Meet the Curator
At the age of 4, my father read the Hobbit to me as a bedtime story. It was my first introduction to the fantasy genre and I was immediately obsessed. From then on, whenever I was asked what I wanted to do when I grew up my reply was "make jewellery and swords."
As a creative person at heart, I have since happily turned my hand to all kinds of projects, including music, writing, art, blacksmithing, watch repair, photography and design in any form I could think of. I ultimately had to make the choice between going to music college with my beloved cello, Sebastian, or the School of Jewellery in Birmingham to learn all things jewellery. After much deliberation I chose to follow through on 4 year old Me's dreams, and moved just a couple of hours up the road to Birmingham's historic jewellery quarter, where I gained both an HND & Bachelor's degree in Jewellery design, silversmithing and CAD design. I was honoured to win a silver award from the Goldsmith's council in London, and my final project (a collection of ornate, ceremonial daggers) has subsequently been featured in exhibitions across the UK.
After working for a short time as an Artist in Residence at the School of Jewellery, I moved to Dublin in Ireland where I also met my wonderful husband. I have been lucky to be able to work in the jewellery industry ever since.
My passion for mythology, fantasy and myth has only grown the more I'm able to create, and I am constantly inspired by literature, storytelling and ancient relics. I love visiting museums and always gravitate towards the jewellery and coins - I think the tangible connection to the past and people’s stories that these objects hold is just fascinating.
After many years designing professionally for others, I've finally stepped out to create my own brand; Relic & Fable. I'm so pleased to be able to welcome you to my world - the objects here are designed with intention to inspire connection & reflection. Every piece holds a little piece of fantasy, and a special meaning that I hope will resonate with you.
Some quick (& perhaps) interesting facts about me:
- My favourite food is plain basmati rice or anything lychee flavour
- I love hiking, especially in beautiful Devon, UK, where my parents now live
- Despite exclusively wearing silver metals, I spontaneously chose to make my wedding ring in yellow gold (& I love it)
- My favourite video game is "The Long Dark" - a realistic (and brutal), open world survival experience set in frozen, post apocalyptic Canada
- I have read "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy in it's entirety over 15 times (I lost count at 15!)
- I love taking photos in my spare time, and I even post some of my favourites on my Flickr page...
- I'm a classically trained Cellist and have played semi-professionally and with countless orchestras for many years
- My taste in music has been described as "musical whiplash" as I'll listen to everything from classical, to heavy metal, to show tunes, folk, classic rock, sea shanties and lot's of country & western
- I weightlift 4x a week, and I'm awful at it!
For the occasional glimpse behind the scenes as well as exciting news & updates, join me on Instagram or sign up to The Guild, and together we can continue to build the world of Relic & Fable.
See you out there,
Gilbert
