Kildare mother wins Newbridge Silverware design comp

Robertstown woman Caoimhe McGuckin has been chosen as the winner of the Newbridge Silverware National College of Art and Design Designer of the Year competition.

The competition, in it's 12th year, allows students in NCAD to design their own piece of jewellery and have their designs showcased to a targeted and design conscious audience.

Caoimhe drew her inspiration for the jewellery from her daughter’s collection of pebbles from their holidays in Kerry and worked off drawings made from teardrop shaped flower petals and leaves.

Model, Kerri Nicole Blanc wears jewellery designed by National College of Art and Design student, Caoimhe McGuckin.

Mother to two girls, Naoise (18) and Siadhbh (12), Caoimhe returned to college as a mature student three years ago.

One of the Newbridge Silverware judges, Richard Murphy said, “Caoimhe’s drive to follow her dreams of creating a career in design is evident in the pieces she has produced. We were blown away by the standard of all the entrants, but Caoimhe’s stood out as the best to us.”

The three judges for the competition were NCAD lecturer Michael Cunningham, Nora Ulrich who is a jewellery designer at Newbridge Silverware and a former student at NCAD, and Lorcan Harney who judged the manufacturing process.

William Doyle, CEO of Newbridge Silverware, said; “It was a very competitive field this year, even more so than previous years when we have ran this competition. The standard and quality of the designs submitted was fantastic and these students have a bright future in fashion design.”