As a passionate artist and jeweller, preserving history through wearable art has always been a keen interest of mine. Working mostly in silver, I rework scrap and donated pieces of vintage silver, giving them a new lease of life. Putting my own personal style alongside iconic motifs such as Claddagh, my work draws inspiration from Irish folklore, fairytales and dark legends, and I am influenced by the backdrop of the coastline and woodland areas across the country. 

Sustainability is vastly important to me, repairing rather than replacing, using recycled cardboard for my jewellery boxes, and swapping harsh chemicals for natural alternatives. I am mindful of my impact on the earth by using foraged sea glass, ethically mined and second hand stones.

I am particularly passionate about creating my jewellery with history in mind, using traditional methods and tools as an alternative to the ever popular method of 3D printing. While these modern techniques have many benefits and have helped propel metalsmithing into today’s ever changing landscape of new technology, I have always been drawn to traditional techniques, as each piece created has been thoughtfully crafted and refined by hand, adding an individuality and charm to each and every creation. 

Using a range of hammers, anvils, gravers and grainers, hand files and crucibles, I find that these tools help me to add an element of history to my pieces, particularly in the case of my vintage tools, kindly donated to me by members of the community, with most being over 60 years old, passed down from generation to generation. I find that this keeps me mindful of my craft, where materials and tools come from, thinking of the person who owned the silver before it was reworked, or what was created from the tools I am using nearly 6 decades later. Moving forward, I am committed to continue creating jewellery with Ireland’s rich history of metalwork in mind, preserving its heritage and creating new jewellery from old.