TREASURES FROM THE DEEP
In these treasures from the deep, fragments of sea glass, sea pottery and sea plastic found on summer days combing the beaches of Fife are combined with recycled fine and sterling silver.
The silver is twisted, fused and forged into forms which echo the years of accretions found on submerged ropes of seaweed, shell fragments, barnacles and the spirals of snails and worm casts.
My starting point is often a spiral, a primordial natural form and a source of inspiration to jewellers from the Picts and Celts through to modern Scottish jewellery and the wearable sculptures of Alexander Calder.
I like to encrust spirals in fused silver; the results are often unexpected and there is always a lot of texture, which I hammer and polish in places.
As in nature, the finished result can be delicate. Each piece of jewellery is unique, a response to a particular piece of glass or the way the silver has behaved when heated.
The flowing organic seaweed rings were made using the ancient Japanese Mitsuro Hikime wax casting technique. I have added gold leaf to other pieces with Keum-boo, an ancient Korean technique.
The glass beads I use are mostly antique, usually from Murano. The pearls are cultured freshwater and are sometimes slightly coloured. The mesh is made from a fine nylon-coated copper wire.
I have enjoyed making these pieces and hope that this reminder of summer beaches will give you pleasure.
I began silversmithing in 2017 with Edward Mahony, Silversmith (More than Metal, Faversham, Kent) before returning to Scotland in 2021.
I have previously exhibited with the Halpern Gallery in Medway (Summer 2024) and the Tatha Gallery, Newport-on-Tay (Summer 2025).