About Jo
My Story...
Hello I'm Jo a jewellery designer and lapidarist. What's a lapidarist I hear you say! Well lapidary means the ability to cut and polish gemstones and glass.
I have been creating jewellery for many years now, it all started after a bit of a life and career change.
After graduating with a degree in History of Art & Design, I unfortunately side stepped into a career less creative. It was when I became involved in the curating of an Art and Jewellery Exhibition that I realised that I needed to get back to my creative background.
This all coincided with my recover from an illness, which I did with the help of embarking on several courses in silversmithing and lapidary. The result was a voyage of discovery from creative therapy to becoming a jewellery designer and the launch of my business.
My Work..
I create unique silver jewellery incorporating milk sea glass washed up on UK beaches. I stumbled upon the milk sea glass on the beaches of Seaham in County Durham and was fascinated by the history of the glass factory which stood on the waterfront for over a hundred years.
Unlike most translucent sea glass which beachcombers find while on our beaches, milk sea glass is opaque in colour. It washes up in wonderful smooth whites and pastel colours. Click here to learn more about the colours. I felt the colours were so striking that I wanted to incorporate the glass into the jewellery I designed.
My Inspiration.
Taking inspiration from the coast, I create irregular and one-off pieces of jewellery, working with the erosion and texture of the glass.
Due to the nature of the work process, even pieces within the same collection are unique to one another as every piece of milk sea glass is shaped and polished by hand.