Students set gold standard in the North East
Released: Thursday 21st January 2010 at 00:00
Two Sunderland students have been named among the best in the UK after receiving the North East's only bursaries from England's most prestigious and oldest craft guild.
James Hughes (22) and Rachel Wojcik (21) have both won bursaries from the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths to create unique pieces of jewellery.
The two young designers are among an elite group of 36 students from only 15 universities in England to have received the bursaries - and are the only recipients in the North East of England.
Robert Birch, senior lecturer in design at the university, says that the two students' achievements are extraordinary - especially as in the summer they will become the first graduates of the University of Sunderland's new BA Jewellery and Silversmithing degree.
"We've been able to fine tune this new course so it is focussed purely on silversmithing and jewellery design whilst offering a unique multi material approach including, stone, lapidary, gemology and glass," Robert says. "This is a great honour for us - you really can't get a better endorsement than the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths.
"Goldsmiths are the touchstone for the trade, for charity and education, for their members and the City of London. Their patronage provides access to this first rung of the ladder of professional life for James and Rachel. What they've achieved is a very big first step."
The money they have received will allow the students to create one unique piece of jewellery or silver which will then be assessed before their final degree. Because of the expense of purchasing the precious metal they use to create these pieces without the backing of Goldsmiths it would have been very difficult for the students to create such high-quality artworks.
Student James Hughes from Merseyside is creating work based on topography. James is using maps and theories of geomorphology in his design, to create a silver bowl which examines how silver was formed in the earth.
He says: "My work would have cost about £600 to create for one piece, and for the final year you need to create six pieces. I've saved up some money, but there's no way I would have been able to create work of this quality without the help of Goldsmiths."
Rachel Wojcik from Cumbria, who in 2009 also won a place at the Worshipful Company of Goldsmith's summer school, is creating kinetic jewellery. The jewellery she is designing will not only move with the wearer, but it will also have a mechanism in it which means it will move independently.
Rachel says: "One of the first things people in the industry look at on your CV is whether you've worked with Goldsmiths, so their endorsement gives both of us a really big head start in our professional lives."
The new BA (Hons) Jewellery and Silversmithing degree draws on established studio practice in combination with cutting-edge digital technologies. For further details contact the University of Sunderland hotline on 0191 5153000.
The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths was formed in the 12th Century as medieval guild for goldsmiths, as well as silversmiths and jewellers. It received a Royal Charter in 1327 and operates the London Assay Office, where objects made of precious metals are tested for purity. Goldsmiths are also responsible for validating British coinage.