Henryka announce winners of amber design contest

Silver and amber jewellery retailer, Henryka, has revealed three winners of their amber design competition with Hereford College of Arts (HCA).

The Hereford-based business hosted a jewellery design competition with HCA and the winning three student’s designs are set to be put into production for sale in store.

Students were asked to design a collection following the brief of ‘abstract flower’ and ‘abstract butterflies’. The students were able to choose their preferred one and then had to design a silver and amber collection which included pendants, earrings, bracelets and bangles and adjustable rings.

The students were also asked to work within weight and size limitations, and were asked to make their designs with a 3D effect, contemporary and modern feel, eye-catching and suitable for women between 25 to 50 years of age.

Clair Hodgson, Hereford College of Arts lecturer, said: “The Henryka jewellery project was a live project that gave students the opportunity to design work potentially for production in a commercial jewellery business.

“This was an excellent opportunity for students to extend their skills, by designing to a brief for a client. It necessitated them to think in different ways; try on ‘new hats’ and design pieces that could be very different to their own practice. In some cases, they surprised themselves by their ability to respond to the challenge.”

The three winners were announced as Will Hughes, Nicola Mead and Mizuki Takahashi whose three designs were all taken to the prototype stage.

Nicola’s ‘Lilies’ collection and Will’s ‘Daisies’ collection are now on sale in store, however Mizuki’s ‘Snowberries’ collection is being measure by buyers response due to its niche market.

A fourth design, Jasmine Lynch’s butterfly collection, missed out on the production phase but Henryka are hoping to re-visit the design in the future.