Have you ever wondered what it looks like inside a jewellery artist's studio? Take a virtual tour with us through our studio in Sechelt, BC to see where we create your treasures.
"May what I do flow from me like a river, no forcing and no holding back, the way it is with children."
-Rainer Maria Rilke
I find inspiration comes to me in different ways and I try to always be open to it, wherever it may appear.
Sometimes I start by selecting a few gemstones to work with and sketch out a design in one of my many sketchbooks. I select each and every stone by hand and I try to let the stones "speak" to me and let a design form around them. I will sit down with a cup of strong tea in one of my favourite handmade mugs and just start drawing, letting ideas flow, trying not to censor myself.
"Creativity is just connecting things."
-Steve Jobs
I also find design inspiration from working on what may look like a messy work surface. I like to have bits and bobs and shapes and textures and metals and stones on my bench because sometimes something will get put next to something else and it will make total sense and I'll discover a new design.
When I started making jewellery twenty years ago I worked on an old wooden school desk in our living room. I still use this desk for tool storage because it's pretty great and holds good memories. I was lucky enough to have a good friend build me a custom workbench a few years ago. It has a really long work surface so I can spread out, lots of drawers for storing tools that I use frequently and a few different levels. I use a variety of hand tools, some that I actually inherited from my grandmother who made jewellery as a hobby. My bench sits under a window overgrown with pink roses, where it gets flooded with natural light and welcome ocean breezes.
We designed and built our studio with the intention of creating a space that would let inspiration and creativity flow. Our studio is painted a beautiful, soft pink (my favourite colour). The space is calm and inviting with only a few things on our walls. A few framed prints from some of our favourite local artists, a photograph that reminds me to allow for joy and a few pieces of art from friends.
And then there's tools, tools and more tools! Tools for forming and shaping metal, texturing, cutting, drilling, soldering, sizing, stone setting and polishing.
This station is where Kelly forms, textures and shapes metal for our pieces. This wooden base is carved out of a single tree trunk! We scored this treasured piece in a local thrift store.
And lastly, the soldering station, where some of the real magic of metalsmithing happens.
We hope you've enjoyed this virtual tour of our jewellery studio. Thanks for joining us!
Now that you've gotten a view behind the scenes, browse some of our inspired artisan creations here.