Pembrokeshire designer Dan Voaden, who only began creating jewellery pieces in summer 2025, received the honour for his piece “Stargazer” in the Osmium Visionary Contest 2026.
The award recognises his rising talent and imaginative designs, particularly those focused on the rare metal osmium.
Mr Voaden, who is based in Pembrokeshire and works under the brand Opal Wild, said: “Stargazer was very much a jewellery fairy tale.
“I wrote a poem to go along with the entry. I believe it’s the densest metal in the world.
“It’s the rarest precious metal in the world. When you first actually see it in the hand, you realise its true beauty.
“It sparkles like diamonds but you can see the sparkle from much further away than diamonds.
“It really is a unique and beautiful metal.”
He has shared a reel reading that poem, alongside the design, on Opal Wild’s social media channels.
The competition, open to designers globally, attracted entries from 32 countries.
Judges included members of the Osmium Institute, previous winners, and industry leaders such as jewellery influencer Katerina Perez.
Osmium is a rare and valuable metal, with around 10,000 tonnes of platinum ore needed to produce just 30 grams—the size of a sugar cube.
This scarcity drives its investment value, currently estimated at around £2,000 per gram.
Unlike more common metals used in jewellery, osmium cannot be bent or forged.
It naturally forms as flat crystalline plates, requiring artists to set and frame the material rather than shape it through traditional methods.
As part of his prize, Mr Voaden travelled to Geneva earlier this month for the awards presentation at GemGenève.
The top three designers received 30,000, 20,000, and 10,000 euros’ worth of osmium respectively to complete their entries.
Since making his first piece last summer, Mr Voaden has also won the National Association of Jewellers’ Collection of the Year title and a Precious Jewellery award at the Goldsmiths’ Craft & Design Council Awards.
He said he has been struck by the support and encouragement he has received.
Mr Voaden said: “As a new person in the jewellery industry, I really have been made to feel incredibly welcome and embraced as a professional.
“The mutual respect within the industry has really actually stood out to me.
“It’s an embracing industry where people come together and learn from each other and inspire each other.
“Being new, I didn’t know what to expect. I’m walking a new path. So for me, that’s been absolutely wonderful.”
