29 April 2010
Gem of a design sees students earn top prize
Photo opportunity: 12noon on Sunday, May 2nd. Filipa will receive her prize at Queens Hotel, Perth.
A jewellery student at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design (DJCAD) will this Sunday receive an illustrious award from the Scottish Gemmological Association.
Third year student Filipa Oliveira (24), originally from Vila Verde, Portugal, and now living in Dundee, won first prize in the SGA’s Gem Set 2010 competition. She will pick up a certificate recognising her achievement along with £300 worth of gems to be used in future creations at the organisation’s annual conference at Queens Hotel, Perth, on Sunday, May 2nd.
The competition is an annual challenge specifically intended to promote the use of gem materials in the work of jewellery students at art colleges and further education colleges across Scotland. Students must design and manufacture an item of wearable gem-set jewellery, and Filipa’s design was judged the best in the country.
'I am very pleased to have won the award because it is an important recognition of my work, she said. 'I studied jewellery in Portugal, but I realised I needed to learn much more, which is why I came to the UK. Winning this award shows me that I am improving and that my efforts have been worth it.
'Most of my work involves gems, although I like to work with other materials as well. My pieces always contain symbolism and tell a story, which I research before beginning the work. I like to search things from the past, change them and incorporate them into my pieces.'
Filipa’s winning design was inspired by the similarities between the Giant’s Causeway and honey combs. She says she intended to create a piece in which the stones harmonize with the aesthetics of the design.
Entries were judged by a panel of jewellery professionals who examined aesthetic design and originality, the quality of construction and finish, and the professional application of stone setting techniques.
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