Works starts on 2018 Eisteddfod Crown

A contemporary jeweller who was inspired by her grandfather's woodworking skills has started creating her innovative Crown design for next year's National Eisteddfod in Cardiff. Laura Thomas, from Neath, aims to produce a unique Crown that is contemporary yet respectful of the National Eisteddfod's traditions. Sponsored by Cardiff University in 2018, her Crown will require hundreds of hours of painstaking work before it adorns the winner of one of the two major Eisteddfod poetry competitions. Signature technique. The design cannot yet be revealed but Laura's creation will be unlike anything that has preceded it. Her signature technique, parquetry, where she inlays wood veneer into sterling silver, will be the Crown's defining feature. She said: "I'm going to be inlaying three types of veneers, originated from South America and Europe, but I have not quite decided upon one of them yet.