ANNE REED
Having previously graduated from the school with a level 4 diploma in jewellery manufacturing Anne continued her studies with us and presents here her latest collection Alignment which was debuted at New Designers 2023 and follows on from her 2022 collection I’m fine (see entry below).
Alignment explores the freedom within us all to connect at a deeper level. Each design is linked with one of the Ayurveda emotions and seeks to promote balance. Representing the visualisation of internal emotions Alignment is about the expression of ones feelings and their translation into a conceptual art form which can be worn, held or simply viewed.
The connections and fluidity within the pieces depict the many crossroads, junctions and journeys which affect our everyday lives. The contrast of the rough and smooth surfaces within the pieces serve to highlight the differences during those experiences which give rise to the emotions we feel.
Qualification: Level 4 Diploma in Jewellery Manufacturing
Graduated: June 2023
ZAFFRAN BENNETT
FRAGMENTARY CONNECTION explores how we discover and define ourselves through our experiences, present culture, heritage and environments. As we form significant connections, amass knowledge and curate our personal surroundings with objects and memories we sequentially create our visual identities.
Reflecting on this, and drawn to the idea of symbolism in objects and nature, Zaffran collected bold forms and textures that have their own unique stories, instinctively unifying these fragments and using various jewellery techniques to hand make designs that reference personal and cultural interests.
With a previous design degree and a career working in fashion and the arts it has been a natural progression for Zaffran to create jewellery. Taking this time to gain a greater understanding of the processes involved in this medium whilst developing her new skills has been invaluable and a personal accomplishment.
Qualification: Level 3 Diploma in Jewellery Manufacturing
Graduated: June 2023
NAOMI GAYNOR
Naomi’s Faba jewellery collection draws inspiration from the humble bean. By hyper-focusing on the shape and form alone, the bean has been reworked, remodelled and recontextualised using a broad range of different techniques and finishes in order to explore its relationship with space and play with the boundaries of its structural properties.
Qualification: Level 3 Diploma in Jewellery Manufacturing
Graduated: June 2023
LILI BUNTEN
Lili’s collection Passiflora is an exploration of the structural peculiarities hidden within a passion fruit. The collection was born through Lili’s desire to take specific details of a subject which are often overlooked or discarded and transform them into jewellery.
Organic at its core, Passiflora refrains from depicting the fruit in its entirety, instead choosing to exhibit the intricate textures found within. Lili utilises the inner shell of the fruit throughout her process, adapting lost wax casting to capture the texture, immortalising it in metal. The pieces emphasise the decorative aspects of the plant, from the undulating crevices of the husk to the twining tendrils which inspired her chains.
Qualification: Level 3 Diploma in Jewellery Manufacturing
Graduated: June 2023
ETHAN TILEY
Ethan’s collection tmrw – which includes a sterling silver ‘Clipper‘ lighter case – is “influenced by the retro-futuristic fluid forms of Y2K and emulsified by the DnB soundscapes that built the foundations of our adolescent low-poly worlds”.
“tmrw” comes from the nostalgia of a future that never came.
Qualification: Level 3 Diploma in Jewellery Manufacturing
Graduated: June 2023
ENRICA CONCAS
Freya is a jewellery collection inspired by the Norse goddess of love and dedicated to emotions. Born from the concept of releasing the emotions inside us, this collection seeks to underline the importance of their expression in our daily life.
Tears have fascinated mankind since classical times and they have been attributed magical powers, often being associated with concepts of new life, fertility and purity.
The face jewellery ‘Emotional‘ takes inspiration from the shape and path of tears as they flow down the face turning into amber stones or ‘teardrops’, while hand piece ‘Renaissance’ represents self-regeneration – the transformation of pain into rebirth and freedom.
Qualification: Level 3 Diploma in Jewellery Manufacturing
Graduated: June 2023
CAROLINE THARIYAN
For this collection Caroline took inspiration from studying the history of the chatelaine and the association of duty, power, service and decoration with ancient Welsh symbols of Christianity.
The word chatelaine derives from a Latin word meaning ‘the keeper of the castle’, i.e. the one who holds the keys, inferring a position of power that allows or denies access.
Ancient Welsh priests adorned with – or demanding subservience to – Christian symbols such as the Celtic Cross, held such power with respect to the Kingdom of Heaven in the eyes of the Church and its subjects.
Qualification: Level 3 Diploma in Jewellery Manufacturing
Graduated: June 2023
ANNA CHETWYND
Anna’s Aquatic Nemesis Collection explores the cognitive dissonance evoked by potent emotions. Akin to water, we are bound to the undulating waves of joy, sorrow, love, and resilience. The depth and pervasiveness of our internal experience means complete, inescapable submersion.
Somehow, we must learn how to swim.
Qualification: Level 3 Diploma in Jewellery Manufacturing
Graduated: June 2023
ANNE REED
Anne’s collection I’m fine explores the connection between our inner and outer body and our mind: exploring the constructs of emotions from an ‘inside-out’ approach, looking at how to portray what we feel – how we express our emotions from within and how these are represented externally.
“What forms do they take? What do people see? How are they interpreted?”
So often the emotions we express bear no relation to our inner feelings. Despite the complexity, when asked, the simple answer is, “I’m fine”.
During a period of her own confusion Anne explored the emotions she felt, translating these in forms of mixed media including metals, wax, wire and leather. The collection links the internal heart meridian connecting the hand, neck and chest.
Qualification: Level 4 Diploma in Jewellery Manufacturing
Graduated: June 2022
KATE BRUCE
In the collection Arrival, Kate demonstrates the journey of life and its stages. She creates jewellery with fluid organic shapes using the lost wax casting process as well as angular 3D rigid pieces created using fine wire and traditional soldering techniques, re-creating the different aspects of life’s journey.
The shapes in the collection mimic how we move and flow in an organic rhythm at times and at other times we are forced into positions that may not be comfortable but are necessary for growth. The collection illustrates that all times of life are precious and there is beauty at every point, even the tough times – it’s all a matter of perspective.
Qualification: Level 3 Diploma in Jewellery Manufacturing
Graduated: June 2022
LIZ CROW
The Impermanence collection fills a niche in the market for beautiful, contemporary jewellery design with a purpose of self-care. After a recent health issue, Liz wanted wearable reminders of her own strength in getting through times of change. Inspired by the power, freedom and effortless beauty of the movement of water which is constantly in flux, yet never loses its essence, each piece is free-cast with molten silver, capturing the movement of the liquid as it cools, in a still, solid form. Immortalising the fleeting; the juxtaposition highlighting the ephemeral nature of life and reminding us of the calm and power we experience when we accept this.
Liz is a yogi and interested in spirituality, philosophy and self care, which are all reflected in the meaning of her jewellery. With a degree in Fine Art Painting, Liz has found a new medium to paint with, using the conduction of the silver chains to create designs with the molten silver.
Qualification: Level 3 Diploma in Jewellery Manufacturing
Graduated: June 2022
NIKKI STOREY
Nikki is interested in the multi-faceted nature of the individual and how they combine and express their various ‘selves’. The pieces in her Play collection are based on clients’ unique selections of three images from a bespoke deck of cards, which Nikki has then interpreted and turned into a jewellery design.
The resulting works are playful, encouraging the wearer to interact with and change them as they see fit. Nikki is interested in a wide range of crafts that feed into her pieces and likes to mix media, using remnant and repurposed materials wherever possible to make each item unique. An anthropology graduate, Nikki has a long-held interest in individuality and what makes a person who they are.
Qualification: Level 3 Diploma in Jewellery Manufacturing
Graduated: June 2022
MATILDA LITTLE
Matilda’s Hyper-Linked collection explores our relationship with value – the contrast between the tangible and physical values we place upon materials in our world, stirring a sense of unease consequent to the increasing prominence of immaterial value in digital capitalism. A short internship at a Fin-Tech company just after graduating from art school gave Matilda an insight into future ways of viewing value.
Matilda questions the idea of ‘preciousness’ by combining valued materials like precious stones with worthless pieces of gravel and the raw textures of metal once pulled from the ground. The pieces come together as clusters of material linked to one another, a language of linking and fixing value, similar to that of blockchain currencies. Making everything by hand from her studio in South London, her work hopes to grapple with the physicality of the objects made and the immaterial ideas behind them.
Qualification: Level 3 Diploma in Jewellery Manufacturing
Graduated: June 2022
KEREN PANTHAKI
Keren is a glass bead artist and jeweller, working with soda lime glass and vitreous enamels. Her work is largely influenced by colour, texture and aesthetics taken from the natural world. Her collection Surface of Reflection is a nod to the Earth Art movement, exploring the idea that we are all ephemeral, but our choices, whilst here, can have a lasting impact on the fragile world.
With a work practice aligned towards conscious responsibility, Keren has created a body of small, textural, pieces of wearable art. Each piece is totally recyclable, aligning with the values that influence her work.
Qualification: Level 4 Diploma in Jewellery Manufacturing
Graduated: April 2021
HEATHER RAJARATNAM
An inspirational trip to the UNESCO world heritage site in Galle, Sri Lanka, resulted in the jewellery collection Tutula, designed to look like a form of armour to give the wearer a sense of bold confidence.
The Potentia collection features large scale dramatic pieces representing the strong female role models of ancient times; empowering the wearer; giving a sense of protection and drawing on the energy of ancient historical female icons.
Heather is drawn to bold forms away from the traditional to the more conceptual form of jewellery as an art form.
Tutela: Latin ‘Protection’
Potentia: Latin ‘Power’
Qualification: Level 4 Diploma in Jewellery Manufacturing
Graduated: April 2021
KAZ WONG
Being born into an artistic family, scientist Kaz Wong is fascinated by both entities. Her collection Duality explores the contradicting qualities of seemingly polarised objects – seeking to combine bolder features with more organic shapes to represent the two elements.
A penicillin-laden petri dish and lycoris radiata are used here as the symbolic representation. Penicillin, a chance discovery by Alexander Fleming in 1928, has saved millions of lives yet could cause harm if used inappropriately; Lycoris Radiata, commonly found in China, is regarded as an ominous flower in legends, yet may possess beneficial medicinal properties.
Qualification: Level 3 Diploma in Jewellery Manufacturing
Graduated: September 2019
ABBI WHELAN
“Every human, within our nature has a morbid fascination, intrigue and curiosity. We are frightened, disgusted yet still, life and death has us all captivated in very different ways”.
Abbi Whelan has had an interest in death since childhood. The main source of inspiration for her collection Morbidly Curious being a medical human anatomy book, her pieces reflect this by using parts of the human anatomy in a bid to make the mind curious.
Abbi uses the lost wax process to create texture and a lifelike appearance. To add variety to colour, Abbi cast the pieces in both silver and brass, oxidising some pieces to make these areas stand out. The brass took on an iridescent effect as this surface had not been polished. Representing the twisting of the stomach and veins, and to add comfort to the heavy pieces, the castings are paired with woven rope and leather cord.
Qualification: Level 3 Diploma in Jewellery Manufacturing
Graduated: September 2019
ALICE BERTAZZOLO
Alice Bertazzolo‘s collection By The Sea is a personal tribute to Sardinia – a beautiful island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea where she lived before moving to London. The collection seeks to recreate in jewellery form some of the features characteristic to the sea environment in order to capture and preserve them for eternity. Such features, rather than material objects, refer more to sensations, feelings and moods – those small details that could be perceived as insignificant but are the very elements that are missed the most.
Alice has created pieces that afford the wearer the same sensations of fulfilment and ease that infuse her after a day spent by the sea. She has focused particularly on recreating fluidity, lightness and a sense of movement and has added pearls and abstract sea shell shapes in order to connect further with the concept.
Qualification: Level 3 Diploma in Jewellery Manufacturing
Graduated: September 2019
Website: https://bealice.co/
KIM MOXEY
Kim’s collection is inspired by movement and travel to different countries. Each sterling silver coin is a reminder of a visited place or reflects a desire to travel to that destination. Each casting, even of the same coin, is unique to represent distinctive and particular moments experienced in those countries.
Castings are formed in various stages of completeness with some of the entire coin whereas others leave a chunk missing or are only missing the edges. This suggests a fulfilled travel experience, the yearning to return to the country or indicates unfinished business. Additionally, a spinning mechanism is incorporated into the design of each piece which serves to combine art and function – the physical spinning action keeping your fingers busy whilst allowing your mind to relax into a meditative state.
Qualification: Level 3 Diploma in Jewellery Manufacturing
Graduated: September 2019
ANASTASIA VLACHOU
Anastasia hails from Greece and takes inspiration from the deep sea where pearls grow as a parasite on oysters. Anastasia explores the dependent relationship of the pearl to the oyster in her debut collection Pearl Connection.
Research led to the discovery of ground parasites with beautiful shapes and textures and this was the main source of inspiration for the collection. Pearls are combined with silver which is then oxidised to create a darkened effect to highlight the textures and shapes.
Qualification: Level 3 Diploma in Jewellery Manufacturing
Graduated: September 2019
OLIVIA KELLY
Inspired by the twists and turns of Baroque ornamental filigree, Olivia’s collection of work expresses movement and fluidity.
Qualification: Level 3 Diploma in Jewellery Manufacturing
Graduated: July 2018
EMILY JEFFERSON
Emily’s interest lies in juxtaposing something macabre with something beautiful. Inspired by growths and skin abnormalities she renders them in precious metals to be worn with pride and pleasure. New works push the idea of distortion, creating work that has been inspired by warped images of the body underwater or through a filter.
Qualification: Level 3 Diploma in Jewellery Manufacturing
Graduated: July 2018
JACK JEFFERSON
Jack presents a mixed selection of pieces taken from two collections. The Lava collection takes inspiration from the textures and movement of lava flows while pieces from the ‘Contrast’ collection explore different metals and colours on the same piece.
Qualification: Level 3 Diploma in Jewellery Manufacturing
Graduated: July 2018
PHOEBE THOMPSON
Phoebe’s collection Blake uses clean lines to create bold forms and distinct pieces. Inspired by Brutalist architecture around London, the collection is based entirely on four shapes, placed together in different ways, focusing on simplicity with touches of playfulness through movement, sculpture and repetition.
Through playing with scale, Phoebe has used the immensity and somewhat overpowering feeling the buildings can cast over the observer to create pieces that are large in size or character, while retaining the basic nature through minimal style, simple lines and geometric shapes. These pieces are designed to stand out and be seen, giving the wearer a sense of individuality and empowerment.
Qualification: Level 3 Diploma in Jewellery Manufacturing
Graduated: July 2017
EKATERINA BRAVIN
I am passionate about all forms of art and believe that jewellery is one of them and can transmit a concept. My first collection, Abandoned, is inspired by forsaken places, particularly industrial sites. I am fascinated by the transformation of things – how they change by being exposed to various factors when they are left aside. I focus especially on the transformation of metal and how it reacts while exposed to organic and chemical factors.
My work is experimental and conceptual combined to traditional techniques. The materials are silver and copper mixed to unconventional elements like nails, screws, found objects, spray paint and Atlantic salt. In my project I modify metal by oxidising, heating, dying and enamelling. My idea is that nothing stays the same – all changes and transforms and it’s an incredibly interesting process!
Qualification: Level 3 Diploma in Jewellery Manufacturing
Graduated: July 2017
NEL HOLLAND
Nel’s work unites her background in textiles with her new journey into jewellery design. In this collection, she has juxtaposed materials from these two disciplines to create pieces with strong metal form and structure, echoed by a soft, cushioning layer of wool felt. With strong aesthetic appeal through considered material manipulation, shape, form and scale, her aim is to create simple, striking pieces that appeal to the eye, hand and soul.
Qualification: Level 3 Diploma in Jewellery Manufacturing
Graduated: July 2017
SONYA CHAUHAN
Sonya’s exploration of jewellery making is born from a curiosity about the polarities of strength and fragility, of density and void and of absence and presence. Sonya’s first collection All Burnt Out is inspired by the sudden act of combustion and the alchemical process of transforming matter.
Intrigued by the changes wrought by fire, Sonya’s work is experimental and responsive to the techniques she explored, such as enamelling. The precious metals she uses for her jewellery are bonded with contrasting materials from bright leathers to enamel and pigments delicately laced with gold powder. Her jewellery boldly brings to life the beauty of the void and demonstrates a sensitive appreciation of the restoration of inner space. It captures the beauty of what is left behind, of what emerges.
Qualification: Level 3 Diploma in Jewellery Manufacturing
Graduated: July 2017
Website: www.sonyachauhan.co.uk
DEBORAH CROW
Deborah’s collection, War Without Tears, is inspired by the theme of ‘dispersal’ after she was moved by the tragic stories and suffering of refugees who fled war in Syria in 2015 and sought safety away from their homeland. An image of a child crawling under coils of razor wire formed the seed from which the collection grew.
Her pieces comment on the futility and cyclical nature of war in general as it progresses through consecutive generations. Toy soldiers are used as a metaphor for the lost childhoods of the youngest victims caught up in a conflict they cannot understand.
Deborah is a fine art graduate currently using jewellery making to express her ideas.
Qualification: Level 3 Diploma in Jewellery Manufacturing
Graduated: July 2016
Website: www.deborahcrow.com
SALLY VANDERPUMP
“The clouds methought would open, and show riches / Ready to drop upon me”, Caliban, The Tempest, Act 3, scene 2.
Hours spent staring at the heavens inspired Sally to explore artistic representations of dramatic skies. For her collection Radiance she experimented with techniques to create cloudy forms, all with paintbrush strokes in mind. Pendants and earrings are made by casting molten silver into ice, salt and chickpeas. Rings are carved in wax and cast in silver, some plated with gold.
With a background in the theatre, Sally’s latest collection, For Daws to Peck At, was inspired by the language of Shakespeare.
Qualification: Level 3 Diploma in Jewellery Manufacturing
Graduated: July 2016
Website: www.sallyvanderpump.com
JO BAKER
Jo’s collection pays homage to American minimalist and land artist Robert Smithson. Drawing on his landscape-scale sculptures of poured asphalt and mirrors, geology and crystals, she explores the technique of pouring molten silver onto wire rings, frames and stones.
The pieces exploit serendipity and chaos. Most are one-offs never to be repeated. They reveal silver’s fluid character. Jo’s background is in physics and astronomy and writing; she works as an editor on a science magazine. But she yearns to explore the nature of materials creatively.
Qualification: Level 3 Diploma in Jewellery Manufacturing
Graduated: July 2016
Website: www.jobaker.design
KIMBERLEY ELLISON
The Last Spill depicts a world where humanity faces its cruelties, opening the fragile interior of what was once a strong world. Floating between the black sea and the black sky, ice pockets of ancient air stand still.
The Alkonost, a bird once full of life and passion but extinct since The Last Spill of 2011, is resurrected in these gallery pieces of 2316. These glacial excavations give a glimpse into past mistakes: beautiful creatures destroyed by a dark world. How careless of humans to destroy something so magnificent.
Kimberley is an eco-conscious artist who tries to bring light to environmental issues through sculptural jewellery.
Qualification: Level 3 Diploma in Jewellery Manufacturing
Graduated: July 2016
CHARLOTTE REICHWALD
Charlotte has always been interested in how jewellery can give the wearer a strong sense of identity and empowerment. Elevating simple everyday line, form and object into bold, distinct pieces inspires her designs, each with a nod to playfulness. The pieces in the collection, Dance, focus on movement.
Each piece has an element that slides, spins or flips with the motion of the wearer, giving them a life of their own. The aim is that the pieces are inherently tactile. The works are made of mixed metals: silver, gold and brass.
Qualification: Level 3 Diploma in Jewellery Manufacturing
Graduated: July 2016
Website: www.reichwaldjewellery.com
SIMONE BREWSTER
Simone also holds a degree in Architecture from the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London and an MA, Design Products from the Royal College of Art. All of these influences can clearly be seen in her jewellery collections which explore ‘intimate architectures’ – creating objects and spaces that utilise architectural principals throughout.
Qualification: Level 3 Diploma in Jewellery Manufacturing
Graduated: March 2015
Website: www.simonebrewsterjewellery.co.uk
JOANNE YELDHAM
The sharp angles, shapes and lines that can be found in architecture are trademarks of Joanne’s collection. She enjoys manipulating solid materials, scoring and folding solid metal to form unexpected outcomes.
While predominantly working in silver, Joanne likes to mix materials and finishes to add another dimension to her pieces. She has used wood veneers, gold and oxidisation techniques in this collection.
Joanne has a degree in Interior Design and Environmental Architecture. She has also studied 3D design, specialising in product design.
Qualification: Level 3 Diploma in Jewellery Manufacturing
Graduated: March 2015
MEGAN COLLINS
Bringing natural form into modern life is a characteristic of Megan’s work. Her collection echoes the repetitive circular shapes of succulent plants widely found in her native Southern Africa. Clean geometry, and the combination of silver, brass and textile, creates a sharp, contemporary visual.
Megan has a degree in Fine Art from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth and a background in fashion design. She continues to make jewellery from her home in Belgium.
Qualification: Level 3 Diploma in Jewellery Manufacturing
Graduated: March 2015
Website: www.megancollinsjewellery.com
MARIAN RIPOLL VAQUER
Marian has used her hands to make things since she was a child growing up in Mallorca. Her love of design and experimenting with new ideas led her to study architecture in her native Spain, a discipline she has been practicing in London for the last ten years.
Marian’s collection is testament to her interest in creating space. It contains jewellery that has life beyond simply sitting on the surface of the skin. It also forms individual spaces of light and shadow around our bodies.
Qualification: Level 3 Diploma in Jewellery Manufacturing
Graduated: March 2015
Website: www.marianripoll.com
VIVEKA ALVESTRAND
Fluid, organic shapes are defining characteristics of Swedish born designer-maker Viveka’s jewellery. Wavelife, her debut collection of rings and bracelets, is a love song to a Scandinavian childhood spent by the sea.
Her pieces can be worn on their own or as an ensemble and seek to distil the essence of waves that are always in motion and forever remaking themselves.
A graduate of Goldsmiths College in London, Viveka has spent most of her career in digital media.
Qualification: Level 3 Diploma in Jewellery Manufacturing
Graduated: March 2015
Website: www.vivekaalvestrand.com