All That Glitters

Have you been watching All That Glitters?

If you haven't seen it yet, it is like The Great British Bake Off, but instead of cakes, it's jewellery! It was aired on Tuesday nights for six weeks on BBC 2 at 8pm, and you can watch it all on catch up and I hope you tune into one of the episodes even if you dont want to commit to the whole series (my favorites were episode 4, they make lockets and hoops, or 5 when they make engagement rings!) 

I have had lots of people ask me if I have been watching it and asking what my thoughts were, so I thought I would share them here for everyone. 

I heard about the show coming to BBC2 last year and I've been really excited for its arrival. If you have been watching it I would love to hear what you think about the show, the jewellers and their creations! 

Each episode has the contestants go through two challenges the bestseller and bespoke design. The bestseller challenge comes first, they have to design something that they believe people will love and will be a commercial success, which means it needs to be able to be mass produced. The bespoke is a one off piece for a client, listening to what they want, understanding the client and then producing something personal to them that they will love; a one off that no body else will have. I loved this format, it let us see all the different skills that the jewellers have and I think it really shone a light onto the level of skill needed to create these beautiful things. 

I found it really interesting to see how other jewellers work and to see how they approached the same task and all came up with something completely different. I thought they were all amazing in their own ways, I could not have coped with the pressure of being in that room! When I work, I'm in my house, at my workbench in my kitchen alone with a podcast or a playlist, with as much time as I want or need. I felt like the contestants didn't always have enough time to complete the challenge, or it meant that they didn't get the high finish they would normally have wanted, hats off to them all for always having something to show the judges! 

I did really enjoy the show, and it got better week after week as the contestants and judges settled into their roles and I started to root for them. I do think that the show is missing a bit of personality, it needs another judge or presenter, it was at times quite wooden and lacked something; that Paul Hollywood handshake type thing, I can't explain it very well, but its how I felt. I'd love to hear what you thought about the judges Shaun Leane and Solange Azagury-Partridge and the presenter Katherine Ryan, do you think they needed a little support? 

Hugo and Dan, were my favorites throughout the series, they had been more consistent with their skill and design, than the other contestants and more often than not I liked what they made and I was so glad they were in the final with Tamara. They all pulled out the stops in the last episode and proved that they deserved to be there.

Spoiler Alert coming if you don't want to know who won!

Tamara for me really stepped up and took some risks that paid off, her style is quite bohemian, but she finished both pieces and executed it all to a high standard this week. I think Dan was a little safe in his designs in the final, which I think is what tipped the crown out of his favor; but he really found his design voice and all the pieces were beautifully finished, I loved those pearl earrings and would definitely wear them! Hugo the winner, well he deserved it, he took risks, even broke a stone and still produced two stunning pieces, he really deserved that crown and I'll be following what he does next! 

They are already looking for the next contestants so a new series is definitely coming, I imagine next year and I will be tuning in again. Would I apply? No way! All that pressure, I would crack like a badly cut gemstone! I'm just happy I get to watch other do it from the comfort of my couch!