Nearly a month has passed since our jewellery featured in the prestigious Artistar Jewels exhibition, organised by Prodes Italia for Milano Jewellery Week. This event marked a significant milestone in our journey as emerging jewellery designers, providing us with an invaluable opportunity to make our mark in the industry.
Despite advice from our peers to focus on creating small, affordable pieces and building a customer base, we chose to take a leap of faith. We believed that participating in exhibitions and entering competitions could significantly impact our growth and visibility. We’re thrilled we trusted our instincts.
Creating Jewellery we love
The exhibition allowed us to design and showcase jewellery we are passionate about. We learned a tremendous amount from other designers and the event itself. Meeting industry icons and seeing creations from designers we have long admired was a dream come true.
Networking and learning
The exhibition was a fantastic networking opportunity. We were able to connect with other designers and discuss their inspirations and chosen mediums. Their willingness to share advice and insights was incredibly valuable for us as newcomers.
Diverse Mediums and themes
We were fascinated by the diverse mediums used in the exhibition. Initially, we believed that jewellery exhibitions focused solely on the artistry of gems with gold, silver, and techniques like enamelling. However, we discovered that judges, who were gallery representatives, looked for pieces that reflected broader themes within the jewellery industry. They also considered the political, environmental, and ethical impacts influencing jewellery design.
Valuable lessons
This experience taught us how to approach future competitions and exhibitions. We were treated with the same respect as seasoned designers, even though we feared being out of our depth.
Gratitude to Prodes and Artistar jewels
Although our exhibition pieces did not arrive in time for the Artistar Jewels 10th edition book, Prodes and Artistar supported us by printing two of our fusion rings. We are deeply thankful for their efforts.
post exhibition success
Since returning to the U.K., several businesses have approached us for collaborations, an opportunity that would not have been possible without the Artistar Jewels exhibition.
future plans
In the coming months, we aim to reconnect with other designers we met and explore potential collaborations on blogs and social media. While the journey of a new designer can be stressful, we highly recommend this experience for the invaluable lessons it offers. We are already contemplating designs for next year but will consider environmental developments before finalising our creations. We hope to see you next year. Thank you all for this wonderful experience and for making us feel so included.
With love, Lou & Erin
Athena Visage