BJA calls for entries to its Charity Charm competition

As part of IJLs late night shopping event on August 31, there will be a charity auction where visitors to IJL have the opportunity to bid for a unique piece of jewellery for themselves

BJA Chairman Gary Wroe of Birmingham manufacturer Hockley Mint will cast the bracelet for Breast Cancer Care fashioned by BJA National Committee member Sarah Jordan. Jordan and five other high profile designers - Shaun Leane, Tomasz Donocik, Andrew Goeghegan, Linda MacDonald, and Alexander Davis - have each pledged to design and make an original charm to be attached to it.

All of those taking part are extremely well-known and have won national and international awards for their designs, including for Geoghegan and Macdonald the title of BJA Designer of the Year and Donocik, Jordan and Davis the UK Jewellery Awards

The Association is now staging a competition to pick two further charms to attach to the bracelet and an entry form is now available online at The closing date for entries will be June 27 and the winners will be announced in early July.

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GOLD JEWELLERY DEMAND HIGHEST SINCE 2005

Gold jewellery has made a strong start in 2014, with global demand in the first quarter reaching its highest volume in a decade.

Although the World Gold Council’s Gold Demand Trends: First quarter 2014 report described the three per cent increase in gold jewellery demand to 570.7 tonnes as “modest growth”, it also stated that this was the largest recorded first quarter volume since 2005.

This boost in demand was primarily attributed to lower gold prices; the average price in United States dollars was 21 per cent lower than in the previous year.

The drop in gold price was echoed in other markets with European and Chinese consumers said to have particularly benefited from a similar lower-price environment. The strengthening economic situation was also noted as a contributing factor.

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