By John Baron
A Farsley jewellery school owner is set to make her television debut as one of the contestants is the second series of BBC Two’s All That Glitters: Britain’s Next Jewellery Star this week.
Emma White runs her online store and training business The Jewellery Makers from a base at historic Sunny Bank Mills – but is set to wow national TV viewers as one of eight new and talented jewellers who will battle it out to be the next big name in jewellery.
The new series is hosted by comedienne Katherine Ryan and returns to BBC Two at 9pm Thursday, 25 August 2022.
From Spinner Rings to mis-matched earrings, engagement rings to hairpins, each episode sees the jewellers create different pieces of jewellery for some special clients from all walks of life, including a celebrity client who waltzes into the workshop for a red-carpet necklace.
Jewellery school owner Emma, 45, says she can’t wait to watch the shows on TV. She calls herself a ‘mumprenuer’, with three children and three stepchildren – but says appearing on the show has challenged her in many positive ways.
She told WLD: “Appearing on All That Glitters has been such a positive experience. It has made me try things I hadn’t tried before and I learned a lot about myself. It was amazing because over the last ten years, I’ve had three kids and I’ve juggled family life, kids, running the business and teaching and hadn’t realised that I had lost my creativity a bit. It gave me my creativity back. It’s been a gift really, an eye-opener and a kick up the arse!
“It was a six-month experience and to have that time dedicated to just coming up with new designs, thinking about what I wanted to make, the whole pressure of lots of people are going to see this, it made me give it a lot of thought.
“It was good to be taken out of my comfort zone. Sometimes when you’re making your own jewellery you can end up making the same things all the time. I came away after the programme thinking I had found myself creatively and that I had been stimulating creatively – it allowed me to get off my ‘hamster wheel’.”
Emma says her inspiration comes from stories she has heard, or the metal itself. She is fascinated by the way it moves and makes her feel. Emma, who has lived in Farsley for 20 years, has aspirations of building up the jewellery marketplace platform she has created where she and other makers can sell their pieces
As for watching herself on TV, she’s a ‘a bit scared but very excited’. Emma said: “I don’t want to fall down the rabbit hole of not liking any hair and voice. I watched the full trailer on iPlayer and came away feeling really exhilarated and excited. I don’t know how they’re going to edit it, but I think this series is going to be quite funny and lively. The team behind it are fantastic and very funny. We had some good laughs and I hope that comes through.
“Katherine Ryan is really glamorous and beautiful but she’s also really down to earth and kind – and she’s obviously very funny and intelligent. We had a really good craic!”
Emma has been designing jewellery for many years and takes her inspiration from her early 1950s ‘glamour-puss’ nan and her dressing table and jewellery box, which she found ‘the most magical place’ as a child. She said her mum, who is now in her 70s, was also a strong and glamorous woman and a huge influence on her. Emma remembers making varnished macaroni necklaces as a youngster.
Filmed in Birmingham’s revered jewellery quarter, All That Glitters host Katherine Ryan is joined by this year’s judges, jewellery-designing royalty Shaun Leane, and new judge, Dinny Hall. It will be up to them who will be named ‘Jeweller of the Week‘ and who will be heading home.
Moving forward, Emma is looking forward to watching the show each week and has launched a podcast with one of the other jewellers called The Gems on Jewellery and Life.
She is also grateful for the support of the people at Sunny Bank Mills, adding: “The changes Sunny Bank Mills have made over the years have helped breathe new life into Farsley. It’s been massive, and that is all down to landlords John and William Gaunt and their vision for the future, and setting up all the events that run here.
“I really love being here, it is the perfect place for me and we have just expanded into next door.”
All That Glitters: Britain’s Next Jewellery Star returns to BBC Two at 9pm on Thursday, 25 August.
