I began making jewellery at the age of 11, and on leaving school I studied jewellery design and manufacture in Hatton Garden, London.
My first strung piece was a daisy chain several metres in length, which I vividly remember making on a grass bank at a local National Trust property. I suppose this was where my interests started, or maybe it was the fascination and excitement I got when looking through the jewellery box at home. A distinct memory was imagining how one piece in particular was made. It was a silky smooth snake chain, always tangled in a web of earrings and its existence seemed magic.
PREAMBLE
The fact that Gemstones have taken many millions and billions of years to form seldom crosses the mind - it is a length of time difficult to comprehend. All of these precious stones have so many unique and varying qualities that ultimately make them one of the many masterpieces of the natural world to eventually be found by human hands, of course only after having made a monumental journey to the earth’s surface. It is not surprising that these gems have captivated imagination and been used in a myriad of combinations for thousands of years, in the precision and fascinating art of jewellery making.
I have always been fascinated by gemstones, the comforting tactility they have against the skin and the sounds the beads can make when they move and collide.
When I design an item of jewellery and source materials, I don’t think about a particular style or whether as a design it is more masculine or feminine. I am first and foremost attracted to the colour, shape, cut and type of gemstone, and then excited by an idea and the possibilities that it inspires.
Working in the attic
We had a tiny attic space at the top of the stairs and it made for a perfect den/workshop. I would disappear for hours at a time mixing different textured and coloured beads,
Early work
From an early age I was using semi-precious stones and silver to create pieces that mixed both texture and colour. Above: Hematite and Garnet Bracelet & Agate Necklace.
Hatton Garden London
Background Photo: Fossil Bracelet in Sterling Silver. A piece from my level 3 Jewellery Manufacture course in 2016, created whilst learning the lost wax process.
