Jewellery & Watch has announced it will add to its stunning Design Quarter for 2016 with the launch of British Born & Made, an all-new and beautifully curated area dedicated to showcasing the best of British jewellery design.
The launch comes as a direct response to feedback from buyers, which indicated a strong desire for both ‘home grown’ and new collections at the show.
Among the confirmed line-up is Muscari Jewellery, an up-and-coming brand whose modern designs and traditional jewellery-making techniques are the work of Ana Simoes, who launched the brand in 2014, while Yorkshire’s ContraryMary will also showcase its designs that are influenced by digital art, with hand-forged collections combining fresh, simple designs with silver and other genuine metals.
Adding to the offering will be Zalisander Jewellery, created by Nottingham-based designer Lex Watt in 2011 with the help of the Prince’s Trust. With a particular interest in visual aspects of growth, encrustation and the reclaiming of manmade structures, the individual and wearable pieces often revolve around surface texture, accented with natural gemstones.
The wider Design Quarter will also welcome a plethora of new names for 2016, offering buyers to Jewellery & Watch with inspiring collections from the finest British and international designers. Those already confirmed include: Julia Davenport Jewellery, Rhiannon Lewis Jewellery, Kattri, Badger & Baird, Barbara Yarde Jewellery, Aurum by Gudbjorg, Stelios Karantonas, Glynart, and Payson Ni.
“We understand the importance for buyers to see newness each year, both with our brands and designers, and also the editing, curation and features of the show more generally,” said Julie Driscoll, portfolio director for Jewellery & Watch at i2i Events Group. “We are extremely excited to be introducing British Born & Made for 2016; the collections will sit beautifully alongside the wider offering of exclusive, inspirational and one-off pieces in our Design Quarter.”
Jewellery & Watch Birmingham
7-11 February, 2016
National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham.