ARTIST’S STATEMENT
I started making jewellery at the age of sixteen at night school, and then, I went on to do a City & Guilds course. The tutor there encouraged me to take a degree in Jewellery and Silversmithing in Sheffield, where I still live. Until five years ago, I taught Design and Technology for thirty years, a career I enjoyed but decided it was time for me to return back to making jewellery.
In the last five years, I have met some inspiring jewellers who have encourage and mentored me. My work has always been based on contrasting textures, even on my city and guilds course. Techniques have developed over the years, which I find, fire my imagination into designing and experimenting with a range of materials.
My inspirations for my textures are taken from my surroundings, both natural, man-made and sometimes surprising. My pieces are always developed to enhance the texture. My latest work uses a Korean technique of Keum boo, which fuses 24-carat gold onto silver using heat and pressure.
Teaching Design for so long has hopefully given me the ability to design jewellery which is contemporary but wearable. It has often been described as classy but edgy, a line I continue to use.
