The Wiwen Nilsson Estate supports the Jewellery Department at CSM, one of the leading schools for art, fashion, design and jewellery. We are delighted to share a statement from CSM about the collaboration, in the context of a donation made of traditional tools to their jewellery workshops.
Bachelor of Arts, Jewellery Design at Central Saint Martins
Recognised as a world-leader in its field, BA (Hons) Jewellery Design at Central Saint Martins (CSM) is for students who want to define the future of contemporary jewellery.
We firmly believe in finding a delicate balance between work that is creatively, intellectually, conceptually and socially challenging - and beautifully crafted pieces that show a high level of technical precision.
We want our students to interrogate what the future of jewellery making can be, whilst honouring traditional techniques and processes. Our commitment to a well-resourced workshop is vital, so we can induct our students into the varied and intricate processes involved in making jewellery.
In 2020 the jewellery workshop at CSM benefited from a generous gift from the Wiwen Nilsson Estate which provided a range of new equipment. This equipment enables us to continue teaching traditional methods to the highest degree, safeguard traditional making skills, and enables all our students to explore the past to spark innovation.
The generous gift provided:
- A new Myford lathe for turning material, tool making and drilling a vast range of materials. A long-standing mechanical staple of silversmithing workshops is a quality lathe to enable spinning and turning of metal, and other softer materials, with great accuracy. For the production of tableware and smaller jewellery sized components.
- A set of new polishing machines to create the correct finish for student pieces. Polishing and mechanical surface finishing in jewellery and metalwork is a trade in its own right that takes many years to master. We put great emphasis on the finish of any item. The gift enabled us to purchase new, more robust units that are used on a daily basis.
- A set of lapidary equipment to enhance the workshop's ability to teach stone carving - an area of significant growth in contemporary jewellery making that is rooted in traditional craftsmanship. The gift enabled us to purchase a saw, a grinding wheel set, a lap wheel, a spindle grinder, a diamond grinder, diamond tools and a micro motor.
- A range of silversmithing stakes and tools.
We are so lucky to have the support of the Wiwen Nilsson Estate, who have been so generous in their donations to us! And what makes the donation even more special is the synergy we feel with the ethos of our course, and the work that Wiwen Nilsson created himself - that fusion of contemporary and innovative work, with traditional materials and techniques.
The impact of this gift is enormous, with so many students and staff being able to use this range of equipment to make work whilst at CSM. The equipment is used by the full range of students on the course, and we have around 140 students studying with us at one time. That's a lot of dedicated and enthusiastic budding jewellers!
It's been such a pleasure getting to know more about Wiwen Nilsson and his work, and we look forward to seeing many more emerging talented students using this equipment in Wiwen Nilsson's honour, to create the jewellery of the future.
Sally Collins, Course Leader, BA Jewellery Design, Central Saint Martins
From the students:
The stone cutting machine unlocked an essential skill set for me during my studies at CSM, enabling me to work with a variety of stones and develop lapidary techniques that I otherwise would not have had the opportunity to access. It became an integral tool for my practice and allowed me to realise a variety of designs that ultimately shaped my graduate collection. The opportunity to work with this machine has been instrumental in developing my skills and techniques as a jewellery designer.
Olivia Nash, Graduating student of BA Jewellery Design, 2024
The stone cutting machine allowed me to explore a new avenue in jewellery that I'd never previously considered, but has ended up one of the key aspects of my practice. The forms I achieved in my final collection would not have been possible without this machine, and I was able to explore the potential of ulexite for jewellery as well.
Dermot Fowler, Graduating student of BA Jewellery Design, 2024 Winner of the 'BRANDNEW by Goldrush- Graduate Incubator Award', 2024 Recipient of the Swarovski Scholarship, 2024
