the breakdown of memory. This method involves working intuitively and trusting the material as it can be unpredictable.

Using the method of press forming to imprint silver sheet with these small compositions leaves behind the impression or ‘memory’ of the pattern.

Through my work I also explore the material of glass through the art of lampwork. My handcrafted glass beads enhance my pieces offering a lightness and delicate quality to my work which contrasts with the at times cold harshness of the metal. Similar to the silver, the fast pace at which the glass melts strips me of my ability to overly control the material which in turn allows a relationship to be established.

 

Militsa Milenkova

"What Could Have Been but Never Was", is a collection that explores the impact of immigration at a very young age, on my relationship with my extended family. I gather ordinary objects which belonged to my relatives and contemplate how these seemingly insignificant items, can hold so many memories and be of such importance. I focus my attention on the negative spaces within those and create standalone pieces that fit inside or around them, as a metaphor for being a part of my family but yet detached from it.

The collection embodies a playful response to the function of each object. It consists of functional, decorative and wearable pieces made in two parts. One in sterling silver and the other in gilding metal, alluding to a life lived and one left behind. It aims to engage viewers in an open dialogue about the challenges of immigration and the sacrifices involved when making such a decision.

 

Olivia Forrest

Olivia Forrest Artist Statement: Through the use of photography, collaging and surface exploration, my collection ‘Underfoot’ celebrates the hidden shapes and textures we most often miss and walk past, through and over every day. My photography collections of urban ground textures have captured the detailed irregularities that I have used to construct this body of work that showcases these unnoticed marks, allowing viewers to observe the forms we rarely take the time to appreciate. My series of brooches observe the concealed contours, surfaces and forms we find below our feet. Using press-forming, scoring and folding and stone setting techniques, ‘Underfoot’ delves into crafting sentimental jewellery from something so often overlooked, yet around us constantly. It was essential in my practice to replicate the unpredicted and imperfect cracks, imprints and traces of human interaction through everyday urban life. My pieces are wearable fragments designed and built from the ground up, showcasing rough edges, hidden stones, marks and finishes.

 

Rachael Plassard

My work reinterprets traditional ornament, taking inspiration from highly decorative styles throughout history. Within this I weave personal narratives and symbolism, allowing my discoveries and reflections to inform my decorative approach.

I often work intuitively, marking out and piercing by hand, allowing myself to be absorbed in the flow of making. I take a maximalist approach to my work by layering up decorative surfaces and combining a mixture of techniques, etching, roller printing, keum boo, gold plating and oxidising.  These combinations result in a richness and opulence, and what at first glance might look like a Greek headdress, or a baroque frame, on closer inspection is imbued with a contemporary aesthetic.

It is only at the end that the piece comes to life, when I lift, twist, and form the metal, a delightful and satisfying process of experimentation and discovery.

 

Tracy Caldah 

Tracy Caldah is a multi-media designer maker who creates sculptural forms across varying scales. Tracy incorporates discarded waste material in her work; elevating perceived value through crafts practice.  Tracy gains a voice through design; finding making an embodiment of personal healing after many personal challenges.

Through the materiality of her work; Tracy reminds the viewer that despite feeling discarded or overlooked we have beauty and value. Discarded materials are given new purpose, value and significance. Redemption underpins Tracy’s practice and wider life, weaving through her creative processes: Tracy’s wearable sculptures are a tacit reminder that we are both stronger and more precious than we may feel.

“I think I have learned that beauty is on the edge of loss. That perfection is often broken and in decay. That witnessing the transience and fallibility of life is integral to our ability to comprehend and live with joy.”

 

The New Designers Exhibition will be live in-store at Diana Porter Jewellery

Featuring the talented Graduate collections of Angela Strachan, Imogen Moran, Militsa Milenkova, Olivia Forrest, Rachael Plassard & Tracy Caldah.

33 Park Street Bristol, BS1 5NH. Mon-Saturday 9.30-5.00