Association For Contemporary Jewellery Limited

What Association For Contemporary Jewellery Limited does

Association For Contemporary Jewellery Limited (ACJ) is a UK-registered non-profit membership organisation, structured as a company limited by guarantee and headquartered at Cockpit Bloomsbury in London. Founded in May 1997 following the 1996 Jewellers' Exchange conference, ACJ is the primary UK association dedicated to contemporary jewellery, promoting the artform, supporting jewellers' creative and professional development, and developing audiences for contemporary craft and design.

ACJ's core offerings centre on membership benefits and convening activities rather than on any technology platform. The product surface includes Findings magazine (published twice yearly since inception), monthly e-bulletins (since 2009), a members-only website portal with individual gallery pages, a Facebook community group, and a programmed calendar of exhibitions, conferences, workshops, talks, and regional events. The organisation operates 9 regional groups across the UK (Bath, Farnham, London, Manchester, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Sheffield, Wales, and Wessex) and has held 5+ international conferences since 1998. It also runs annual awards programmes including College Prizes (since 2018), the Mark Fenn Award, Creative Development Awards, and Muriel Wilson Bursaries.

Commercially, ACJ operates a subscription-based membership model with Ordinary (£60/yr UK, £65 international), Student/New Graduate (£30/yr UK, £35 international), College/Library (pricing on application), and Corporate (£100/yr) tiers. Revenue is supplemented by member discounts negotiated with jewellery suppliers (Argrex, Cooksons, Betts Metals, Burhouse, HS Walsh, Bellore, Moleroda) and insurance partners (TH March Insurance, Clear Insurance), as well as event sponsorship and partnership income from galleries and festivals. The organisation is managed by a voluntary Board of Directors, with a small part-time staff of approximately 7.

Name

Association For Contemporary Jewellery Limited

Legal name

Association For Contemporary Jewellery Limited

Website

https://acj.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Association For Contemporary Jewellery Limited is a UK non-profit membership organisation founded in 1997 that promotes contemporary jewellery, supports jewellers' professional development, and develops audiences through exhibitions, conferences, regional groups, publications, and awards for practitioners, educators, collectors, and galleries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership fees from individual members (ordinary and student), college/library memberships, and corporate memberships provide the primary revenue stream.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ACJ is a UK company limited by guarantee and membership organization that promotes contemporary jewellery through annual memberships (ordinary, student, college/library, corporate), regional groups across nine UK regions, twice-yearly Findings Magazine, monthly e-bulletins, exhibitions, international conferences, workshops, and awards/bursaries. Its activities are aimed at practitioners, educators, students, galleries, curators, collectors, and critics in the contemporary jewellery field.

Product overview

ACJ is a membership-based professional organization offering a portfolio of services to support contemporary jewellers. The core offerings include the twice-yearly Findings Magazine and monthly e-bulletin for communication; exhibitions and events including major touring shows and international conferences; a network of regional groups across the UK; and annual awards and bursaries for professional development. Membership provides access to an online portal with individual gallery pages, a Facebook community group, and substantial discounts with jewellery suppliers including Argex, Cooksons, Betts Metals, Burhouse, HS Walsh, Bellore and Moleroda.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ordinary Membership Annual individual membership providing the twice-yearly Findings magazine, monthly e-bulletin, individual gallery page, access to members section, exhibition opportunities, regional group access, supplier discounts and insurance discounts. Priced at £60/annum for UK members and £65 for international members.
• Student and New Graduate Membership Annual membership for full-time students and new graduates within one year of graduation, offering the same benefits as ordinary membership. Priced at £30/year for UK and £35 for international.
• College/Library Membership Annual membership for educational institutions such as colleges and libraries, including one nominated user of discount codes, collaboration opportunities, and advertising in ACJ publications. Pricing available on application.
• Corporate Membership Annual membership for larger organisations at £100/annum, providing direct advertising and information flow to members via ACJ publications and sponsorship opportunities for events, awards, and exhibition catalogues.
• Findings Magazine Printed magazine published twice yearly and distributed to members, containing articles on contemporary jewellery, book and exhibition reviews, and discussion topics.
• Monthly E-Bulletin Monthly emailed newsletter supplementing Findings with news, opportunities, events, and information for ACJ members, published since 2009.
• Exhibitions and Events Programme Programme of exhibitions, international conferences, selling shows, workshops, talks, and regional events held in the UK and abroad, organised by ACJ and in partnership with galleries and festivals.
• Regional Groups Network Network of nine regional groups across the UK (Bath, Farnham, London, Manchester, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Sheffield, Wales, Wessex) organising local events, workshops, and selling shows for ACJ members.
• ACJ Awards and Bursaries Annual awards and bursaries including College Prizes for outstanding students, the Mark Fenn Award for new makers entering the field, Creative Development Awards when funding permits, and Muriel Wilson Bursaries for travel and research.
• Supplier and Insurance Discounts Programme Discounts with jewellery suppliers (Cooksons, Betts Metals, Burhouse, HS Walsh, Bellore, Moleroda) and insurance providers (TH March Insurance, Clear Insurance), offered to ACJ members as part of their membership benefits.

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Gill Wing JewellerymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Collaboration with Gill Wing Jewellery in London for a selling exhibition in Spring 2025, responding to the theme of 'Duality'. Also collaborated on 'Tales of the Subconscious' exhibition in 2019.
• Gold Lark JewellerymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Collaboration with Gold Lark Jewellery in Yorkshire for a joint selling exhibition in Spring 2025, responding to the theme of 'Duality'.
• Craft & Design CouncilcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 December 2024Hosted an exclusive ACJ members webinar on 4th December about the 2024/25 Craft & Design Council competition, including timeline, content, and new awards.
• Milano Jewellery WeekmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 October 2024Annual partnership with Milano Jewellery Week (15th-20th October). ACJ has partnered multiple years, presenting digital exhibitions and judging awards including 'Best in Contemporary Jewellery'. In 2024, ACJ judged this prestigious award with ACJ Director Anastasia Young and Head of Programmes and Advocacy on the panel.
• Cluster Contemporary JewellerycoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024ACJ presented 'Awe & Alchemy' film at Cluster Contemporary Jewellery (13th-18th December). ACJ Director Caroline Jackman and Findings Editor Jo Lally co-judged the 'Award for Contemporary Jewellery'.
• Morley CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Co-hosted the Morley and ACJ Jewellery Lecture Series: 'Second careerist Jewellers' with a panel discussion chaired by ACJ Director Melanie Eddy.
• Lyon & TurnbullmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partner for the Elements Festival of Jewellery, Silver & Gold at Edinburgh. ACJ has participated in this annual festival for nine years, bringing together UK's finest jewellers and silversmiths.
• ArgrexminorOthersSupplier partner offering substantial discounts to ACJ members on jewellery supplies.
• CooksonsminorOthersSupplier partner offering substantial discounts to ACJ members on jewellery supplies.
• Betts MetalsminorOthersSupplier partner offering substantial discounts to ACJ members on jewellery supplies.
• BurhouseminorOthersSupplier partner offering substantial discounts to ACJ members on jewellery supplies.
• HS WalshminorOthersSupplier partner offering substantial discounts to ACJ members on jewellery supplies.
• BelloreminorOthersSupplier partner offering substantial discounts to ACJ members on jewellery supplies.
• MolerodaminorOthersSupplier partner offering substantial discounts to ACJ members on jewellery supplies.
• TH March InsuranceminorOthersInsurance partner offering discounts to ACJ members for jewellery-related insurance coverage.
• Clear InsuranceminorOthersInsurance partner offering discounts to ACJ members for jewellery-related insurance coverage.
• Goldsmiths' CentremajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue for 'Connections | Connessioni' exhibition (2019-2020) and 'Meanings and Messages' exhibition (2022-2023). Major UK venue for contemporary jewellery exhibitions.
• The Scottish GallerymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership for selling shows and exhibitions. Collaborated on 'Sleight of Hand' (2015) and other exhibitions.
• New Ashgate GallerymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for selling shows for members' work and exhibitions.
• London Jewellery WeekmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual partnership for jewellery events and selling shows, bringing together the UK jewellery community.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/association-for-contemporary-jewellery-limited

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Association For Contemporary Jewellery Limited