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I've always had a magpie instinct for anything bright and sparkly, and have been collecting rocks and mineral specimens for as long as I can remember. Their healing and metaphysical properties are fascinating, and this provided the inspiration to begin creating jewellery with semi-precious gemstone beads several years ago. Now I'm hooked and a total bead-junkie! I spend a huge amount of time tracking down the best gemstones and materials available, and purchase all the silver and gold vermeil used in my work directly from the artisans in Bali and Thailand. Wherever possible I try to incorporate rarer stones, along with hard to find components such as antique trade beads and vintage Swarovski crystal to add a sense of history to the designs. My goal is to create eclectic artisan jewellery, which makes the wearer feel radiant and beautiful, and to provide a unique alternative to the mass-produced jewellery that is so readily available. All my designs are one-offs and cannot be duplicated. Usually I don't have the materials available to do so, as I prefer to buy small quantities of the latest cuts and styles to keep my designs fresh and maximise variety of components used. I also possess an extremely low boredom threshold and would sooner stick headpins in my eyeballs than churn out multiple copies! My formal education includes a BSc (Hons) in Environmental Biology and an MSc in Historic Conservation (of buildings) from Oxford Brookes University. I'm a perpetual student at heart, qualified in a wide range of alternative therapies and love learning new skills. When not messing around with the pretty sparklies, I enjoy hiking in the Mourne Mountains and dabbling with watercolours.
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