CHELSEA ROCKS: Laboratory Grown Diamonds launches #ROCKTHEPIN student jewellery design competition
03 Nov 2022
Throughout history and most notably in the 1980s, badges and pins were instrumental to youth protest, the punk movement and social rebellion. CHELSEA ROCKS invites students from the aforementioned disciplines to reimagine the lapel pin as a symbol of their generational esprit, be it social activism or a call for beauty in an increasingly turbulent world
The pin should celebrate the zeitgeist which focuses on sustainability, affordability, new materials, styles and creative expression. This will be promoted and presented by participants and entries will be evaluated on design, creativity and styling.
Joanna Park-Tonks, founder of CHELSEA ROCKS explains,
“Much has been made of laboratory grown diamonds both in the media and research being a “Gen Z” and “millennial” topic. My vision is to engage directly with this demographic by providing a direct design platform for student expression, creativity and for our part, deep listening to the voice of a generation. Laboratory grown diamonds (LGDs) have come of an age when sustainability and climate change are at the top of everyone’s mind and every company has an imperative to respond to these issues. While LGDs carry a number of so-called “eco positives”, it will be interesting to see how this demographic responds to the ascendancy of this segment and whether these sentiments will be reflected in their designs.
“The sky is the limit as regards to the design – as long as the badges, “diamond pins”, do not refer to any political symbol and contain at least 60% diamond content. The inclusion of other materials, e.g., hard enamel is encouraged, though no imitation gemstones are permitted. We recognise that younger generations delight in mixing traditionally “high” and “low” materials and encourage maximum artistic freedom. Moreover, we wanted to make this competition open to jewellery, fashion and design students, irrespective of geographic location, as we also foresee that there will be interestingcultural interpretations of this design brief from different parts of the world. This cross-pollination of ideas will only enrich a fertile design output.”
Since the advent of gem-quality laboratory grown diamonds, Joanna has embraced this innovation with the creation of CHELSEA ROCKS – Laboratory Grown Diamonds. Her aspiration for the #RockThePin competition is to provide a platform for new generation designers using lab growns and to “grow” the next crop of young diamond stars…
Hannah Buisman, Head of Special Projects comments,
“Diamonds have been symbolic of love and unity for centuries, and this competition aspires to unite mediums, ideas and inspirations from across the world. #ROCKTHEPIN is set to be a fascinating nod to the universal talent of young people, as well as a unique insight into what is important to the next generation of leaders and global citizens”
The competition has already received entries from some the UK’s leading arts universities for the creative industries including Central Saint Martins, University of Arts London (UAL) and the University of Durham.
The #ROCKTHEPIN competition is a proud association with the LAB GROWN COLLECTIVE - a community for the professional advancement of young professionals in the lab grown diamond industry.
Learn more about #ROCKTHEPIN DESIGN COMPETITION
Source: CHELSEA ROCKS