wendy smyth

I have been creating jewellery for the past 15 years.  At first I was making items from gemstones and playing with colour and various designs then a friend then told me about an evening class running to learn the basics of silversmithing and from that moment on I was hooked.   I have now graduated to making jewellery from sterling silver cutlery.

I find it fascinating what ideas and creations can be made with just a piece of silver.  The tines of a fork once annealed will bend and fold into a beautiful ring or bangle.  A small butter knife will loop round a finger to make a chunky ring.  Spoons make fantastic earrings.

My favourite part of making cutlery jewellery is that until I finish a project I never really know how it will turn out.  I may have in mind a particular item I want to make but sometimes the silver has other ideas and creates its own design as I work.

My inspiration comes from the world around me.  I just see a shape or texture of something which then gives me the idea to create with a piece of cutlery that may have sat in my collection for months and I just know it’s the right design for that piece.

I love the fact that I am using old pieces of cutlery or broken jewellery to create something new.  So if grandma’s old silver sugar tongs are hidden away in a drawer they can be re-purposed into a bangle that you can wear everyday as a reminder of her.