Graduate Annie Cracknell recently received a prestigious national award for innovative design 2008 for work she produced as part of her BA(Hons) course.

The £400 prize, awarded by Marcia Lanyon Ltd, is given annually to a student demonstrating a high level of innovation in the design of jewellery incorporating gemstones. Annie received the prize this year at the School of Jewellery’s annual awards ceremony where she also picked up the Hean Studio Prize for ‘best use of gemstones’.

Annie entered the innovative design 2008 competition whilst working on her final year collection. Her work features hand cut quartz and other stones which she carves by hand. She also experiments with unusual settings involving movement and tension.

The large and unusual stones she uses can be very expensive to buy. For her final year collection, she was sponsored by jewellery company C.W. Sellors, who provided her with rutilated quartzes for the final pieces.

“It is so difficult starting out after graduating as the materials for jewellery making can be so expensive. The prize has provided me with the means to buy new stones and materials for my new collections”

Twenty-two year old Annie graduated this year from the school of jewellery and has since been selected to receive one of two graduate placements in Alloy group of jewellers, based in Hereford where she now lives. Her new collections can currently be seen in ‘Flux’, a Brilliantly Birmingham exhibition hosted by the School of Jewellery.

Annie can be contacted at www.alloyjewellers.org.uk or at anniecracknell@gmail.com