The Birmingham School of Jewellery welcomed its first raft of students to its newly created honours degree in horology in September 2012.
Last year the first 10 horology degree students graduated and have already been shining brightly in the industry.
Anna-Rose Kirk achieved a First Class honours and has had the opportunity to exhibit her work in the new clock gallery at the Science Museum and at Baselworld on the AHCI booth, where she was named among three winners of the Young Talent Competition.
James Harris jointly won with Kirk the award for ‘Best Combined Masterpiece and supporting Written Work’ at a prize giving ceremony in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter.
“I’m really delighted to have guided a fantastic group of students through the final year of the BCU BA Horology degree,” says course leader Jeremy Hobbins. “Being the first cohort through a programme is never easy and every one of them did well.”
The next step for Kirk, she says, will be to hone in on her skills in the repair and restoration business, getting more experience with a variety of clocks and gaining the relevant contextual experience. “Ultimately I want to have a wide knowledge on antique clocks and clock makers. I also want to redesign my final year project clock using the knowledge I’ve acquired since leaving Birmingham, and James and I have plans to collaborate with another clock project in the near future,” explains Kirk.
James adds on his vision for the future: “At the moment I’m still getting an idea of where I’m going, so taking most opportunities that come my way. We’ll see soon enough where it takes me!”
