My motivations

Having spent years at the bench, honing technique and discipline, I find that, although I am doing what I love, there is something missing. Some indefinable notion that this is not all it could be.

The position of the bench jeweler is a unique one, we interpret the designs given by the customers to the salespeople. The salespeople may or may not have interpreted the customer's wishes correctly. Regardless of that interaction, our job is to produce a fine piece of jewellery that fits the description given. Beyond advising on design elements that simply will not work, we have no access to the customer and often in larger companies, we have no direct contact with the salespeople either.

So, in order to produce pieces that are well made but may not fit into my own aesthetic appreciation, I had become 'design neutral' This is not an evil in itself as it allowed me to be able to focus on the technical aspects of making, thereby improving my skill set whilst getting paid to boot. Much like practising on someone else's time.

Too many years of this, however, and I feel as if I have lost my aesthetic sensibilities, nothing engages my designing mind on a daily basis. I'm not in a position to give an opinion because I've stopped listening to myself. I've spent so long a time interpreting other people's desires, wishes and stories that I've forgotten that I have a story which people may find engaging.

This period of study is a sort of reawakening of my critical mind. A chance to give my interpretation of the world around us and thanks to the years sitting at the bench, I have the technical prowess to be able to give shape to my thoughts.

As a starting point I have chosen to study decorative wrought ironwork as it has always captured my imagination and awe. Part of the reason for becoming a goldsmith was that there were no courses in ironwork available to me and the two crafts are closely linked in technique and antiquity.