Imagined Designed Crafted
Inspiration and Jewellery Making Process
There is a wealth of heritage on our island of Ireland. Ancient wedge tombs and stone circles sit quietly discovered and undiscovered all over rugged landscape holding secrets to our past.
Our Gaeilge language is the oldest living language in Western Europe. It is a language of magic with ethereal words untranslatable into English. In the words of Manchán Magan in the article below, it is as much as language of the unseen as the seen. He refers to words like scim that can mean a thin film of dust on a mantlepiece or alternatively a fairy film!
All these aspects of Irish and wider Celtic culture provide a huge well of Inspiration for my jewellery designs.
I trained as a Silversmith at Belfast Metropolitan College and I also studied wax sculpting with Master Modeller Jarek Kwasik in Dublin. Modelling in wax facilitates a more 3-dimensional aspect to design.
The design process for me is ongoing... it's almost like a lifestyle process. When I travel around Ireland, or study the Irish language, watch an archaeological program or simply go for a walk in the park, I'm always getting ideas and inspiration for design. I have to sketch how I would like to represent this particular story or concept. I have to also figure out the technical logistics of it! Will it suit being sculpted, or would it be better designed in silver sheet or both. Is the design even possible! I did contemplate Manannan Mac Lir's invisible cloak but I have put that one on the long finger for now!
The jewellery design and making proces is thoroughly enjoyable and enriching for me and I hope you enjoy browsing through or wearing the designs as much as I enjoy creating them.
