‘Winged Treasures’

 

The bee, bird and butterfly motifs in this new body of work celebrate physical freedoms, and aim to cheer, each time they’re worn.   For most of the pieces, I’ve used my favourite materials, fine silver (which is brighter and even purer than sterling silver) and  24ct gold foil, though I’m also currently experimenting with bronze, steel, leather and beautiful Japanese vitreous enamels. 

 

Like many of us, I can be too much of a busy bee, or forget my good points in that oh-so-English way, and it pleases me to wear a piece of pure silver that reminds me daily to ‘just bee’ [sic], or announces to the world (perhaps a bit boldly) that I’m a ‘good egg’.  When people see or wear my work, I’d like them to feel uplifted and lighter in spirit.

 

Making precious jewellery by hand is painstaking – there are over 20 individual steps needed to make one of my simpler pendants, for example – and more complex or decorative pieces involve even more processes, but I love the progress from idea to final piece, and the almost magical way in which a design evolves almost every time I make it.

 

My training has been quite eclectic –  amongst other places, I’ve trained at London’s City Lit, City College Brighton & Hove, the Mid-Cornwall School of Jewellery and at South Coast College Hastings.

 

In turn, I now teach other people to make jewellery, at the Sussex Jewellery School in Eastbourne, including teaching the popular ‘Beginnings in Silver’ 1-day and evening beginners’ courses.

 

My work has been featured in Sussex Life magazine and I have written aboutjewellery-making & design for Making Jewellerymagazine.  Pieces of mine are also stocked at the Cuckoo Cuckoo Contemporary Crafts Gallery in the boho Old Town in Hastings.