From Administrator to Silversmith – as a hobby Shelley went to silversmithing classes and fell in love with the art. A few weeks in and she had already set herself up with a few essential tools and materials, pottering away in an upstairs room, designing and making pieces for herself. Various courses later in silversmithing, beading and silver clay, Shelley knew her passion lay with the process of designing one-off pieces of jewellery from sheets and wires.
Shelley’s husband made her a work shop and there she has been for the past twelve years! Being made redundant from an Office job meant she could devote her time to designing – she rarely jots anything down ( it is in her head somewhere ) so most pieces are a one-off. Shelley loves the more rustic look with tool marks to show that they’ve been made by hand and to give form and texture.
One of the methods Shelley uses is called reticulation. This involves melting the silver until it bubbles, making unique pieces that are impossible to replicate.
Some examples of her work are shown below, with a lovely selection available in our on-line Shop. Better still, do come along to the Gallery and see Shelley's fine display.
