Ever since I can remember, I have squirrelled away things I thought might make a nice piece of jewellery: flat spiral shells, a sparkly stone, a pretty dried flower. I would daydream about turning them into a unique piece of jewellery I could wear.
'Make the jewellery you’ve always daydreamed about'.
So in December 2016, I found a taster course with a professional jewellery maker called Jonathan Deer in Ely. He gave me a fascinating insight into what I could do and I was hooked. He gave me some lists of equipment I would need and answered my flurry of questions about files and tweezers and rolling mills. He also gifted me two tickets to the Desire Jewellery and Silversmithing Fair at Chelsea Old Town Hall.
My friend Shalini should be mentioned here: a north-London resident, unfailingly enthusiastic and ideally placed to be my side-kick on various random jewellery-related-excursions ever since.
She and I visited the Desire Fair, where well as catching up with Jonathan, we met another equally inspiring silversmith, Claire Ackworth. Her stall, bedecked with gorgeous brushed silver sea-glass rings, drew me in immediately. She told me the tale of how she used to work for a Charity (like me!) before she started making jewellery part time and then had to go full time in order to keep up with demand!
She was the push I needed to have some faith that I too, could do this. So off I went, researching like crazy and investing in rather a lot of equipment and tools.
As luck would have it, I met my significant other half around this time. He proved to be a keeper by (amongst many other things of course!) transforming Uncle Don’s old writing bureau into my very own jewellery bench. 
I soon realised that what I needed was practice. And a lot of it.
I have picked up some handy tips, techniques and tricks on the way, thanks to a lot of internet browsing and videos from the likes of Dave Wilson of Celtic Dreams and Andrew Berry from At The Bench, and in September 2021, started my Diploma in Silver Jewellery with the Jewellers Academy.
Having graduated in summer 2022 with a distinction, I quickly went on to design, make and launch my first precious metals collection: The Windblown Collection launched on 30th September 2022.
I will always be learning new things but am thrilled to now be making the jewellery I always daydreamed about...