A JEWELLERY shop in Bromsgrove plans to turn lockdown into lockets and tedium into treasures by running a competition for customers to design their own precious pendant.

Cupitt Jeweller, on The Strand in Bromsgrove town centre, was, like many small firms, forced to close temporarily last month by the coronavirus outbreak.

However, owner Asa Cupitt has hit on the sparkling idea of putting on a design contest - with the winners receiving a £100 gift voucher and seeing their creation brought to life to be sold in the store.

She said: “It was heartbreaking to have to close the shop as a result of government guidelines and I’m keen to maintain engagement with all our customers and social media followers.

"Hopefully this competition is a wonderful opportunity for people to demonstrate their creativity in designing a piece of jewellery which they would love to see become a physical reality.

"Celebrating people power, the three winning pendants will be sold in the shop under a unique brand called ‘The People’s Design Collection’."

The competition was launched last week but budding silversmiths - the solitary rule is that the design must be a silver pendant - have until May 8 to enter.

The design can be hand drawn or created on a computer and should be emailed to info@cupittjeweller.co.uk

The competition is open to anyone over the age of 16, excluding jewellery design students or professional jewellery designers.

For more information and full competition terms and conditions, visit facebook.com/cupitt.jeweller.

Cupitt Jeweller will select a shortlist of ten pendant designs which will be posted on its Facebook page for a public vote to choose the three winning entries.

The winners will receive a £100 gift voucher to spend at Cupitt Jeweller when the shop re-opens.

Their design will also be made in the shops’ onsite workshop and sold in the shop.