Mei-ling De buitlear

Mei-ling graduated from Middlesex University in 2014 with a degree in Jewellery & Accessory Design. Shortly after graduating, Mei-ling won the New Designers Centrepunch Ltd Associate Prize and The David Canter Memorial Fund Award and then went on to be shortlisted for EC One's Unsigned competition.

The graduate ‘Coal-lection’ collection was inspired by many of the various tribes throughout Africa but more importantly, their use of diverse materials. Mei-ling created a new material made with charcoal from coconuts and combined this with traditional brass rings, influenced by her interest in tribal Africa.

Opposing elements are a running theme through Mei-ling's body of work, such as the use of colour and texture but also within the techniques used to create the jewellery, from water jet cutting to hand grinding the charcoal.

The 'Black Pearl' collection incorporates the signature coconut charcoal element, with highly polished silver. The 'White Pearl' Collection was created in response to the Black Pearl collection, playing with the theme of opposing elements.