Life has come full circle

Ever since I sketched a few jewellery designs while on an Art Foundation course back in the nineties, I’ve had a back-of-the-mind dream to make my own silver jewellery - but time went on and the designs stayed in my sketch book. When I left uni, the reality of needing to find money fast to support myself was all too real and so off I went to look for a ‘proper’ job; getting stuck in that cycle for way too long, as many of us do. I went from freelance events work to working as an events manager at a large university and then I got to a certain age and realised that my creative dreams were seriously on hold and I needed to do something about that, fast.

I’ve always been creative and fell in love with photography from a young age. I could turn my hand to most things, even accidentally teaching myself the art of cake decorating when my then 2 year old decided she wanted a 3D minion cake for her 2nd birthday! No one would take it on – so I made it myself and a new obsession began.

A few years and a few cakes later in 2019, when I had just set up my photography business (echoesandshadows.com) I had a thought: what if I could make more permanent mini sculptures? It was at that point that I found my fingers typing ‘jewellery class Leeds’ into Google and that’s when I found Emma White, an amazing jeweller and wonderful teacher who is also the business brain behind thejewellerymakers.co.uk. I fell in love with jewellery making at my first class and have never looked back.

I’m inspired by flowers, nature and the Sea and by Gothic, Celtic and Indian design, ancient historical sites, ruins, and the beautiful stonemasonry of gravestones. I love to weave these gorgeous influences throughout my creative work as a jewellery maker and professional photographer. (If you'd like to see what I get up to in my photography business, I'd love for you to visit me at echoesandshadows.com

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support so far – I’m loving making your orders and commissions and it’s a wonderful feeling to know you like my work and trust me to make jewellery for you. Long may this continue, because life has finally come full circle. Getting 'lost' in my work and feeling peace as I make is what I've always dreamed of, and I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.

Netti x