Ringing The Changes 2020
March 1st – May 31st (private view Saturday February 29th 4-7 pm)
Ringing The Changes is an exhibition of internationally renowned British based jewellers designing distinctly modern rings, complimenting both the contemporary and the traditional. The exhibition has been a regular feature at the gallery and now in its seventh year it is set to feature nine incredible designers, all specialising in rings made from a wide range of materials, styles and price points to suit all our valued customers. Sustainability is important with the designers using materials that are sourced as ethically as possible. We look forward to welcoming you soon.
Warm Wishes,
Victoria & Team
Featured Exhibitors:
Ed Wilson
Ed Wilson grew up in the artistically renowned town of St.Ives on Cornwall’s rugged coast, surrounded by a rich history of art and sculpture, which without doubt has impacted his creativity. His love of the ocean and surfing has sent him on adventures around the globe and his love of jewellery began from his travels to Mexico over 20 years ago. The influence of the movement, colours and the raw nature of the ocean and its surroundings can be seen through his work. His incorporation of precious gemstones and subtle textures, highlight the organic shapes and structural curves of his elegant stand out hand-carved pieces. He honours classic contemporary designs but often with an avant-garde twist, experimenting with textures, colours, and symmetry as part of the narrative of the pieces of jewellery. He above all values the precision of his craftsmanship, producing timeless, soulful, bold and edgy collections.
Eily O’Connell
Creating wearable macabre treasures that have a mysterious and otherworldly presence Eily carefully selects an assortment of natural forms that each have appeal and intrinsic character. Studying them delicately before deciding how she will encapsulate their inherent attributes by recording them in metal opens a new world for them, allowing a change in their disposition, enhancing their mystic. Acting as the beholder of such manipulation, Eily mimics the power we as humans abuse, altering nature’s path. Ultimately, leading to a juxtaposition of allure and a sinister presence lurking through the work.
Harriet Morris
After studying History of Art at Cambridge University Harriet continued her art education at City and Guilds of London Art School. Since then she has gathered a wide range of experience in design, becoming a member of the Design Team for London 2012 Olympic Ceremonies and working as a costume designer and art director for film and theatre in London.
Harriet began her jewellery studies at Kensington and Chelsea college with Kelvin Birk before moving to Mexico in 2014 to continue at Sterling Quest School in San Miguel de Allende. San Miguel became home until 2018 when Harriet returned to the UK to enroll at Bishopsland Educational Trust where she has just completed a year of silversmithing. Harriet is a British designer-maker based at the Goldsmith’s Centre where she is presently studying on their business incubation course.
‘City mess and chaos hold the patterns that inspire my jewellery making. These can be found anywhere from the layered, disordered building in Mexico City to the specific movement of a crowd at rush hour. The process is everything. To catch this untidy energy I must lose control during the design process. The result is playful jewellery for the bold.’
Isabelle Capitain
Isabelle is originally from Germany and now designs and makes contemporary fine jewellery from her studio in the heart of London’s jewellery quarter, Hatton Garden. After finishing her apprenticeship in Germany she moved to the UK, where she has worked as a goldsmith and micro setter behind the scenes for various designers in Kent and London for a number of years.
Her work is strongly influenced by the skills she gained in her traditional apprenticeship focusing on hand making modern jewellery to the highest standards and her micro pavé training, under master goldsmith and setter Eberhard Mach. The combination of traditional skills during her apprenticeship and the use of modern technology during the diamond setting training have influenced Isabelle’s designs, as much as her fascination with all things Bauhaus.Simple understated elegance is key to Isabelle’s designs, as is the use of precious metals and high-quality gemstones. To ensure consistency from design to finished jewellery every piece is hand-made by Isabelle including all setting work. Isabelle’s formal design language makes use of the clean lines and minimalism intrinsic to Bauhaus artists, while the making of the pieces is guided by the concept of ‘form follows function’:
As well as having a strong, timeless design, it is important for jewellery to be crafted to the highest standards and long-lasting.
Jo Pond
Born in Chiswick and based in rural Staffordshire, Jo comes from a family of ‘Ponds’ who appear to have a genetic necessity for hoarding. Collecting unconventional and often unwanted items, Jo enjoys exploring symbolic references of form, material, and technique, repurposing her finds, to create unique one-off items, often assembled with the use of a laser-welder and on occasion replicated through the lost wax casting technique. Local seeds are preserved, molded and reproduced through lost wax casting, to create delicate but permanent bands of gold, to be worn and treasured. Materials and finds present themselves, often suggesting a starting point for a new collection and the composing begins.
Since completing her Master’s Degree in 2005 at the School of Jewellery, Birmingham, where she now works as a part-time lecturer, Jo’s work has been exhibited internationally, showcased at selected exhibitions such as Schmuck in Munich, the V&A Museum London, Price Tower Arts Centre Oklahoma, Velvet da Vinci in San Francisco and Galerie Rob Koudijs in Amsterdam.
Natalie Jane Harris
Natalie started her business in 2006 after completing a degree in Silversmithing and Jewellery at Loughborough University and a postgraduate year at Bishopsland Workshops. With a wealth of knowledge and experience, she moved back to the Midlands and settled into a studio at Banks Mill in Derby.
Natalie now works from a studio at The Harley Foundation, set in the grounds of Welbeck Abbey on the edge of Sherwood Forest. This stunning location provides a calm and peaceful place for Natalie to focus on her work.
Gemstones are the primary focus of Natalie’s jewellery and design always begins with highlighting the stone’s inherent natural beauty. Natalie’s fascination with gemstones, love of colour and all things sparkly lead perfectly to designing rings. Precious and semi-precious stones are sourced from all over the globe and selected for their natural beauty. The design then follows to capture and highlight a stone in all its glory. Some of the stones selected are unique which ensures the finished rings are exclusive, these pieces can make truly special gifts and something to be treasured always.
Oxx Jewellery
Based in London, Oxx Jewellery is a brand created by Belgian An Alleweireldt. She achieved a Masters in Goldsmithing, Silversmithing, Metalwork, and Jewellery at the Royal College of Art in 2002, when she received the Armourers and Braziers prize for Innovative work.
Her main inspiration is materials themselves, their possibilities and restrictions give her endless inspiration. Having both a product & jewellery designer background ergonomics, functionality and ethics are high on her agenda.
All precious metals used in her collections are 100% recycled, all Diamonds and Sapphires are ethically sourced. Larger Diamonds (from 0.3ct) come with a GIA certificate
Petra Bishai
Petra’s work is inspired by urban life reflecting her fascination with living in a large city. In her collection ‘Attachment’ she continues to consider questions of interaction but changes the emphasis to look at how individuals alter their surroundings. In ‘Attachment’ the pieces represent a fluid and flexible London held together by an outsider. There is visible tension but if the attachment is removed the piece comes apart. It is only a question of how long before the ’outsider’ becomes the ‘insider’. In this collection, Petra utilises methods not usually associated with traditional jewellery practice including knotting and stapling to underline the concept of interdependence.
Sarah Herriot
Sarah Herriot is an award-winning London based jewellery designer, working out of Bloomsbury with her trusty assistant Scout the dog. She creates intelligent designs that bring aesthetic pleasure as jewellery and objects in their own right. Self-taught, Sarah has a unique perspective and her sculptural, modern jewellery attracts praise for its simplicity of form, weight and natural elegance. She combines 3D CAD with traditional goldsmithing techniques to create distinctive, architectural designs. Engineering and problem solving play their part and solutions become an integral part of the design. Sarah’s jewellery attracts praise for its simplicity of form, it’s reassuring weight and its understated elegance. This approach has gained her a devoted and international following, and many clients who become regular visitors to the Bloomsbury studio.