The Prince William Cup, the work of two highly talented women from West Wales, is set to cause quite a stir at the Millennium Stadium next month.
WRU Audio: Listen to an interview with Prince William Cup designers Nicola Palterman and Mari Thomas
The newly created trophy, to be contested by Wales and South Africa on November 24th, was chosen by the WRU’s Vice Royal Patron, Prince William, from three different designs presented by jewellers Mari Thomas, from Llanelli, and Nicola Palterman, from Neath.
The pair, who have exhibited their jewellery around the world from London to New York, claim the creation of the 55 centimetre high, 1.5 millimetre gauge trophy as their biggest and most elaborate creation to date.
It is unusual to find that a trophy of this size is made from such a heavy gauge material, but the elegant design – inspired by the landscapes of South Africa and Wales – is what will make it stand out from the crowd.
At the last count there were eight major international rugby trophies competed for around the world: the Calcutta Cup (Scotland v England), the Nelson Mandela Cup (Australia v South Africa), the Bledisloe Cup (New Zealand v Australia), the Cook Cup (England v Australia), the James Bevan Trophy (Wales v Australia), the 6 Nations Trophy, the Tri-Nations Trophy and the William Webb Ellis Cup.
The Prince William Cup will be the ninth of its kind and will be competed for at any match between the Springboks and Wales outside of a Rugby World Cup.
“It is fabricated with the line of the Welsh landscape spiralling around the seam of the trophy with the maps of the two countries decorating the surface along with a stirring quote from Nelson Mandela,” said Palterman.
“The trophy – around 16cm in diameter at the rim tapering to around 8cm in diameter at the base – sits on a plinth made of Welsh Oak and the whole object is lined with 23 carat gold plate.”
The Prince William Cup was the brainchild of Welsh Rugby Union Chief Executive Roger Lewis, who saw the jewellers recently exhibiting at Cardiff Bay’s Millennium Centre.
The trophy has been designed and made in Wales, and is being produced to a tight timescale.
“We are both known for our contemporary and elegant designs which make full use of both the materials at hand and inspirational landscapes available to us in Wales,” said Thomas, who has produced the Bardic Crown for the National Eisteddfod of Wales for the last two years.
“We gave Prince William three designs to choose from and were more than pleased when he chose this one. A project of this significance is something that we are both delighted to be involved in.
“This magnificent opportunity to work on something that will be such a major part of the sporting history of both countries for many years to come is an honour.
“The trophy will soon be in the polishing stage which accounts for much of the time allocated for production in itself.
“We have a few more late nights ahead of us to ensure we are ready and that Prince William can present the trophy in all its glory to the winning team at the Millennium Stadium on November 24th.
“We obviously both hope it will be lifted by a Welshman, but we’ll be the proudest people in the ground whatever happens.
“The whole project has been a great honour for us, but we are seriously thinking about asking if the winning captain can wear white gloves to avoid any smudges after all the polishing we’ll be doing!”
Palterman and Thomas are jewellery designers each with their own businesses and careers, but the pair have come together under their joint company – Palterman and Thomas Ltd – to create the Prince William Cup in a perfect example of teamwork for the national side to follow.
Previous credentials from the pair have included wedding bands for European Royalty and the Bardic Crown for the National Eisteddfod of Wales, along with clients such as Hollywood actor Ioan Gruffudd and former Welsh Rugby international player Ray Gravell.
“We are both very proud of our heritage and to get the chance to work on such a notable project for our country has been an absolute delight,” added Thomas.
To find out more about the designers of the Prince William Cup choose one of the following links http://www.marithomas.com/ or http://www.nicolapalterman.com/.
