TWO Brighton jewellers have won the chance to showcase their work at a top event.

Helen Rankin Mangral and Aishleen Lester will be exhibiting at the International Jewellery London show in September.

The opportunity, known as the IJL Kickstart awards, will provide a unique commercial launch-pad for the pair’s work.

An audience of more than 9,000 people will be there, including industry experts, buyers and retailers from around the world as well as national and international media.

The two designers were chosen from more than 200 talented jewellers from around the UK.

Helen Rankin designed her first piece of jewellery when she was aged just nine.

Her father spent hours helping her pour resin into moulds filled with shells and moss to make little underwater-themed diorama pendants and earrings.

As a young art student, Helen was drawn to industrial landscapes and architecture but she also found pleasure in making small, tactile objects – experimenting with materials and being able to hold the finished product in her hand.

The next natural step was into designing jewellery.

Helen then took a break from jewellery design to bring up three energetic children.

She said: “Managing kids whilst trying to build up a business has obviously been a challenge.

“But when designing and making jewellery is your passion, it can provide an excellent balance to the stresses of family life.

“There have been periods when I’ve had to put my tools down but I always kept my workbench and have really started to move forward with my design work in the last four years”.

With the ultimate focus on movement and ‘wearability,’ Helen’s designs are defined by angles, interlocking and overlapping to provide contrast and scale.

Based in her Hove workshop, she combines traditional jewellery techniques with the latest technology.

She said:: “I am delighted to have been chosen for IJL Kickstart 2018.

“It’s fantastic to get some recognition for my Helen Rankin brand and I’m so thrilled that I get to showcase my designs to a wider audience and meet new people.

“I’m really looking forward to September and all the creative and business opportunities this could lead to.

“This opportunity will help me realise my dream of investing more into the business so I can move towards making higher end jewellery using gold and diamonds”.

Aishleen Lester arrived in the world of jewellery by a slightly unconventional route.

Having finished her Masters at the Royal Academy, she worked as an artist making large sculptural installations, working with the Riflemaker Gallery in Soho.

Her work was exhibited internationally, shown in galleries in London and New York, and saw her collaborate with choreographers and dancers creating interactive stage sets.

She also worked on larger commissions, including an installation for the Selfridge’s Wonder Windows.

She then tested her creative limits by working on smaller scale pieces that could exist within the everyday lives of her enthusiasts.

She then enrolled onto a soldering course.

She said: “This completely changed my career direction.

“I came to love the perfect miniature world of jewellery.

“I realised I wanted to gain the skills to make small sculptures with narratives, that people could wear”.

In 2017, she launched Le Ster Jewellery.

Her brand offers unique, modern designs drawn from the narratives of art.

She said: “I am really excited to be part of Kickstart. The show itself is a fantastic opportunity to showcase my first collection.”