A journey through my jewellery
Hello and welcome to this little trip down memory lane!
During these strange Lockdown times, I’ve been delving into the archives and rediscovered a number of pieces from collections I have long since stopped making. It has been so interesting looking back at my work, how it has changed and developed over time, and also what has remained the same, each piece playing a significant part in the journey to where I am today.
It all began at Middlesex University, where I studied Jewellery between 2003 and 2007. Encouraged to explore different materials, it was there that I began to combine felt alongside precious metals within my designs.
Inspired by ideas of growth and transformation in nature, I made necklaces of silver loops and beads and then felted over them, allowing the metal to slowly emerge from the material. I also made hundreds of felt balls, gathering them together to form large sculptural necklaces, that were still incredibly light and fun to wear.
This focus on texture, comfort and pleasure in wearing jewellery is a thread that has run through my work ever since.
After graduating in 2007, I went on to the renowned Bishopsland Worskshops, where I first set up my business. I continued using felt, making graduated chains by forging oval shapes from silver wire, that I would then partially felt over and dye to create a colour fade.
But as my technical knowledge and confidence grew, so did my love of working with metal. I focused on forging finer and finer silver elements, attempting to create a textile out of metal.
So began my Boa and Raindrops Collection.
I would hammer out hundreds of lengths of silver wire, capturing them within links of chain to create scarves of shimmering silver and gold that moved with the body.
Adding tiny handmade felt balls between the silver shards, led to a separate yet similar body of work, my favourite piece being the red and black Blooming Boa Necklace
The Cleo and Lacewing Collections developed directly from the Boa Collection.
Using the same fine forging techniques to make delicate silver shards, I would then thread them together in a more structured style. The pieces became slightly more weighty and controlled whilst maintaining a sense of movement.
I also started using precious stones and the technique of fusing gold to silver (Keum – boo) to create the contrast in colour and texture I’ve always loved.
By 2014 I was exploring new ways of transforming smooth silver into textured organic forms, moving away from the method of fine forging.
I began cutting shapes from silver sheet, layering them together and experimenting with different methods of connection that would allow them to move individually, forming a singular tactile piece that would flow with body.
This led to my current Petal and Flight collections, which continue to inspire me and expand to this day.
My most recent pieces continue to explore the mixing of materials, using different tones and carats of gold together in one piece, to create subtle, but stunning, colour fades, also seen in those first felted chains!
And so there we have it. Four very different collections, with very similar ideas and aesthetics running throughout.
Which are your favourites? Let me know by dropping me an email, or head over to my Instagram for more behind the scenes snipets.
I have decided that these jewels I recently rediscovered would be much better off being worn and loved, so I will be holding my first ever archive sale very soon.
This will first be made available to my wonderful loyal customers on my mailing list, so if you want to be first in line