Raise Your Game: How do you start designing something like the Prince William Cup?

Mari Thomas: We had a lot of freedom when we started designing the cup as we were working from an open brief.

To start us off we made a few initial drawings, sketching out our ideas and we discussed whether they would work and what else would work. Eventually we came up with three different designs that combined a variety of ideas.

Nicola Palterman: One of us would think of an idea and then we'd both sit down and think of how we could make that idea a reality. We're both brutally honest with each other, so we discussed lots of ideas, and threw lots out.

Designing and making the Prince William Cup was the first time we'd ever done something that big. We're both jewellers, and metalwork is completely different at that scale.

RYG: What were you hoping to achieve with the Prince William Cup?

MT: We wanted it to be a contemporary design that was very simple. We wanted to do something that represented Wales and South Africa. We wanted it to be quite imposing and we didn't want to put any handles on it.

NP: We didn't want to design a traditional cup with two handles and a bit of ribbon. We wanted to take a very contemporary approach. We tried to incorporate the map of South Africa and the map of Wales into the designs. We also wanted to add an element of Welshness to the plinth, so we wanted to use Welsh slate or Welsh oak.

RYG: How did it feel to see your design becoming a reality?

MT: It was great. When we were putting the cup together we had to take a lot of care marking it up. At first we couldn't work out how to put it together. We spent ten minutes working out which way up each piece was supposed to be.

NP: We were wrapping it, and we were thinking 'I'm sure this is supposed to be 65 centimetres high.' At one point it was about 30 centimetres high, so we realised it was the wrong way up (laughs).

MT: Once it started to take shape we thought 'My goodness, this is very, very large.' We used very heavy gage silver, much heavier than most silversmiths would use.

NP: We actually spoke to a silversmith after making it. He asked us why we had used such a heavy gage and we said 'Well why not?' We approached it as jewellers and I think that was reflected in the design.

RYG: Were you pleased with how people reacted when they saw the finished cup?

NP: It was tremendous. We were so honoured to have been able to take part in the project, it was overwhelming.

MT: Prince William was very specific about what he wanted, and that made it all the more special. To see the boys from the team holding the cup, and to see that it was as big and imposing as we wanted it to be, was fantastic.

RYG: How does it feel to know that you designed and built the Prince William Cup?

NP: I feel really proud. We worked so hard on the project and we're both passionately Welsh. It was just a dream come true. Going back to our college days, I don't think we ever envisaged that we would be able to have the opportunity to produce something of such calibre.

MT: My father has never been so proud. I've been working in the jewellery business for ten years. This was his proudest moment because he's a massive rugby fan. There are lots of pictures of him with the completed cup. Hopefully the cup will be around for the next 100 years or so. The fact that we made it is just incredible.