The 2025 Bright New Gems award winners have been announced, marking a significant milestone for a program that has supported emerging designers for two decades. This initiative highlights the work of graduates while offering the mentoring and professional development needed to handle the competitive jewelry market. The achievement is being celebrated with a one-day-only exhibition at the Goldsmiths’ Centre in London on Tuesday, March 3.
The exhibition will display pieces from fifty past winners. It aims to showcase the diversity of the program’s alumni and inspire future graduates. Bright New Gems is a not-for-profit mentoring program launched in 2005 by Jennifer Hall-Thompson and the late Suzanna Hammond. It has grown into the UK’s leading initiative of its kind, helping to launch the careers of 98 designers.
Bold Designs Recognized in Statement Category
The awards are separated into two categories for both BA and MA entrants: Show-off Statement Pieces and Responsible Thinking – Sustainable Eco-Heroes. In the Show-off Statement Pieces category for undergraduates, Ruby Lanigan won for her Baroque Architecture Necklace. The piece uses gold-plated sterling silver in a complex composition that features a reversible chain and a detachable pendant.
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Yosef Salih Murad was recognized for his “Regular Irregularity” design, which draws heavily on Iranian heritage and the symbolism found in Persian carpets. His Bloom Brooch uses gold-plated silver, cotton, and steel to suggest renewal through a floral form. Céline Munisso presented “Sinful Indulgence,” a ring featuring a miniature table setting that references the banned ortolan delicacy, placing a baroque pearl “bird” beneath a cloche alongside a candle and wine glass made of silver, wood, and enamel.
In the MA section, Lengli Bai took the top prize with the Shimmer Ripples necklace and earrings. These pieces are crafted from paper yarn and silver-plated copper wire, designed to follow the body’s curves in a multi-tiered structure. While many design schools excel at teaching technical skills, the transition from academia to a viable business remains a steep climb for most creatives. By maintaining a presence for twenty years, Bright New Gems has effectively created a consistent pipeline that mitigates the uncertainty often associated with starting a luxury brand, allowing talent to mature into established names.
Eco-Conscious Creators Highlight Sustainability
The Responsible Thinking category focused on environmental impact. Lulu Tian, a BA graduate, developed bioplastic jewels from fish scales. Her work is dyed with plant pigments and mimics the forms of seaweed, plankton, and coral. Bocen Zhou, an MA graduate, won for “The Life of a Pebble.” This necklace combines kiln-formed glass bubbles with soil and reclaimed silver to explore material cycles and transformation.
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Other designers who received highly commended status include Luofan Zhuang, Jiayang He, Andrea Carrera, Xiyue Mei, and Dan Le. The judging panel for this year included Liz Olver, Susie Smither, Ruby Beales, and Maria Doulton. Smither commented on the commitment required of the panel. “With a legacy of talent spotting the best jewellery graduates over the course of the last twenty years, the onus is on us judges to get it right,” she said.
Running alongside the exhibition is a panel talk titled “Turning Points: 20 Years of New Voices in Jewellery.” Speakers will include alumni Imogen Belfield, Katy Tromans, and Makila Nsika. They will share insights into career-defining moments, challenges, and the journey from graduation to becoming successful jewelry entrepreneurs. The event offers a rare look at the evolution of British jewelry design over the last two decades.
Among the fifty jewellers featured in the 20th Anniversary Exhibition are now-renowned names such as Pippa Small, Fernando Jorge, Ruth Tomlinson, Tomasz Donocik, and Zeemou Zeng. The program continues to provide a platform for these artists to connect with the industry, press, and retailers.
