My Ethos
Hello! I am Kate and I live in West Sussex with my husband and our children (two and four legged). I handcraft fine jewellery at my home workshop and launched my online shop in the summer of 2017. All of my jewellery is created in my workshop in the heart of our little house and this is where I spend a lot of my time hand-piercing, hammering and soldering recycled silver and recycled gold to turn it into beautiful pieces of jewellery that will last a lifetime.
I strongly believe we all have a responsibility for the world we live in and should treat it with respect. I carry this belief through to my jewellery business by using only recycled silver and gold along with ethically sourced gemstones which I purchase from trusted sellers. The packaging used to giftwrap and send out orders is minimal, purposeful and recycled, ethically and sustainably sourced. I respectfully ask that anyone receiving orders from me reuse and recycle any packaging responsibly.
My Story
I first started making jewellery in 2008, working as a neonatal nurse was taking its toll on me and I needed a creative outlet. I scoured the internet at various courses for new hobby ideas, when I found a metalsmithing course I knew that was for me. A full-time course wasn't an option as I had rent to pay so instead I bought a 'Learn to make jewellery' book and spent all my savings on the equipment to get me going. My Grandad was once a watch repairman and my Dad had kept his old workbench from this, so to this day I use my Grandfather's old workbench.
After spending all my savings on the equipment to set up a basic workshop I had no idea where to start so I had a day long crash course with Sarah Stafford at her home studio on the coast of East Sussex. This got me going for a while and after some practising with the basics at home I went on to do self-led evening classes at Jonathan Swan's Workshop in Lewes. This along with a lot more practice, a lot of passion and determination and I have build up a wealth of traditional metalsmithing skills. One of the beautiful things about metalsmithing is there is always something new to learn so I can often be found playing at my workbench and learning new techniques.
One of the collections that is closest to my heart is the La Lune collection, this range of of jewellery was designed in memory of my first son Iver and a portion of each sale goes to Tommy’s charity. You can read more about Iver on Iver’s Story page and you can view the La Lune collection over with all the other jewellery I make in the online shop.
Thank you so much for taking the time to find out about me and my handcrafted, eco-aware business.
K x