THIS year's National Eisteddfod Crown, sponsored by the housing association Grwp Cynefin, has been designed and created by contemporary jeweller Angela Evans from Caernarfon.

The creation of a Crown has always been a dream for Angela, and this year she had the chance to realise her dream by creating a beautiful and delicate Crown.

The Crown is presented for a sequence of poems not in cynghanedd, of no more than 250 lines, on the subject of Cilfachau (inlets). The prize money is donated by John Arthur and Margaret Glyn Jones and the family, Llanrwst.

There are three key elements to the Crown’s design, with three layers of metal outlines creating an exciting and modern image linked to the basic principles of Grwp Cynefin.

Shapes of stylish houses form the first tier, but they are, of course, more than houses.

These are home to the people and families of the area.

Angela said: “Our culture is maintained through our communities: in these homes our people, our language and our culture thrive.

"This is the basis of the Crown, the tallest and strongest part.”

There are triangles in the second tier, a shape with natural strength, representing the roofs of houses, supporting structures against lateral pressures, and representing the sustainability of the area.

And to crown each pinnacle is a copper ball, one of the obvious features of Angela's work as a professional jeweller.

This copper originated from the old Great Orme copper mines in Llandudno, and a 2cm cube of pure bright copper was presented to the Eisteddfod for use in the Crown’s construction.

The third tier is the county of Conwy, the rural valley and the densely populated coast.

The glow that flows through the mountains down the valley and into the sea through the River Conwy is water: it brings its nutrition as an essential container to create a thriving community, environment and landscape, and to ensure a strong habitat for man and animal.

Therefore, the flow of water seen in the last layer, is a smooth soft arch to convey the movement of the flow.

Along its length, there are droplets of bright water created from a blue-coloured topasstone as it simulates the colours of the Grwp Cynefin brand itself.

The Gorsedd of Bards’ Nod Cyfrin, its unique mark, is on the front of the Crown, under the main shape of the roof of the house, which is set to protect it.

And at the bottom of the Crown, the words Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Sir Conwy 2019 have been inscribed.