The personal nature of awards and trophies

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We are all familiar with the high profile award ceremonies that we see on TV. Some awards have taken on iconic status for their physical form such as the Oscars, the Baftas, even the humble Blue Peter badge. One company that is called on to produce specialist awards and trophies is Cambridgeshire based Jamy Limited who work in the field of acrylic encapsulation and design. Over the years they have produced a number of high profile award pieces for ceremonies featured on BBC and ITV shows.

Yet away from the glamorous areas, an award can have more meaning because of how its physical nature relates to the individual who is receiving it. “We are often called on to produce straightforward trophy pieces,” says Managing Director Peter Burt, “but from time to time we have been asked to complete some rather unusual projects. One that springs to mind was an order from a police force for a forensic pathologist. While working on a case he had mistakenly rejected as a possible murder weapon a chisel which later proved indeed to have been the culprit. We encapsulated the chisel which was given to the pathologist as a leaving award. Beautifully ironic, and probably valued more for its personalised significance than an expensive gold watch would have been.” Another interesting service award that the company has been asked to produce was for an employee of British Aerospace who had spent a long time working on a missile project. Jamy encapsulated the firing button of a missile as an appropriate send off.

One area of commerce where awards take centre stage is in the Square Mile, the financial heart of London. On the completion of major financial deals, awards are often given to the individuals who have played major roles. “The American companies are particularly fond of these deal awards or tombstones as they call them,” adds Peter Burt. “They always want them to look impressive and we have been asked to encapsulate everything: statuettes, banknotes, small electronics, you name it. People are often surprised at what we are capable of encapsulating. We have our own in-house laser engravers so we can produce company logos and etch individual names or other messages into any sort of acrylic product. Anything can be highly personalised for the benefit of the individual.”

The company has recently invested in new machinery that enables them to perform CNC routing and engraving as well as produce Braille and tactile lettering on plaques and signs.