To celebrate the Jubilee the British Jewellersâ Association has launched a prestigious competition to create a commemorative diamond brooch for The Queen. A brief has been devised by members of the BJA National Committee âThe Graceful Modernisation of the Monarchy,â inviting BJA members to send in their designs.
Designers are encouraged to be inspired by The Queenâs sixty year reign, through many formative and historically significant eras, and to bring a contemporary interpretation to a fine-jewellery brooch design that represents the elegance, grace, and empathy with which The Queen has guided the nation and indeed the Commonwealth over that time.
In commemoration of the Diamond Jubilee and as part of the 125
th anniversary celebrations of the BJA, pledges and donations have been and continue to be received from our generous members and we have an excellent âpotâ of materials from which the winning brooch can be manufactured. In addition to a selection of natural coloured diamonds we have been pledged, a red, yellow, green and lilac natural coloured diamond, the colours of four national flowers of the UK, which designers may consider using in their own representative fashion.
 âThe idea is that the manufacture, mounting, setting and polishing is all undertaken by BJA member firms that are willing to put their skills to use and give their time to fashion this unique item,â said Lindsey Straughton, BJA Marketing Manager. âThe brooch is to be made primarily in platinum and Lonmin have generously pledged up to 60grammes. Other mines across the British Isles are giving some small quantity of rare English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish gold which may also be incorporated in to the designâ.
The brooch will be gifted to the Queen after being displayed at a BJA event at the House of Commons in November. The deadline for design entries is July 27th 2012 and shortlisted designs will be shown and voted on via the website and at the BJA stand during International Jewellery London in September. The winner will be announced at the show on the last day at lunchtime.
BJA Members are encouraged to download an entry form at
www.bja.org.uk/jubileebrooch
The Design Brief
Theme: The Graceful Modernisation of the Monarchy
Designers are encouraged to be inspired by the Queenâs sixty year reign, through many formative and historically significant eras, and to bring a contemporary interpretation to a fine-jewellery brooch design that represents the elegance, grace, and empathy with which Her Royal Highness has guided the nation and indeed the Commonwealth over that time.
In commemoration of the Diamond Jubilee and as part of the 125
th anniversary celebrations of the BJA, pledges and donations have been received from our generous members and we have an excellent âpotâ of materials from which the winning brooch can be manufactured.
The brooch is to be made primarily in platinum (total weight available 60g) and to incorporate a small quantity of rare English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish gold.Â
Designers are requested to include reasonable use of diamonds. As we go to press pledges to date include a good selection of smalls through to 0.50ct in both round brilliant cut and fancy cuts.
In addition to a selection of natural coloured diamonds we have been pledged, a red, yellow, green and lilac natural coloured diamond, the colours of four national flowers of the UK, which designers may consider using in their own representative fashion.
Submission Instructions:
The deadline for receipt of entries is
27th July 2012.
Send entries postmarked by
26th July 2012 to:
Lindsey Straughton, The British Jewellersâ Association, Federation House, 10 Vyse Street, Birmingham, B18 6LT
Entries should be mounted, fully-rendered technical sketches, paint-ups, or cad renderings of the finished brooch, to scale with materials and dimensions clearly listed.
The Timeline
The entries will be assigned a submission number and short-listed by a judging panel before 3
rd August.
Final voting on the shortlisted designs (revealing the designers) will open online on the BJA website on 3
rd August.
Additionally trade visitors are invited to view the final designs and vote on the BJA stand at International Jewellery London, 2-5
September 2012. Â
The winner will be announced on the 5
th September 2012 at 1.40pm at the show.
The brooch will be displayed at a reception at the House of Commons in 29
th November 2012.
It is proposed that the Brooch will be presented to Christopher Sandamas, Chief Clerk to The Queen, over tea at Buckingham Palace later this year.
Donated Materials
The materials for the brooch will be sourced through and donated by BJA member suppliers, and the designer will not need to provide these. However, it is presumed that the winning designer will be flexible to incorporate materials and stones only from the pledged donations.
Manufacture
The winning designer should be available to work with selected BJA-member manufacturers between
6th September and 30th October 2012, for production of the brooch.
(Any BJA supplier/manufacturer members who wish to be considered as potential materials suppliers or manufacturers for this project should contact Lindsey Straughton, BJA Marketing Manager or download an expression of interest form from www.bja.org.uk/jubileebrooch)
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Judging
A panel including Lindsey Straughton, BJA National Committee members alongside selected industry experts will initially judge the numbered entries.
Subsequently the shortlisted designs will be voted on via the BJA website and on the BJA stand at IJL 2
nd - 5
th September 2012.
The winner will be announced at International Jewellery London at a 1.40pm presentation.
Rules and Conditions for Entry:
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1. Â All entrants must be BJA members
2. Â The judgesâ decision is final
3. Â The organizers reserve the right to decline an entry without stating a reason
4. Â The organizers cannot be held responsible for the late arrival of articles, articles lost in transit or broken on arrival.
5. Â All finalists must be prepared to lend their drawings and production notes of the brooch for photography and exhibition.
6. Â The finalist or representative must be prepared to attend a reception at The House of Commons on the 29
th November 2012.
7. Â This project must not be used for commercial gain by any participant or entrant. Please be aware that while the Queen has graciously agreed to accept the brooch as a gift from the BJA in commemoration and celebration of The Diamond Jubilee, it is advised that the brooch design, manufacture and subsequent possible wearing of the piece cannot be used for marketing or commercial gain by any of the parties involved.
Consequently:
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a)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Winning entrant will be required to jointly assign all intellectual property rights to the BJA.
    Copyright will exist in the design drawings and the product itself as a work of art and whilst this will initially be owned by the designer, the designer will be required to assign in writing a 50% share of all his/her copyright relating to the design to the BJA to give joint ownership of the copyright by the designer and the BJA. This will mean that any reproduction of the, for example the design drawings or the product by the designer, the BJA or any other third party would require permission of both joint copyright owners; otherwise it would be seen as an infringement of copyright.
One or more registered design applications will be filed for the design and will be filed in joint names of the designer and the BJA. The costs for this process will be borne by the BJA. This will mean that any reproduction of the design, or creation of a design sufficiently similar so as to be seen as an infringement of any registered design, by the designer, the BJA or any other third party would require permission of both joint owners; otherwise it would be seen as an infringement of the registered design
b)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â All short listed entrants will be asked to sign a disclaimer that should they win the design competition or not, that they will not use their design, or any variation of that design, for commercial gain or to state (for example) âas designed for the BJA Queenâs Diamond Jubilee Design Competitionâ or similar.
c)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â All marketing for the winning design and designer will be strictly controlled by the BJA and all entrants, sub contractors and suppliers of materials will seek prior approval from the BJA before engaging in any promotional activity.
d)Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â All entrants will be required to sign the disclaimer and therefore confirm in writing that they have read and will abide by the âRules and Conditions for Entryâ