2024 is the year of the dragon according to Chinese zodiac. Well… I have got news for you! Can you feel the biggest grin on my face as I am writing those words? I am sooo excited to share this massive announcement with you! Essemgé has won an award in the prestigious 2024 Goldsmiths’ Craft & Design Council (GCDC) Competition, aka the UK’s Jewellery Oscars! And if you remember, this is the second time in three years! You can read more about the 2022 competition here.
Breaking news!
I wasn’t home when the letter arrived with the results but my husband was. He called me as he had an inkling that it could be it. He asked me whether I wanted him to open the letter for me whilst on the phone and tell me. Of course!! I couldn’t wait! 
I was meeting a friend whom I hadn’t seen for a very long time and I can’t tell you the tension as we were waiting to know what was inside that letter. We were literally holding our breath. And boy, did we bring the house – or the café rather – down with our screams of joy, jumping and hugging each other with huge smiles on our faces. To the point that we then had to apologise to the people sitting around us who were trying to enjoy a quiet coffee and looked at us in bewilderment.
2024 year of the dragon kicked in early for Essemgé
As you have probably gathered by now, you know that I don’t like to shout out about everything that I do by respect for your time. So it will not come as a surprise that I have kept this under wrap yet again. Early January I submitted not 1 but 2 entries in the annual competition this time. Yes, 2024, year of the dragon, had kicked in early! 😉
Actually, the competition has become a ritual in my practice. Each year I put some time aside from running the day-to-day activities of Essemgé and dedicate that time to work on the GCDC competition.
Want to know a little bit more about this and my journey? Read on…
What are the Goldsmiths’ Craft & Design Council (GCDC) Awards?
The GCDC Awards are regarded as the most prestigious UK annual competition, embracing every aspect of craft and design activity in British jewellery, goldsmithing, silversmithing and allied trades.
The competition has 33 categories, split between 2D – or drawings -, and 3D – or finished pieces, and 14 special awards categories. This year there were c. 900 individual entries, which gives you an idea of the importance of this event.
Each category has its own brief set by a patron / sponsor in partnership with the Council. The submissions are anonymous and judged by skilled and experienced practitioners across the industry to the highest standards, thus validating the status and quality of these awards.
Why did I do it?
It is a question I am being asked a lot. And no, the answer is not the money! 😉 Most of the categories don’t have a monetary prize anyways. So why then?
For you! You, lovely people and valued customers, who have supported me on my journey so far. You have inspired me to enter the competition once again. It is a challenge both personal and professional that helps me grow. I stretch myself, put my practice under peer inspection and scrutiny, learn new things, open my mind to new horizons and possibilities, network and ultimately create more designs that you love and want.
I am a Fire Dragon according to the Chinese Zodiac. Imagine my friends what that means particularly this year, 2024 being the year of the dragon! It means that I put the same enthusiasm, creativity and determination into the GCDC competition as I put in everything that I do. Essentially I couldn’t not enter.
Hear me out. If you have always worked for someone else this might not have crossed your mind before. The reality is that it is easy when you work for yourself to become somewhat complacent. It is a slow, insidious, unconscious process, one that you don’t actively aim for obviously nor that you would notice until much later. Drifting towards what is easier, less challenging, is very human after all. The comfort of the routine is healing and reassuring up to a point. You need to grow. Self discipline is of course key but you have to have that external objective check. It provides you with a benchmark, a gauge against which you can set you new objectives.
Ultimately such industry accolade and recognition mean that you, my friends, have the assurance that I work to the highest possible standards, both in my creations and in my processes. Whether you fall in love with one of my ready-to-wear pieces, have a project that you would like to commission or an heirloom that needs repairing, you know that you can trust and rely on me every time.
“So, tell me!” I hear you say
The results are announced at the official ceremony on 4th March. Want to find out whether Essemgé got Bronze, Silver or Gold? Then keep an eye out for the report of the evening on Instagram (@essemgejewellery) and in the next newsletter.
2024 is the year of the dragon according to Chinese zodiac. It is said to bring evolution, improvement, and abundance; it is considered as the perfect time for rejuvenated beginnings and setting the foundation for long-term success. Well, it has certainly showing great promise for Essemgé so far. And regardless of what award it is on the 4th March it is a collective win for #EssemgeXMe Insiders. Long may it continue!
Remember to join the #EssemgeXMe club and receive early access to all the new content. The sign up link is here.
