London-based contemporary jewellery artist Seongmin Kim has been named the inaugural winner of the Cox & Power Bursary, a groundbreaking new initiative with the Goldsmiths’ Craft and Design Council supporting emerging makers. She will be jeweller-in-residence at the Cox & Power Chiltern Street atelier from 11th May to 13th June 2026.
Seongmin’s work transforms pearl and mother-of-pearl through meticulous hand-carving that embraces natural imperfections rather than erasing them. Her core collection, Motherly Love, explores the intimate bond between mother and child: pieces that speak to protection, resilience, and the quiet emergence of independence.
A Central Saint Martins’ graduate, Seongmin recently received two Gold Awards from the Goldsmiths’ Craft and Design Council (GCDC). Her work has been exhibited at Dover Street Market London, the Goldsmiths’ Centre, and the Florence Biennale.
This new and groundbreaking award in partnership with the Goldsmiths’ Craft & Design Council is for a designer-maker whose work is purpose-driven in some way, whether through messaging in the work itself, a particular craft skill or through a journey in responsible practice. The bursary encompasses business mentorship and a residency and exhibition at the Cox & Power workshop and gallery, designed to bring the maker’s work a new audience and offer a unique experience and insight into different facets of the jewellery world.
Seongmin re-imagines traditional materials through a contemporary lens, creating symbolic, tactile pieces with quiet endurance. Cradle of Pearls is a body of new work created especially for this exhibition, each piece meticulously transformed from natural pearls and mother-of-pearl into wearable art, carrying emotional depth and expressing refined craftsmanship.
Visit us at the Cox & Power Chiltern Street atelier to meet this rising talent in contemporary craft and experience the magic of her hand-carving process first hand.
Dates: 11th May – 13th June 2026
Monday to Saturday, 11am–6pm (closed Sundays)
Cox & Power
10-12 Chiltern Street
London W1U 7PX
proud to work with Fairtrade Gold
and Fairmined Gold
Cox & Power
10-12 Chiltern Street
London W1U 7PX
020 7935 3530
marylebone@coxandpower.com
