I have been creating jewellery seriously for about three years, but have only recently started my own jewellery-making business. I design and make jewellery under the trading name Tangled Oak. There is a typically Cornish, wind-sculpted oak outside the house and looking at that every day inspired the choice of name.

I have been interested in natural history and geology since I was a child. My special interest in minerals, rocks and fossils led me to an interest in stone polishing and thence to jewellery making. I now leave most of the stone preparation to the experts and concentrate on designing and hand-making items of jewellery.

My designs are most often inspired by forms in the natural world. Fossils, shells (both sea shells and nut shells), leaves and rock textures are some of the forms which I have incorporated into my work. Sometimes the materials themselves suggest designs. I work in Sterling silver, PMC (Precious Metal Clay: fine silver which is purer than Sterling), bronze and I use semi-precious stones & freshwater pearls in some of my designs.

My pieces are often connected with a special memory. This could be associated with an item I have found, for example an ammonite on the beach, or an activity, like learning to tie knots with my father. Each piece I make has a strong sense of time and place for me as the creator and, hopefully, for the wearer as well.

I love the care and detail involved in jewellery making, as well as the beauty of the materials and of the finished pieces. I have more design inspirations than I can keep up with, but that is the fun and the challenge of working creatively. If you have a special memory in mind and would like to have a piece of jewellery made to embody it, please contact me.