Jewellery Designers

Lucy Sylvester, an Oxfordshire jewellery designer inspired by creepy crawlies . . .

Cockroaches, spiders and flies may not sound very glamorous but they are the inspiration behind Lucy Sylvester's beautiful and unusual jewellery designs. Lucy, 32, is on a one-woman crusade to prove to the rest of us that many of the creepy crawlies we tend to shy away from have hidden charms.

"It is about persuading people to see them in a more positive light," she explained. "Cockroaches have really beautiful wing and leg structures and the colours you find in flies and the intricate patterns on their wings are really lovely."

Lucy regularly puts her dog on a lead and heads off into the Oxfordshire countryside searching for insects, seeds, leaves and twigs. Once back in her Banbury studio, she takes a mould from them or uses them as inspiration for her jewellery crafted from silver, gold and platinum.

"I love the idea that I am taking something that would have just decayed into the ground and disappeared and turning it into something permanent and precious," she said.

Since completing an MA at Birmingham School of Jewellery Jewellery in 2002, she has been fascinated by the idea of adorning women with insects they traditionally don't like.

When working in silver, Lucy often oxidises the surface and polishes areas back up so that the delicate details and patterns are on show.

She also manages to create brown, blue or black hues so that the dragonflies, cockroaches, spiders or flies appear more lifelike.

Reactions to her work are often extreme: "There is a neckpiece and ring I make I call swarm'. The flies are in a geometric pattern so they look like flowers from a distance," she said.

"People say What a lovely flower' but it's only when they get close that they realise it's a swarm of flies and that provokes a big reaction.

"Once I had someone get cross and go all animal rights on me because they thought I killed the insects," she said. "But I've been a strict vegetarian for 17 years and would never hurt a living thing. I only ever pick up dead insects and by using them as inspiration, give them a new lease of life," she added.

Not only does Lucy go around with her pockets stuffed with seedheads, twigs and creepy crawlies, she has her friends and family well trained too.

"Other people find dead flies or spiders under their fridges and keep them for me," she laughed.

But it is not all about insects, Lucy also uses many plants and trees as inspiration.

An example is the twig-style spoon with snails (pictured above) that is a favourite for a wedding or christening gift.

Other popular pieces are acorn pendants, rings and bracelets.

"Customers give them as 18th birthday presents to mark the start of adult life or mothers buy one for themselves and one each for their daughters because they are a family tree," she explained.

"Every new place I visit and each new season that begins, I find new forms of nature I can work with. It really is a never-ending source of inspiration.

Lucy Sylvester's Banbury studio is open for Oxfordshire Artweeks on May 10-11 and May 17-18 from noon to 6pm. For more details call 01295 263848 or visit the website: www.lucysylvester.co.uk

Gina Cowen

Oxford's Folly Bridge may be a long way from the sea but for Gina Cowen, it's where she carefully crafts her treasure trove of sea glass into the most exquisite jewellery.

Sea glass is formed by the effect of the ocean on broken glass over time.

"It has a luminous quality, as if being gently lit from within," Gina said. "I have collected wonderful glass from a beach in County Durham on the site of a Victorian glass factory. At first it seemed unreal, as there were colourful gems in every imaginable hue."

"The first sea glass I collected was from a beach near Cape Town in the early nineties," she recalled. "There were hundreds of frosted smooth sea jewels in pale aqua, olive green, white, amber and pale pink."

Back in London, she researched the best way to drill glass, seeking help from a Hatton Garden jeweller and even engineers at Imperial College. A year at Camberwell College, evening classes and a lot of perseverance later, she became committed full-time to creating jewellery from this wonderful resource.

Gina's work has been shown widely abroad - in Tokyo, the US, Rome, the British Embassy in Paris and in London, where The Sea Glass Collection was showcased at Liberty's department store. The subsequent attention led her to form contacts with other sea glass collectors around the world and with galleries in the UK. She said: "These much-prized jewels are now in high demand, so I am lucky enough to have a large collection and to know where to look," Gina added.

Every piece of glass is different and inspires Gina to see something new, whether for a ring, necklace, bracelet, brooch, earrings or cufflinks. Customers will often choose a piece of sea glass and ask her to make something.

"You could say that I make my jewellery for people who love the sea, as it is something which the sea has had a hand in creating."

Gina Cowen is opening up her studio at Island Tower, Folly Bridge, Oxford, during Oxfordshire Artweeks on May 16, from 6-9pm, and on May 17 and 24 from noon until 6pm each day. Call 01865 202443 to make an appointment or visit the website: www.seaglass.co.uk

Ladies Who Lunch Jewellery

Colourful with an exotic twist best describes the jewellery produced by the trio of mums who make up Ladies Who Lunch. This cosmopolitan flavour is no surprise when you learn that sisters Mandy Browne and Lesley Schillinger spent part of their childhood in the Far East.

Mandy went on to live in Africa and later Istanbul, while Lesley ran her own business in Hong Kong and later moved to Singapore.

Their fellow entrepreneur Gillian Diggle lived in Malaysia for years too.

But despite all these Asian connections, Lesley and Gillian met each other as neighbours in the tiny Oxfordshire village of Marsh Baldon, near Nuneham Courtenay.

Back in 2004, Lesley was putting on an interior design exhibition and needed some jewellery to finish a dressing table.

When a jewellery designer let her down, Gillian, who has an art degree, came to the rescue and helped make some. The pieces sold quickly and that was when the idea for the Ladies Who Lunch jewellery business was born.

When Mandy moved back to England, she decided to join them.

"Gillian and Lesley are the creative ones who put the colours together and make the jewellery while I concentrate on marketing," she explained.

They all have busy family lives. Mandy and Gillian each has three children aged between three and 15, while Lesley has two who are 11 and 15.

They work from a studio in Oxford and market their designs at house parties, craft fairs and via their website.

Although they use semi-precious beads, vintage beads and even pearls sourced from all over the world, everything is priced under £80 and pieces start from just £3.

"The nice thing about our jewellery is that every piece is unique," Mandy pointed out. "You know you'll never see anyone else walking around wearing the same necklace."

Ladies Who Lunch are exhibiting with the artists of Little Wittenham , near Abingdon, during Oxfordshire Artweeks from May 3-11 from noon-6pm every day except May 8, when it is noon-8pm. For more information call 01494 729813 or visit the website www.ladieswholunch.com

Rachel Bright

Rachel Bright describes herself as a designer who creates statement jewellery for the body. Her Artwear pieces are highly unusual and not always easy to categorise, which is so often the hallmark of truly original design.

She "explores forms that are based on the negative spaces around the body," and this influences where they are worn, and she uses materials that begin with little value and makes them precious with fine craftsmanship and bold design. Her pieces are constructed by hand-wrapping thread into 3D structures. The materials range from the finest silk thread to coarser metal wire which are intricately wrapped and bound together to make unique formations.

Rachel's work follows themes that relate to historical culture and the environment and she only produces one-offs.

Her Morning Dew collection resemble dew drops on grass, and Pearl Necklace is a string of large spheres, made from ivory coloured wire bound with delicate pinks, creams and lilacs, each one as unique as a natural pearl.

On The Street is inspired by the ancient and modern, first a statement on street culture then a contemporary take on Elizabethan wear.

Rachel studied jewellery design at Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College for three years. Her Oxfordshire Artweeks exhibition is her first major display and she is keen to see the reaction from visitors.

"I make jewellery for women who are passionate about life and are living it to the full, as they are the ones who appreciate beauty and the unique aesthetic quality of the pieces," she said.

Rachel's studio is at 59 Queensway, Didcot, and will be open from May 3-11 from 9am until 5pm. Call 07732 095776 or e-mail brightrachel@gmail.com

Emma Worsley

Emma crafts intricate pieces in mainly silver and precious stones that seem to have a life of their own. Three butterflies form a pendant and look like they could flutter away, fine silver bangles are made individual by tiny hearts and a chain of silver daisies are a precious take on this childhood classic.

"Travelling is a great inspiration to me," she explained. "I love the feeling of seeing new places - this has always helped me to develop ideas."

"The variety of colour and texture also makes my pieces accessible as they range from single studs priced at £10 to large, delicate necklaces that have a value of around £300."

For Oxfordshire Artweeks, Emma will be exhibiting from May 10-18 at The Barn, Firs Farm, Over Norton OX7 5PT. Opening times are noon-6pm (Thursday open until 8pm), contact 01608 643463 or visit the website www.emmaworsley.com

Tess Blenkinsop

Tess produces a range of brightly-coloured plastic jewellery, based on the prints of the St Ives artist Terry Frost. Recently Waddsedon Manor commissioned Tess to come up with a range of silver jewellery for its new exhibition called All that Glitters', which has the theme of shopping and advertising in 18th-century Paris.

Her Oxfordshire Artweeks exhibition will feature some of her most recent ranges along with pieces Tess makes for her own interest. Prices start at £40 for earrings up to £400 for large necklaces.

Tess is exhibiting at 43 Oakthorpe Road, Oxford, which will be open from May 17-25, noon to 6pm. Call her on 01865 513812 or e-mail tess@tessblenkinsop.co.uk