BAJ Celebrates Emerging Talent at 2023/2024 London Graduate Show

The British Academy of Jewellery (BAJ) hosted its 2023/2024 London Final Show at its Camden campus, bringing together students, industry professionals, and family to celebrate the next generation of jewellers. 

The event showcased nearly 200 pieces of student work from both Further and Higher Education programmes, reflecting a high level of creativity, craftsmanship, and design innovation. Alongside these creations, design journals and process insights provided a deeper look into the journey behind each piece.

Industry Engagement and Collaboration

The event attracted over 30 representatives from across the jewellery industry, reflecting the Academy’s ongoing efforts to bridge the gap between education and professional practice. Several sponsors offered awards recognising the achievements of the students.

BAJ’s Careers and Industry Engagement Manager, Ioanna Kefalogianni, commented on the importance of industry partnerships: “We are deeply grateful to our sponsors for their continued support in nurturing the next generation of jewellers through these awards. Opportunities like The Betts Group ‘Craftsmanship’ Award, The NAJ’s ‘One to Watch’ Award, The Sierra 3DESIGN Creative Achievement Award, The Martin’s Gems Award for Statement Jewellery, and The Queensmith Rising Star Award provide our graduates with recognition and resources to support their future careers. We are pleased to see so many of our students being acknowledged for their creativity, craftsmanship, and innovation, and we look forward to supporting them as they enter the jewellery world as BAJ alumni.”

Award Highlights

The evening celebrated a range of student accomplishments through awards aimed at recognising craftsmanship and innovative design. Among the highlights:

• The Betts Group Craftsmanship Award, presented by David Hendley, went to Aneta Wojszko.
• The NAJ’s One to Watch Award, providing free access to the NAJ’s Foundation Programme, was awarded to Olumide Badejo.
• The Martin’s Gems Award for Statement Jewellery, presented by Martin Prinsloo, went to Isabelle Gearing.
• The Queensmith Rising Star Award, offering a day at the Queensmith workshop, was given to Konrad Gergely.

Badejo notably won three awards, emerging as a standout talent at the event. Reflecting on his achievements, he said, “Thank you to all the staff that supported me while I was at BAJ, including with my own projects I was working on outside of coursework. I just really like seeing people’s ideas come to life in jewellery, and I never expected to get one award, talk less of three, and thank everyone who liked my designs and jewellery.”

Higher Education Awards

Students from the Higher Education courses were also recognised for their design and development skills. Among these were the Best CAD Design award, presented to Rommy Georgiou and Veronika Dika, and the Most Impressive Development During the Course award, which went to Zaida Cruttenden and Saoirse Long.

Head of Curriculum, Graham Wills, commented on the talent displayed at the show, stating, “We are immensely proud of the talent displayed at this year’s London Final Show. These graduates are the future of the jewellery industry, and we are confident they will make a significant impact with their skills and vision. At BAJ, we are committed to supporting the next generation of jewellers, and it is encouraging to see them begin their professional journeys.”For more information about the winning jewellery, visit BAJ’s website and social media channels, or explore their jewellery courses online.