Applying for Goldsmiths’ Fair: my experience – Emma Louise Wilson

Emma Louise Wilson (@emmawilsonenamel) imbues her silver and enamel creations with the contrasting wildness and calmness of the Scottish seascapes that inspire her. Each piece begins as a watercolour painting, which Emma then abstracts and refines to distil into the memory of the waves, the huge skies and the feeling of a smooth pebble in the hand. Emma uses different textures in her silver work to encapsulate the different textures she encounters in the rocks on the shoreline; she describes her way of working as about “capturing the essence of the landscape and seascape in an abstract and sensory way, trying to evoke the feeling of the landscape without reproducing it exactly”.

Emma successfully applied for Goldsmiths’ Fair 2024 and was the recipient of one of 10 bursary stands. The Emerging Business Bursary supports talent at the beginning of their career in jewellery and silversmithing. At the Fair, Emma won one of the 2025 Goldsmiths’ Fair Awards.

We asked Emma about her application experience and what it meant to her and her business to exhibit at the Fair.

Banner photo: enamelled bowls by Emma Louise Wilson, photographed by Shannon Tofts

Emma Louise Wilson at Goldsmiths’ Fair 2024. Photo: Paul Read.
Banner photo: enamelled bowls by Emma Louise Wilson, photographed by Shannon Tofts

If you’re thinking of applying for Goldsmiths’ Fair and want to know more about the Emerging Business Bursary, read all the details here.


How many years have you been running your business?

I have been running my business now for over six years. 

What made you apply to the Fair?  

I applied for the Fair when I felt my work was of a high enough standard, because I knew it was the best place to showcase it and show it to the right customers.

How did you hear about the bursary scheme? 

I heard about the scheme from other jewellers who had benefited from it the year before, and then I read on the Fair website that it had changed to an Emerging Business scheme and realised I was eligible to apply myself.

The Graduate Bursary scheme became the Emerging Business Bursary in 2024, as we recognised that makers follow many routes into the trade. We’re very pleased that it became an option for you, Emma.

How did you find the application process?

The application process was a good opportunity to make a couple of new pieces and challenge myself a bit, which pushed my practice forward and I started to develop some new work. I found the rest of the application process clear and straightforward. 

How did you choose which work to submit?

I chose work that was new and interesting and that showed development in my work since I was part of Shine [a training programme and new talent showcase at the Goldsmiths’ Centre] in 2023.

How did you find the training given by the Goldsmiths’ Centre?

The Goldsmiths’ Centre training that we received as part of the bursary was very helpful, the information and insights we were given really helped me feel confident and ready for the Fair.

Which aspect of the Emerging Business Bursary scheme did you feel was most valuable to you and your business? 

Being able to take part in the Fair without the big financial risk the first time round made such a difference, it meant I could concentrate on making lots of new work to show and have the experience there to test the market and meet the customers, without stressing so much about having to make back the full cost.

How has the Fair exposure impacted your client base?

I was really pleased to make significant sales at the Fair and have also had a couple of commissions since from people I met there. I have also been offered a place at another show and in an exhibition directly from taking part in the Fair.

Such great news, Emma!

Was there anything about the Fair you wish you’d known? What’s your top tip for new applicants/exhibitors?

My top tip would be to push yourself to make new and interesting work for the application, and don’t be put off if you don’t get in first time, keep trying.

Emma (R) with fellow Goldsmiths’ Fair Award winners Huimin Zhang (L) and Ane Christensen (C) at Goldsmiths’ Fair 2024. Photo: Paul Read.

See Emma’s work on her website and Instagram (@emmawilsonenamel)


Find out more about applying for the Fair and our Emerging Business Bursary scheme