The 25 year-old Penrith jeweller won the buying group’s bi-annual award – which featured entrants from 330 stores across Australia and New Zealand. Ely’s recent prize win follows his Showcase Jewellers Award win in 2007, and a runners-up position in 2009.
“It’s really amazing that Showcase recognise young jewellers, and after entering designs for six years, it’s finally relieving to win,” Ely said.
Ely’s award-winning design is a dress-ring called the ‘Rose Bijou’. He spent approximately 60 hours manufacturing the piece, with its marquis-shaped rubellite tourmaline originating from Mozambique.
The young jeweller hopes to build on this victory by entering another piece into the Jewellery Association of Australia (JAA) Jewellery Awards in 2012.
“I am setting my sights higher next year by entering into the JAA Awards and I have been invited to enter a new design into the Harpers Bazaar Guild Awards for 2013,” Ely said.
Ely works as a designer at the family owned Penrith-based retailer, York Jewellers, and his father, Rob Ely has been in the industry since 1974. Matthew’s younger brother is also planning to enter the fold.
“I’m so proud of Matthew and everything he has achieved, it was a spectacular addition to a great night,” said Ely Snr. “After all the hard work he has put in to this, he deserves it.”
For his part, Ely remains enthusiastic about working for his father.
“I love it!” he enthused. “Ever since my high school years I knew I wanted to be a jeweller. It’s great being in the family business, watching it grow and expand.”
The award-winning jeweller is a graduate of the three-year course at NSW-based Design Centre Enmore. While Ely has clearly embarked upon a successful career, he told Jeweller that the lack of support and guidance from within the industry made his apprenticeship particularly tough.
Ely added that he has been interested in joining the Young Jewellers Group (YJG), which he believes is a great opportunity to network with other jewellers and address the concerns of up-and-comers.
“It will be great to bounce ideas off others in the industry and hopefully discuss pressing issues,” said Ely. “It’s great that the YJG will be discussing guidance for apprentice jewellers, hopefully it’s a step in the right direction for the jewellery industry’s future.”
Committed to creating jewellery primarily for the family business, Ely will also be concentrating on a new piece for next year’s JAA Jewellery Design Award. With the amount of work awaiting Ely at York Jewellers, however, it’ll be a challenge to find the time: “We currently have over 30 orders to be made for customers, so it’s going to take a lot of hours to design a new piece.”
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