Apprentice jewellers and regional finalists of the WorldSkills Australia competition, Nicolai Thaarup Proesser and Tyrus Shay, will display their talents to visitors at the International Jewellery Fair (IJF), running from Saturday 27 August to Monday 29 August.
Thaarup Proesser and Shay will also be on hand to talk about how they started in the industry and their experiences in the contest as they undertake a mock trial to manufacture an intricate piece in 18-carat gold.
It will be the first time WorldSkills live demonstrations have been held at the Sydney fair, having been introduced following a successful demonstration at the Australian Jewellery Fair in Melbourne in February this year.
In addition to the WorldSkills demonstrations, the Jewellery Design and Manufacturing Championships (JDMC) will return for a second instalment after its appearance at last year’s show.
Jewellers will put their skills to the test in front of a live audience as they compete for cash and prizes valued at thousands of dollars.
The contest is run by the Young Jewellers Group and sees entrants complete a number of manufacturing techniques within a set timeframe.
The competition has three categories: jewellery apprentice, jeweller and engraver.
Gary Fitz-Roy, managing director of fair organiser Expertise Events, said there were a number of reasons for scheduling live demonstrations.
“It’s important we don’t lose sight that jewellery is still a craftsman product and it’s not all mass-produced,” he explained, adding, “I think there is a respect and aspect of intrigue [about the demonstrations] as not all retailers have repair or design and manufacture within their stores.”
Suppliers are getting in on the act as well. CAD/CAM and casting house Chemgold, for example, will have a CAD designer giving live demonstrations at its stand. Visitors can also try the business’ newly-launched website, which offers a live pricing calculator.
Fair goers can call into Retail Edge Consultant’s stand for a hands-on trial of the supplier’s new tablet POS system too.
Jewellery Design Awards
With both the WorldSkills and JDMC highlighting young people in the trade, a recent announcement involving Pandora Australia is set to bring even more attention to the industry’s next generation of jewellers.
Expertise Events has revealed that Pandora will sponsor the two apprentice categories of its inaugural Jewellery Design Awards to be held in conjunction with next year’s IJF.
Pandora Australia and New Zealand president Brien Winther said the decision to sponsor the 1st and 2nd year apprentice/student category as well as the 3rd and 4th year apprentice/student category reflected the company’s support of the local trade’s future.
“We’re passionate about investing in the future of our industry and providing educational experiences to up and coming jewellery designers,” Winther commented.
“We are choosing to support the Jewellery Design Awards as we feel strongly about its key objective and recognise that these awards will benefit the entire industry.”
As previously reported by Jeweller, the 2017 design competition, which is sponsored by Armaguard, Etihad Airways and Australian Women’s Weekly, already boasts a prize valued at more than $50,000 for the overall winner. The competition was designed to recognise the “entire industry”.
Applications are now open, with the remaining categories including opal, bridal, CAD/CAM, coloured gemstone, diamond, visitors’ choice, men’s accessories and jewellery, pearl and precious metal.
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