A ring of aspiring Scotland-based jewellers are hoping to sparkle at a glittering event this year which will help catapult their creative careers.

The nine, all self-employed, from the Vanilla Ink studios in Dundee have been selected to attend the prestigious event in London’s Earl’s Court, International Jewellery London in September. But times are especially tough for creatives.

Creative Dundee agrees that following your dreams to make a living from your creative talents can be a lonely and daunting process. Jewellery design can be particularly hard as not only do new designers need to be highly skilled, they also need to have access to the best equipment, resources and high profile trade fairs – these financial investments can put this career path out of reach for many aspiring jewellers.

That’s why this innovative group will be raising funds on Kickstarter.com, a crowd funding platform where pledgers are offered something in return for their support. Vanilla Ink Studios have put together a range of handcrafted goods, including one off and bespoke jewellery pieces for pledgers. Pledges start from as little as £2. Take a look at their video showcasing Vanilla Ink and do share, below or here.

Find out more about the Vanilla Ink project and back their plans on Kickstarter: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/vanillaink/showcase-our-unique-jewellery-studio-at-national-t

Vanilla Ink was set up in 2009 by Kate Pickering, born out of a realisation that there was a gap between graduating as a jeweller and making it work as a career. Vanilla Ink is Scotland’s unique jewellery studio, committed to developing new talent by providing a supportive incubator ‘pod’. Vanilla Ink enables the UK’s best new designers to develop and grow their businesses in a fully equipped workshop. They offer our ‘Inkers’ unlimited access to workshop space, peer support, mentoring and professional development workshops – the perfect starter package to ensure each ‘Inker’ develops confidence and business skills to last a lifetime.