Who am I and why do I make jewellery?
I am an artisan fine jewellery designer/creator working from my studio in South Cambridgeshire.
The core of my work is creating one-of-a-kind pieces and commissions.
Many of my designs develop from examining classic jewellery styles of the past, from Art Deco to Anglo-Saxon, and reimagining them.
Fundamental features of my work are sandcasting, contrasting and juxtaposed textures as well as use of gemstones and KeumBoo to highlight features and add colour. In my sandcasting I use a variety of beach sands from unique locations (particularly from Cornwall, where I grew up) as each one imparts a different, unique texture depending on particle size/shape and mineral content.
My Journey
Creating jewellery is my third career. During my PhD research I was commissioned into the Army Reserve and joined communications side of the army, The Royals Signals, eventually commanding a Squadron before retiring in 2010.
Concurrently and after finishing my PhD I spent over 20 years in the global pharmaceutical industry. After burnout curtailed my career in 2018, I had a real desire to do something that had significantly less impact on the environment and more focus on creating something long-lasting.
My journey began by restoring vintage razors before moving into making jewellery with upcycled copper and wood. By 2020 I had taught myself to create more ambitious pieces. Since then, I have completed both the Fine and Advanced Jewellery Diplomas from the Jewellers Academy being mentored by Hayley Kruger, Katherine Richmond and Barbara Yarde.
I live and work from my studio in rural South Cambridgeshire with my family and our two otterhounds, Tara and Willow (they have their own instagram page (https://www.instagram.com/taraandwillow)
How I work
My vision is creating modern and timeless designs using ethically sourced and environmentally sustainable materials.
All of my pieces are intended to be wearable on a daily basis but would also suit those “special” occasions.
In a world of mass production and using the cheapest labour available to manufacture items regardless of impact I strongly believe that hand making unique pieces generates a quality and attention to detail that is lost in mass casting or production - I have written a longer blog post about this which you can find here.
I work both in gold and silver, either ethically mined (Single Mine Origin) or recycled and all my gemstones are sourced from suppliers who share my strong ethical and environmental beliefs.