This year there has been an amazing exhibition of Turner and Constable at Tate Britain, London. I was taken there as a birthday treat and it was utterly mesmerising. It’s on until 12 April so there is still time to catch it. Husband bought me the book so I can refer to it at any time.
I have been focussing on skies and landscape more a more recently. The desire to look up and see the wonder above, rather than the increasingly awful reality on Earth has been both an inspiration and a comfort in these difficult times.
Sketchbook page inspired by Turner skies
I try to make Sundays a non-studio day and I often reach for my sketchbook and paints then to try and capture what is in my head , with a view to maybe translating some of them into enamel at a later date.
Watercolours and gouache.
Each enamelled piece starts with a piece of silver which I engrave by hand. Then there are many very thin layers of enamel, painstakingly applied, building up colours and tone. Each layer is fired for one or two minutes in my kiln before the next.
Some of the stages of enamelling this small pendant.
Here are some finished pieces.
New small pendants and earrings inspired by Turner paintingsSwans flying across a golden sky
This necklace is inspired by a visit to Dubrovnik late last year. ‘Pearl in the Adriatic’ is the name often given to Dubrovnik, Croatia. The design is inspired by the view from the cliffs just outside the old town. The colours of the sea and vegetation combined with the textures of the foliage were absolutely breathtaking and I knew immediately I wanted to try and replicate it in enamel as a piece of jewellery.
I studied the texture of the vegetation in order to try and replicate it in the hand engraved texture that comprises the Basse-taille technique.
Sketch book Designs for Pearl in the Adriatic enamel necklace
I explored different shapes in my sketch book before settling on the final design. I decided to use cloisonné for the agave leaves to bring them forward in the design.
From photos and drawings in my sketchbook I engraved the silver to echo the foliage. I then used very thin layers of transparent jewellery enamel to colour the design, using the enamel like watercolours and adding tiny amounts with careful and painstaking placement. To finish the whole piece was ground and polished before making the silver setting and selecting the freshwater pearls that it is strung with. The finished piece carries the memory of that perfect day with the breathtaking view that the wearer can touch and enjoy wherever they are .
Competition Success
I was absolutely delighted when this necklace too won a silver award at the Goldsmiths’ Craftsmanship & Design Awards 2026. It nearly didn’t get finished in time and it was a real race against the clock. I knew as soon as I saw the view though that I wanted to make this necklace for this year’s awards. It was a huge challenge to finish it in time but I was determined to give it my all. Once I had completed the other necklace, Marsh Dawn that also won an award though!
Success at 2026 GCDC AwardsPearl in the Adriatic enamel necklace Silver Award at 2026 GCDC Awards
A celebration of the sea, dunes and marshes of the North Norfolk coast, UK
One of my favourite places to visit in the UK is the North Norfolk coast. My family and I have been regularly visiting for the past thirty years or so and it is a place that always inspires me. Last summer husband and I went again and this time we stayed more centrally than previously and as a result we were able to spend lots of time walking by the sea and marshes instead of driving to and from my favourite places. I fell in love with the landscape there all over again and was able to spend lots of time drawing and photographing the wild flowers and the amazing ever changing views of sea, sky and marsh land together with the abundant birds and wildflowers. During the course of a week of breakfasting on fresh croissants from a local cafe whilst sitting on a bench watching the ever changing water in the inlet together with long daily walks along the coast, ideas for a whole new range gradually appeared in my sketchbook as if by magic. They were literally born as a result of immersing myself in the spirit of the landscape around me whilst hunting for fossils, paddling in the sea and walking the coastal footpaths with marshes, dunes, pebbles and wildlife together with the ever crashing waves and the sound of gulls as a soundtrack. I called them Seascape and some of you may have seen some of these at shows last year. I hope they convey a sense of the place and remind you of your own special times on beaches and by the sea in with family and friends.
Seascape Pins and brooches
The first pieces I made were small brooches. The one on the right can also be worn as a pendant. I love a brooches myself as they pin just as easily to a fleece or jersey as to smart going out clothes. They are cloisonné enamel on silver that I have hand-engraved.
Like the brooches these are all hand engraved silver with cloisonné enamel. Many of my piece feature a jelly fish because we saw them in the harbour whilst we were disembarking after a boat trip along the coast.
More pieces are being added to this range so please check out my shop if you are interested. If a piece isn’t available please contact me as some pieces may be able to be repeated. They won’t be identical but could be very similar.
More pictures from North Norfolk coast, UK
Here are a few more images of the spectacular scenery. They don’t do it justice but I hope they convert just a little of the huge skies and sense of space and freedom that I felt there.
I have recently finished another brooch/pendant in my new series of pieces designed to raise awareness of environmental issues. This depicts a coral reef in cloisonné enamel on basse-taille silver. The edges are grey and dark symbolising the damage they are suffering due to climate change and pollution. The centre is vibrant as a sign of hope and the whole piece is designed to raise awareness of the issue. The world needs to act now and I want this brooch to help spark conversations on the issue between the wearer and people around them.
The reverse of the brooch has been engraved and it has a double pin and a loop for a chain so it can be worn as a pendant. The brooch stands up so it can be displayed when it isn’t being worn.
I was inspired to make this as a follow up to the Seahorse in Kelp Forest pendant and brooch that featured in a previous post. I plan to make more in this series. The idea came to me following a trip to London Zoo with my son for our joint birthday. They have a super aquarium display that really captured my imagination. Later I visited the Seaworld centre in London to draw the coral in their display there. Maybe I will need to learn to dive one day so I can see habitats like this in the sea but in the meantime being able to see them in aquariums helps me to gain an understanding of how to depict them.
Here are a few images of the piece being made. The colours were developed over many firings before finally the piece was ground and polished to finish the enamel ready for me to construct the setting.
I have long been interested in environmental issues and when I was tasked with making a piece for an exhibition entitled “Underwater Flora and Fauna”, I remembered hearing about Kelp Forests and I decided to investigate further.
I learned that these are found all over the world but I was particularly interested to discover that they exist off the Sussex coast which is near to where I live. Kelp forests provide a vital habitat for a host of sealife, from tiny worms to young fish and help protect coastal areas from storm surges. Threats to them include climate change, pollution and over fishing. David Attenborough made a film for BBC South called “Save Magical Kelp Forests”. There is a campaign by Sussex Wildlife Trust highlighting this issue and I wanted to help by raising awareness. Jewellery has been used throughout history to convey messages and this piece follows this tradition to help initiate conversations about the cause.
Sketch book designs for Kelp Forest jewellery
I began by making lots of drawings to decide the shape and the design. The first piece I made was a smaller pendant measuring 40mm x 26mm. This enabled me to try out the colours and the design before I committed to a larger piece of silver.
I wanted to make the next piece able to be worn both as a brooch and a pendant. This makes it more versatile and adaptable, plus brooches/badges are particularly associated with messages and protest. It took a lot of planning to ensure the shape worked for both, as well as working to help create the illusion of depth to the sea. Here is the design I chose to make.
Seahorse in Kelp Forest Pendant/brooch
The enamel comprises fine gold and fine silver cloisonné on basse taille fine silver, set in a bezel with jelly fish on the back. There is a loop for a chain and a double pin brooch fastening. The pin fastening can be used as a stand to display the piece when it is not being worn. It measures 56mm x 28mm.
Seahorse in Kelp Forest PendantReverse of Seahorse in Kelp ForestBrooch/pendantSeahorse in Kelp Forest Pendant/brooch on display
I am planning for this to be part of a new series of pieces entitled “Let’s Talk”. There are too many instances of individuals, businesses and governments quietly getting on with polluting our planet in pursuit of profit, without a care for the consequences. “Let’s Talk” will be a range of pieces designed to promote conversation about environmental issues and to raise awareness. With knowledge and coming together there is a real hope that we can work together for the good of nature and to promote a better, healthier future for us, our children and for generations yet to come. Knowledge is power and we can use it to work together for a better future.
Manage Cookie Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
