About

I starting my working life training as a chef and catering manager, my love of designing and making jewellery stemmed from my magpie tendency to like colourful stones and shiny silver. I was fortunate to be given the chance to attend an adult education class and chose a local silversmithing course and my obsession started.

I set up a small workshop and have been making for over 25 years mainly as a hobby with the occasional commission. It was not until I met the course leader of a jewellery design course at Bournemouth and Poole college and got chatting, that she invited me to bring some of my work to her and before I knew it I was enrolled on the 2 year diploma course.

At the end of the course my partner (and now husband) was offered a job in Berkshire not far from my parents and so we moved and I enrolled on a part time course at the London Metropolitan University for a degree in Jewellery design. Unfortunately due to the need to earn a living I didn’t continue the course beyond the first year.

I carried on making and exhibited at a few craft shows but felt something was missing and decided to approach our local university who ran a jewellery and silversmithing course and asked if I had something worth pursuing or should I stick to the day job? I was immediately offered a place on the applied arts course but chose to defer to the following year. Unfortunately the class was closed and I took a place on the Product Design course still under the expert guidance of Silversmith, Andreas Fabian, Jeweller, Libby Callinicos and course leader, Lyndon Buck, graduating in 2017 with a 2:1 dissertation on Men’s jewellery and its communication.

Since graduation I have been designing and making my own work, exhibiting at various craft shows and galleries and building my teaching skills.

Apart from my work I like to keep my catering skills going cooking for friends and family, as well as the occasional shift at a local private day care unit. What is left of my time is usually spent tending my flock of chickens, writing about their antics and trying to keep my vegetable patch from being swamped by weeds and said chickens!! I am ably supported in all of this by my husband Adrian and our Border Collie, Stout.

Education

2005-2007

Bournemouth and Poole College of further Education, Poole, Dorset

2008- 2009 Sir John Cass, London Metropolitan University, London

2015-2017 Bucks New University, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire

Qualification

Diploma in Jewellery and Metalwork design, Bournemouth and Poole College, Poole, Dorset

BA(HONS) in Product Design, Bucks New University, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire

Live Projects and achievements:

Football Mannequin re-design, Diamond Football Company, West Molesey Surrey KT8 2UZ
Bicycle Lock design – 3rd Place, Private project
Pewter Live 2016 The Worshipful Company of Pewterers, Pewterers’ Hall, Oat Lane London, EC2V 7DE– Highly Commended

Exhibitions

Studio E174 Bucks Arts Weeks, 2016
End of year Show, Bucks New University, 2017
New Designers, Business Design Centre
London, N1, 2017