Local gem shines bright at National Award

The winning design – entitled ‘The Legend of Longmen: Dragon Gate’ – was selected from thousands of entries to win the top prize in the Peridot Jewellery ‘Year of the Dragon’ category. Sophie, age 36, collected the prestigious award at a ceremony in Goldsmiths’ Hall, London on Monday (5th March) which was attended by 300 guests, including representatives from world-renowned jewellery houses, notable sponsors, industry associations, leading designers, and the UK media. The Awards presentation was live-streamed to international viewers, doubling the immediate audience.

The winning design will be on public display in Birmingham from 19th March as part of the Goldsmiths' Craft and Design Council ongoing Awards Exhibition.

Sophie Cudworth, Founder & Creative Director of Sophie Cudworth Jewellery Design, said: “I am speechless. Winning Gold is something I never expected, especially in a category of such calibre. To me, entering was an opportunity to flex my creative muscle, and allowed me to respond to a brief that challenges me. Not for one minute did I think I would come away with Gold – my first accolade as a standalone designer and in my first year of entering. The whole experience has been exhilarating and challenging in equal measure.”

The GCDC Craftsmanship & Design Awards 2024 recognises the UK’s best in silversmithing, goldsmithing, jewellery and the allied crafts and demonstrates the council’s philosophy to encourage, stimulate and promote the pursuit of excellence. ‘Dragon Gate’ was selected from numerous individual entries by judges. This process of peer inspection and scrutiny endorses work that meets the highest standards and objectives set by the Council, validating the status and quality of these awards. Sophie’s work was praised for its commercially aware design and use of the gemstone, Peridot.

Sophie expands: “When I read this year’s awards criteria, one jumped out at me immediately – Dragons are my all-time favourite mythical creature, and early in my career when I had the pleasure of working in China, I was told about the legend of the dragon gate; when each year Koi Carp battle up river to leap through the gate at the top of the waterfall and only the most tenacious can become a dragon. I also love koi carp, for their dual traits of tenacity and stoicism, (so much so that after this trip, I got a koi carp tattoo!) so this brief sang to my soul.”

‘The Legend of Longmen: Dragon Gate’ by Sophie Cudworth features Apple Green Peridot, akin to those mined from the Chinese Mountains by the category’s sponsor, Fuli Gemstones. The design is hand illustrated in the signature style of Sophie Cudworth Jewellery Design, known as ‘gouache rendering’. This traditional working design was formerly used to guide workshops and is receiving revived interest in response to the increasing presence of AI and CAD.

‘The Legend of Longmen: Dragon Gate’ by Sophie Cudworth is on public display at the Birmingham Assay Office from 19th March as part of the Goldsmiths' Craft and Design Council Awards Exhibition.Details for bespoke commissions by Sophie Cudworth Jewellery Design can be found at www.sophiecudworth.co.uk.