Meet Laura, an American expat living in the United Kingdom since the late 90s. She started her jewellery making journey learning beading from her mother. She then started silversmithing in the UK but America still plays a huge part in the jewellery she makes. See how below.
Hi, I’m Laura - an American artisan jeweller living in the stunning Hampshire countryside. From my studio hidden in the South Downs, I fabricate rings, bangles, earrings and necklaces featuring the most exquisite gemstones. When I’m not sawing, soldering and polishing metal, you’ll find me hunting for beautiful gemstones from around the world: little pieces of treasure in colours that have to be seen to be believed.
My journey into the exciting world of silversmithing can be described as a bit of an accident. It was 2015 and I was on holiday when I spotted someone making gorgeous, colourful glass beads out of venetian glass. I was fascinated by this intricate craft and the abundance of colours on display. So, inspired by the colours, I took part in a glass making class that wasn’t quite what I was expecting. While I didn’t love the practice, it did propel me to explore silversmithing instead. I’d always loved silver, and so I took a silversmithing class in Chichester followed by a bigger adventure in Taos, New Mexico.
Here I studied with a leading silversmith and expert stone setter, while embracing the rugged desert beauty and colourful culture of this artistic town. It was my teacher who first introduced me to the sheer variety of American Turquoise; a stone that I already knew, but had never experienced in its full, glorious complexity. I remember the moment she took me to a stone shop and pulled open a drawer full of turquoise in electric blues and greens, all with unique patterns and shapes. I fell in love straight away. Since then I have returned to New Mexico every year to learn from brilliant jewellers, source extraordinary gemstones and fuel my creative tank. I am forever developing my skill set and searching for new ideas so that I can bring you more and more eye-catching, unique designs.
Sparked by a passion that turned into an obsession for gemstones, I am now a collector of the most beautiful gemstones that celebrate a kaleidoscope of colour and a lifetime of beauty. I work with one of a kind gemstones that offer a world of colour; from deep dark blue Lapis Lazuli with intricate specs of pyrite glitter, to the Larimar sea blue swirls of the Dominican Republic and, of course, my first love: the rich range of turquoise. To see the range for yourself click gemstones. Whether you are looking for silver, gold or mixed metal, it is my job to create something that helps you escape the everyday and embrace the extraordinary.
