Charities to benefit from students’ jewellery designs
Howard Lake | 10 July 2013 | News
East London second year jewellery and silversmithing undergraduates have designed and produced jewellery that will be used to raise funds for charities.
After six months' work, the efforts of the students at The Cass (London Metropolitan University) in Whitechapel was presented to a judging panel that included Shaun Leane, founder of jewellery masters The House of Shaun Leane and acclaimed for his work with Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen.
The winning designs will be produced and sold exclusively through the M.A.D. online store, which donates 100% of the profit of every jewellery purchase after wholesale to the shopper’s charity of choice. Any charity can register for the scheme free of charge.
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The judging panel also consisted of Simon Rainer, Chief Executive of the British Jeweller’s Association, Spencer Cohen, Founder and Director of M.A.D., Nina Gopal, Head of Fundraising at Ovarian Cancer Action, Helen Pope, Marketing Director of luxury jewellery brand J-Jaz, and Marianne Forrest, Course Director at The Cass.
Winning design
The winning design was the handiwork of Caroline Jackson, whose project “We all need a little help to grow” impressed the judges with its "combination of high quality silversmithing, widespread aesthetic appeal, heartwarming concept and potential to generate sustainable income".
The design features a silver pendant in the form of an opening flower pod, into which individual gemstone “seeds” can be hung. The wearer can collect a range of “seeds” featuring different coloured gemstones that reflect different flowers.
The judges were impressed with Jackson’s comprehensive approach to the project, which included her design of the packaging in the style of a flowerpot, her economy of scale costings, and the element of sustainable revenue for charities through the initial one-off purchase and follow-up collection of additional gems.
Shaun Leane congratulated the students for their "real maturity in not just their designs but [also] their execution and commercial planning".
He commented: "I think the idea of being able to buy jewellery online to support any charity you choose is a great concept – it reflects the very personal and emotional nature of jewellery and offers a really fresh, commercial perspective for the charity merchandising market.”
chooseMAD
Spencer Cohen, founder and Director of M.A.D., explained that he called the website chooseMAD because it was all about choice. "A consumer can choose to go to the high street, or they can choose to come to M.A.D. where they will find just as fabulous a range of high quality jewellery – often at more competitive prices. They can choose any charity to benefit, making their buying decisions very personal.
"Plus, because of our superior wholesale relationships, we guarantee that for every single purchase made at M.A.D. 100% of the net profit goes directly to the shopper’s chosen charity."
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.