Nicolle Gavin, a 2017 graduate in Jewellery & Silversmithing from Glasgow School of Art, has won the Weston Beamor prize for the best use of CAD combined with casting and hand-finishing techniques at the recent ‘New Designers’ Exhibition.
This is an annual event at The Business Design Centre in London which showcases the best of the best work from art institutions throughout the country.
Gavin draws inspiration for her jewellery from the aesthetics of crystal structures and patterns of growth as well as a concept she calls ‘Order in Chaos’.
Using CAD, she digitally manipulates a stair-stepped structure to create unusual and multi-dimensional designs which are then 3D printed, cast and finished by hand.
The result is a collection of highly-intricate pieces in silver, gold and precious stones.
Glen Day, Business Development Manager at Weston Beamor, who together with Ed Hole, the company’s Head of CAD and 3D Printing, judged the competition was extremely impressed by Gavin’s work:
“Nicolle’s work demonstrates a thorough grasp of CAD. We were also impressed to discover that she had done her own casting.
Her designs are beautifully finished and commercially viable. From our point of view, she simply ticked all the boxes and is a very worthy winner.”
Nicolle’s prize is a cheque for £250 and a week of work experience at Weston Beamor which she intends to take up a little later this year:
“It is obviously very exciting to have won and I am delighted that my work has been recognised. I think some people believe that CAD and 3D printing are an easy option but this is very far from being the case and Weston Beamor understand just what my work involves, how hard it is and what I have achieved,” Gavin commented.
Looking to the future Nicolle Gavin is keen to establish her own jewellery business and already has some of her designs for sale through the Six-Foot Gallery in Glasgow. She can be contacted at or through www.nicollegavin.com
