By Candice Zhang

When Kyra Martin applied for the MJSA Vision Awards in May 2020, she never expected to win a prize. However, a few months later, she discovered that her Befitting collection won first place in the ‘Future of the Industry’ category.

“I did not expect [the result] at all,” said Martin. “I definitely did not expect to win this one and it was an amazing feat… I am honoured.”

The MJSA Vision Awards contest first originated from the United States, focusing on jewellery design. The competition aims to discover new and emerging talent within the field and help them obtain various opportunities. Top designers such as Todd Reed, Mark Schneider, Steve Midgett, and Lisa Krikawa are all previous winners of the MJSA Vision Award.

Martin first heard about the competition from GBC graduates and faculty members and submitted a mini-portfolio with three pieces from her thesis collection, pictures, and technical drawings. The pictures and drawings were of her collection, including her winning ring, which was the main focus of the competition.

Kyra Martin won an MJSA award for this gold ring. (Credit Krya Martin)

“The competition was different this year because of COVID-19,” said Martin. “They had to update us virtually and shift our dates.”

Martin’s design was inspired by the diversity of body shapes and curves, outlining the recent ‘body positivity’ movement within fashion, which focuses on deconstructing societal perspectives of the ideal body image.

When designing jewellery, Martin thought that diversity was an important perspective of crafting intricate pieces. She wanted a versatile and minimalistic design that can fit onto different finger and hand. After all, Martin says that jewellery is about comfortably fitting the customer’s fingers and hands, instead of the ‘cookie-cutter’ image.

“The collection [is about] creating pieces that can fit and form to the body,” Martin said. “Traditionally, jewellery was worn to be adorned so I wanted something that can fit.”

She refined the concept after creating multiple mood boards for inspiration. To mimic the shape of ocean waves and fabrics, Martin first used wire to shape the accessory on her hand. Her final thesis emphasized the concept of body shapes.

“The ring is two-fingered and follows the curve of your knuckles,” Martin said. “The design shapes around your ring and pinky fingers.”

Despite academic complications due to COVID-19, Martin continued to remain focused on the Jewellery Arts program at GBC, both before and after the competition.

“We had to do our grad show at home,” Martin said. “But other than that, it was really fun since many assignments forced us to think creatively.”

Since GBC students did not have access to the labs and material required to craft intricate accessories, they had to use their own materials at home to finish their projects. Regardless of the change, Martin said that she still learned a lot about the jewellery-creating process. She even has some tips for first years.

“Don’t give up and don’t be too hard on yourself,” said Martin. “It is very scary at first, but you can do it – since the effort is worth it.”