‘I think that it’s important to invest in someone talented and local’
Katherine Ryan talks to Gemma Dunn about season two of jewellery show All That Glitters
If Katherine Ryan has taken one gem from All That Glitters, it’s that jewellery investment is key.
The comedian hosts the BBC2 competition show, which last year saw eight talented jewellers battle it out to be crowned Britain’s next big industry star (think Bake Off format, but with plenty of bling!).
“I’ve learned what to look out for when buying jewellery or admiring jewellery; I’ve learned to value it in a different way,” begins the Canadian, 39.
“I’ve never been a fan of fast fashion. I don’t think it’s sustainable, and I don’t think it’s a good idea. But in jewellery, too, now, I think that it’s important to look long and hard and invest in someone talented and local and have jewellery that you can pass on to different generations of your family.”
She adds: “Going into series one, I thought it was just a princess in a palace who would draw a picture of a tiara and it would be made by minions somewhere. I didn’t realise (jewellery making) was such a broad and accessible trade, and I think that’s what I really love about it.”
Talking ahead of its second six-part series, an enthused Ryan is set to welcome a new batch of aspiring jewellers to the specially built workshop nestled in Birmingham’s historic Jewellery Quarter, each with the dream to follow in last year’s winner Hugo Johnson’s footsteps.
They will need to impress two of Britain’s best-known contemporary jewellers, show returnee Shaun Leane and newbie to the judging panel Dinny Hall, who will collectively decide which of the contestants deserve to be coveted jeweller of the week – and who should be sent home.
From spinner rings to mismatched earrings, engagement rings to hairpins, each episode sees the jewellers face two real world challenges: The Bestseller, where they are tasked with designing the latest musthave piece that everyone will want, and The Bespoke, where they create a one-off piece for some very special clients from all walks of life, including Strictly’s Shirley Ballas.
It’s a talented bunch, offers 53-year-old Leane, “but I think what happened in this series, is the guys kind of knew what they were up against; they knew what was going to be asked of them, so they came just as skilled as the ones in series one, but they came prepared, and they were ready.
“They wanted to push the bar, as us jewellers always want to do, and we, as judges, knew what could be made in those time slots so we felt we could throw a little bit more at these jewellers – a diversity of materials and diversity in concept to really challenge their skills.
“But they all delivered very much on design and technique, and storytelling,” he says.
“This series allowed for slightly less traditional techniques as well,” Hall adds. “One or two of the jewellers were using materials that aren’t necessarily used that often, so it allowed people to have ideas that were quite outlandish, and not just the kind of typical jewellery that you would see in the shops.”
● All That Glitters returns to BBC2 on Thursday August
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