Having recently celebrated his 10th anniversary as a jewellery designer Fei Liu has another momentous occasion to celebrate. Liu is the first designer based in Birmingham to win a UK Jewellery Award.
The UKJA are the Oscars of the jewellery industry and on Wednesday evening the award ceremony was hosted at the exclusive London Hilton, where prestigious members of the jewellery industry gathered to celebrate creativity. Well known for his extravagant, gem-centric designs, a delighted Liu was presented with the Jewellery Design of the Year award. An award which acknowledges design, craftsmanship and style. His bespoke business also goes from strength to strength, offering a specialised service to a select clientele.
His commercial yet on-brand silver collections wowed the judges, especially the newly launched Snowdrop and Lily of the Valley collections. One judge commented, “Fei has a passion for jewellery design that shines through in his persona and his collections. He’s also shown the commercial nous required to excel in a crowded market.” The crowd erupted with cheers when television presenter Gethin Jones announced Liu as Designer of the Year. A thrilled Liu said, “I am so honoured to be presented this award this year, this is huge encouragement to me and I will continue work hard to present the work the best I can. I also would like to say a big thanks to all the judges, and Retail Jeweller for giving me this opportunity to show my passion for jewellery and understanding me as a designer! As this is a such prestigious award, which has taken me quite some time to achieve, so I would like to share my award and joy with all other 9 nominated designers, I know they are all extremely talented and work very hard. I am so proud of our industry and the best thing is to be able to work in a big family and support to each other to achieve success!”
This is not the first time Liu has won awards for his unique design aesthetic; throughout Liu’s jewellery academic and career he has gained recognition for his work. During his academic life in Europe’s top five jewellery schools, School of Jewellery, Liu was the first Chinese designer to win a Goldsmith award, as well as representing the school at Basal, where Liu was listed as a Top Ten Designer. More recently in Las Vegas Liu’s bespoke creations captured the eyes of the US audience at the JCK Luxury show, stealing the show with award-winning IJL Editor’s Choice Award ‘Green Tourmaline Necklace’ and the ‘Unicorn Neckpiece’.
