Announcing the Winners of JewelFund 2021
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Introducing the winners of our £1000 JewelFund grants for 2021 ...
JewelFund is now in its fourth year and this year I am awarding four grants including two to BAME jewellers.
I’d like to thank every jeweller that applied for JewelFund. We had over 750 applications this year, the most we have ever received so shortlisting and choosing was a difficult job.
The winners get a £1000 grant each to be spent on their jewellery business, 1-year membership for Jewellers Academy and a one to one business mentoring session with me. We will be keeping you up to date with their progress throughout the year so do give these jewellers a follow on social media to support them.
Announcing the winners!
Nisha Doughlin
Jeweller Nisha Doughlin lives in Trinidad. She will be using the funds to pay for some equipment for her studio and to purchase tools to help her with her teaching. She wants to expand her teaching in rural areas to empower women to learn the skills to become self-employed and she plans to teach for free for people who can’t afford it
Jessica said:
I chose Nisha because I think her mission is really amazing and that the funds will really help. She’s done so much with not a lot already and the funds will really help her to share her impact and to help more women become self-sufficient.
Find out more about Nisha and her business
Jewellery copyright Nisha Doughlin
Kassandra Gordon
Kassandra is a London based jeweller who, through a journey of self-discovery, found inspiration to channel the experience, texture, and voice of herself and her community into her craft. For Kassandra, jewellery has become more than creating bold and unapologetic pieces; her story lives in what she creates. In 2020 her lightbulb moment came as she started to express her own voice in her work and using it to support other Black, minority, and first-generation jewellers.
Kassandra will be using the money to work on having a cohesive visual brand, particularly with her photography.
Jessica said:
Kassandra’s application stood out because she is an award-winning jeweller who is looking at ways to get to the next level. She will also be using some of the funds to research her heritage and bring that into her design work which I’m looking forward to seeing.
Website: https://klgjewellery.com/
You can connect with Kassandra by following her on Instagram @klgjewellery
Jewellery copyright Kassandra Gordon
Michelle Lierre
Michelle has been a member of Jewellers Academy for a number of years and has used the courses to help her progress her business.
Michelle is a filigree jewellery artist, and says ‘I love filigree because it spans all languages and cultures worldwide and stretches back to some of the first jewelry ever made in gold and silver. I love feeling a connection to so many cultures and ancient history.’
The technique of filigree jewellery is very niche and Michelle is using the money to help film tutorials so that more can learn it.
Jessica said:
I chose Michelle because she is an active member of the Jewellers Academy community and I love her commitment to sharing her passion and skill with filigree jewellery.
Follow Michelle @lierreworks
Filigree jewellery copyright Michelle Lierre
Anna Sweet
Jeweller Anna Sweet created her business after working in fashion retail and seeing the waste that was associated with fast fashion. She started This Story – a slow-jewellery brand where you can get made-to-order jewels with meaning. Every single piece is handcrafted with love and care from recycled sterling silver, designed to ignite those stories and tales. Anna will use the grant money to pay for a new website.
Jessica said:
I love Anna’s brand on Instagram and I’ve been following it for ages. I think her jewellery and messaging is great with a focus on heirloom pieces not fast fashion. Her achievements, from starting her business from scratch to now, have been fantastic and I feel confident that the grant will help Anna build a website that converts into more sales so that her business will continue to grow.
Website https://thisstoryjewellery.com Instagram @thisstoryjewellery
Jewellery copyright This Story Jewellery