Chain reaction

A trio of quilled discs mounted on a smooth Sterling Silver snake chain, with matching earrings

It was never my intention to become a jewellery designer. However, fate (with a great deal of assistance from arts festival collaborators in Taunton) has conspired to introduce me into a wonderful new world of jump rings, round and flat-nosed pliers, earring posts and snake chains!

This journey began with my conical bead jewellery – created mainly from upcycled magazine pages and marbled paper offcuts – which have proved consistently popular over the years, and to which I have now dedicated a separate page here on my blog entitled ‘My Jewellery‘.

However, with help and encouragement from colleagues at the Polkadot Jewellery Gallery in Taunton – where my quilled paper and Sterling Silver jewellery is now stocked – I am developing a whole new collection of pieces which utilise crimped, metallic-edged quilling strips, alongside some selected conical bead pieces.  It’s proving to be a really exciting process, creatively challenging yet at the same time very fulfilling too.

My sales in the run-up to Christmas have been very encouraging, surpassing even my wildest expectations!

As the process continues, I am gradually moving away from any pre-conceived ideas that I had about jewellery. My mind is being opened to new design concepts and the merits of different chain lengths, styles and other metallic fittings which I now realise play such an important role in complementing the quilling itself.

It is, indeed, a chain reaction! One thing leads to another, and whilst today I am so thrilled to have recently discovered the beauty of smooth-sided snake chains (like the one in the picture at the top of this post), who knows what the future will hold?

 

I am often asked whether I sell my jewellery pieces online, and the answer is that – for the moment at least – I prefer to operate solely as a retail supplier, as I am doing with Polkadot. Having said that, however, I am willing to discuss one-off commissions with anyone who chooses to get in touch with me. You can find my contact details by clicking here.