Bright Young Gems at IJL 2014

Victorian splendour met some Bright Young Gems last week and London sparkled!

Well done too to the organisers of the International Jewellery London show (IJL) this year, which for the first time was hosted in the dramatic, galleried setting of Olympia in London.

We visited on the first day of the show. This fabulous new venue for IJL is light and spacious, offering a perfect environment to explore the latest designs and collections of outstanding jewels.

For the 9th year now, the Bright Young Gems initiative celebrates the work of some of our future leading jewellery designers. Nominated by a prestigious panel of editors and jewellery leaders, the finalists this year are Fortuna Weeks, Joanna Bury, Jessie Seo, Youjin Nam and Kiki Tang.

There was much to admire, with their original designs experimenting with materials including wood, silk, pearls and enamel, with forms ranging from baroque to the geometrical.

KickStart, sponsored by IJL and the British Jewellers’ Association (BJA), also supports ten flourishing UK designers in helping them to exhibit their work at IJL.

Amongst these talented designers, we loved the work of Iwona Majdan in particular. Her jewellery is bold, with clean design lines and an elegant edgy style.

With no doubt, this was one of the most successful IJLs in recent years and a wonderful opportunity for designers to reveal and introduce their latest collections.