Hatpins from Plymouth on show at Jubilee jewellery exhibition

Maria Whetman, a Jewellery & Silversmithing tutor at Plymouth College of Art, has been selected to exhibit at the prestigious Association for Contemporary Jewellers Diamond Jubilee Exhibition.

The exhibition is currently on the first leg of its tri-nation tour at Birmingham School of Jewellery until 30 March. The event showcases jewellery that has been specially designed and made using non-traditional as well as traditional materials on the theme of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Maria, who teaches on the BA (Hons) Jewellery & Silversmithing programme at the College, has designed a trio of eye-catching hatpins (pictured above).

Describing the inspiration behind her unique design, Maria said: "Seeing the Royal Charter on a famous and long established brand of Gin & Tonic and knowing the Queen’s preference for wearing hats at formal occasions, I imagined she might partake in the festivities arranged in her honour with a celebratory tipple including the traditional ‘ice and a slice’. This led me to design this trio of hatpins using traditional materials and techniques combined with non traditional materials and irreverent humour."

Maria is one of 32 jewellery designer/makers who were selected to exhibit by a distinguished judging panel chaired by Professor Jack Cunningham, which included Corinne Julius, Jacqueline Gestetner, Joanna Hardy, Kath Libbert and Karen Dell’Armi.

The jewellery being showcased represents a wide variety of individual interpretations in precious and non-precious materials. Crushed gemstones, sweets and jellies, ribbon, graphite powder, flocked and sublimated materials, rub shoulders with diamonds, silver and 18ct gold, in a glorious celebration of Queen Elizabeth II’s sixty years reign.

The exhibition opens at the School of Jewellery, Birmingham City University from 12 to 30 March. It continues to Llantrisant Gallery, South Wales from 1 to 31 May; Goldsmiths’ Centre, Clerkenwell, London, 11 to 16 June; SH Gallery, Edinburgh, 2 to 28 July; and North Glasgow College, 27 to 31 August. For further information visit www.acj.org.uk

For more information visit http://www.plymouthart.ac.uk/