At Varoshe we love to showcase unusual jewellery with a story. Behind each collection on display there is an independent maker or small business whose story becomes part of their jewellery; from the initial ideas and inspiration to the final collection that you see on display. Each journey is unique and this month I would like to share another one of these stories with you...
REBECCA BURT
How did you first ‘get in to’ jewellery?
I was always fascinated with jewellery when I was younger, putting weird and wonderful things into pendants, but never considered it as something to pursue, instead opting to do a degree in textile design at Manchester School of Art. It wasn’t until my last year of university when I started to make mixed material jewellery that I really realised what I wanted to do. Upon graduating I enrolled in a beginner’s silversmithing evening course back in Cardiff and that was it, I was hooked!
What is your work space like?
Since launching my business in 2017 I’ve had two very lovely studios. I am currently based in a little studio space called Red Door Studios in Cardiff. It’s in a great location and is part of a little community of independent businesses’, where often on the weekends there are markets that we open the studio doors for.
What is your favourite thing to make/design?
My favourite things to make and design are rings and brooches. I love designing rings, as I love to wear rings, it’s something you can see and admire whilst wearing it all day. With brooches, I love the freedom that you are designing and building a surface, to be worn anywhere it can be pinned.
Which three words best describe your work?
Organic, decorative, flowing.
What jewellery are you wearing right now?
I am currently wearing a pair of my long ‘Windblown’ earrings with oxidised centres. I find them really useful as they work well in both the daytime and if you are dressing up a bit in the evening. I am also currently wearing a couple of engraved stacking rings, mixed with a few new ideas that I’m testing for a new collection.
What is the proudest moment in your jewellery career so far?
I think in my career so far my proudest moment has been an award that I won, when I was studying in Bishopsland Educational Trust. When I was first getting into jewellery making, I did an evening course for a year and then a year of making in my spare time in my bedroom studio, but I was getting a little stuck. Having little background in jewellery, I needed something more to boost me into how to make a career out of jewellery making. I then very luckily came across and managed to get a place at Bishopsland Educational Trust, a postgraduate jewellery and silversmithing residential year just outside of Reading. For me this was just what I needed, an intensive year of making and learning, with lots of competitions and exhibitions to prepare for. One of the competitions we participated in was a Young Designer Competition at Jacobs the Jewellers in Reading, where we could enter one piece of jewellery and one piece of silver that would be on display for a month, where the public were invited to vote on their favourite. My jewellery entry was my ‘Freckled Blooms’ neckpiece made from silver with a scattering of 18ct gold freckles, which I was very astonished to find it was awarded the wining jewellery prize.
What’s one thing you’d like to accomplish this year? (Can be work or personal.)
This year in my business I want to bring out a new collection, with the aim to have it ready for the Autumn/Winter. At the moment I’ve been squeezing in developing design ideas around everything else. Next stage is to start making some decisions and get these designs to fruition!
If you weren’t a jeweller which other job would you have loved just as much?
Right now I really love being a jeweller. Making jewellery and running my own business satisfies a lot of things that I love to do. The making satisfies my need to create and work with my hands, the designing satisfies the creative side of my brain and the business side satisfies the small part of me that likes things logical and correct.
Name one fact that people may not know about you.
I completed my SSI open water and advanced diver training when travelling in Koh Tao in Thailand. It was the most magical experience, diving down to 30m and seeing all these beautiful schools of fish flickering above and below you.
You can now find Rebecca’s new collection ‘Eden’ at Varoshe, so if you love her work as much as we do then head over to 2 West Street to see the full display in all its glory! Looking for a specific piece? We recommend that you phone ahead to check availability and avoid disappointment. You can find out how to contact us here.
As always, if you have any jewellery questions, or would like to know more about the people behind the jewellery, then please do get in touch, we are only too happy to try and help.
Clare X