It started at St.Helens Art College, practising on copper and brass.  The natural progression was to move up to silver once the basic techniques are mastered and I did.  But whereas most of the students crash on with just the silver , I continued with mixing and matching, I like the contrasts and I still do that now.

Along the way, I ‘ve dabbled in silver clay/pmc, anodised aluminium, enamel, resin, glass, pewter and then more into upcycling – biscuit tins, cutlery and coins. Though I’ve worked through many of the silversmithing techniques, I’ve abandoned some like repousse (way too messy) and stone setting (really HATE that!) and found what I really enjoy doing is pierce – and it’s what I do best.  So I use a fine-bladed jeweller’s saw and sit there for hours, until my hands cramp! 

When my uncle mentioned that he’d saved piles of coins that he’d found in Grandad’s loft when they cleared the house, I grabbed them. Grandad had been a bookie and I’m presuming they were what remained of his float when decimalisation happened in 1971.   That started the coin jewellery and keyring exploration. Upcycling coins has been a revelation, practicing on the pennies and halfpennies as there were so many, not always in good condition but then those from Queen Victoria’s reign wouldn’t be that good, would they?  I also had my own collection that I’d collected as a child, often with the help of Great Uncle Joe, Grandad’s brother. And more have been added as time has gone on, particularly the farthings with the wren and Irish 3d with the hare, which weren’t in any of our collections.

When I first starting using coins, I was trolled. To cut a long story short, it’s not criminal. A few people took one snippet of legislation and got carried away.  They didn’t have any understanding and had not read the full HM Treasury guidance. In the end I just got a license, it was easier. Having said all that, I haven’t been hassled in the last few years, it now seems OK to the general public.  As long as the coins are out of circulation, no longer used as currency, it is perfectly legal, which is exactly what I use.  And just in case, I’m belt and braces and have the license, in writing. (N.B. You CANNOT deface the monarch’s image if the coin is still legal tender, that is definitely not acceptable and IS illegal.)

So I’m still using lots of metal combinations and still experimenting – there’s no way I could ever get bored doing what I do; and I know I work longer hours than I ever did in any of my  “regular” jobs but it isn’t like work, so I just keep going, it’s fun!