Forest of Dean jeweller wins award
Two jewellery businesses with an emphasis on creating bespoke commissions are the joint winners of the HALO Award 2023.
Chair of the British Hallmarking Council Noel Hunter presented the Hallmarking Awareness and Learning Online (HALO) Award to Forest of Dean-based Anna Mcloughlin of Anna Mcloughlin Fine Jewellery and Harriet Kelsall, founder of Harriet Kelsall Bespoke Jewellery company in Hertfordshire at the Benevolent Society Ball at the Grand Hotel, Birmingham.
The HALO Award is supported by the British Hallmarking Council and the National Association of Jewellers (NAJ). Its objective is to encourage and reward promotion of the importance of the hallmark to all consumers browsing and buying fine jewellery or silverware online.
Chair of the HALO judges Rachael Taylor said: "It was a difficult job to select winners, as the top five entries were all of an incredible standard, so we settled on a joint winner for the first time.
"Anna Mcloughlin Fine Jewellery stood out to us for its creative approach to promotion on social media, as well as the innovative idea of creating a certificate of provenance for each purchase that includes details on hallmarking.
"Harriet Kelsall Bespoke Jewellery is a wonderful ambassador for the behind-the-scenes skills of our trade, and demonstrated exceptional communication with its clients around hallmarking.
"It is wonderful to see two very different jewellery businesses win the award. It goes to show that there are no boundaries to doing a brilliant job of promoting hallmarking to the public, and I hope that businesses big and small take inspiration from this year’s competition."
Both joint winners consider hallmarking to be a vital element of trust, particularly when creating bespoke commissions.
Anna Mcloughlin said: "I’m absolutely thrilled to have won the HALO award! As a sole trader (single person) business, receiving this kind of recognition for my hard work is so invaluable, and, I hope, inspiring to others like me.
"Hallmarking is really important as it gives proof and an additional guarantee that a piece of jewellery is genuinely made from the precious metal it is described as.
"In the case of commissioned work, where most pieces are made from my clients’ old and often highly sentimental jewellery, the application of a new hallmark with my own maker’s mark, date stamp and fineness mark adds not only a little prestige to the piece, but also gives my client peace of mind as their special jewellery continues life in its new form."
Anna is a designer/goldsmith who creates one off “mini wearable sculptures” from precious metals and stones.
Born in Birmingham, Anna graduated from the prestigious Birmingham School of Jewellery in 2000 but it was when she moved out of the city into the countryside that she began being influenced by her surroundings.
Aged 16, she discovered at a careers fair that she could study for a degree in Jewellery and Silversmithing, and decided there and then on her future path.
On completion of her degree, she studied for a Post Graduate Certificate in Education and taught Art and Design & Technology full time for several years before finally making the decision to set up as a designer/maker in 2006.Her business has evolved over the last few years, and following a couple of breaks to have children, she is now an established gold and silversmith, and am able to specialise in designing and making unique one-off pieces, mostly engagement and wedding rings.
She selects either recycled or fair trade/fair-mined precious metals (silver, gold, platinum and palladium) where-ever these are available. Her diamonds and other gemstones are either lab grown, ethically sourced, or (her favourite type) recycled from old jewellery. Everything she makes is done using traditional hand tools and techniques.
