Hamilton Ice Sculptors, based in Wimbledon Business Centre, will create the piece in time for the celebrations.
By Charlene Cole, Robin Jellis, Tom Sweetman & Patrick Wright
Wimbledon ice sculptors are set to craft a giant diamond and crest for the Queen’s Jubilee this summer.
Hamilton Ice Sculptors, based in Wimbledon Business Centre, will create the piece in time for the celebrations, in a London location yet to be confirmed.
The diamond will be 1m tall, and when raised on a plinth the whole sculpture will stand at 3m.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “We’re excited for this to be an added part of the celebrations, and are looking forward to the occasion.”
The business was set up by Duncan Hamilton and includes four full-time sculptors, with more staff hired during busy periods.
His son, Jamie, joint director of the business, said: “We all get involved with everything, that way we get a finished product which we are all really pleased with.”
Previous clients have included Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé, Oasis and the Spice Girls, while their work has received praise from Clint Eastwood and Mick Jagger.
“Everyone has always been really sweet and complimentary, most celebrities are nicer than you give them credit for,” said Jamie.
His father Duncan started out as a chef in the 1970s working in swanky restaurants in London, including the Caprice, before re-inventing himself as an ice sculptor.
Jamie said the first piece his dad sold was a sculpture of a swan which sold for £25 in 1975, and since then the business has grown and grown.
They sculpt anything from personalised ice cubes, which they sell to television commercials for £1 each, to grander projects which can fetch thousands of pounds.
A recent national day for Kuwait at the Dorchester Hotel, featuring a host of their works, picked up a bill of £12,000.
A creation made for Heineken is currently being used on the beer company’s set for their latest advertisement, with further work for Ribena and Martini to follow.
The family business has received plaudits and complimentary reviews from a number of publications including the Independent, the Telegraph and the BBC News website.
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